Security is also a component of Chicago’s smart city initiative. The city partners closely with the police department in order to bring technology into the field via a mobile command unit to manage large groups of people at outdoor events and intervene if an area becomes too crowded and a riot seems imminent. The mobile command unit is packed with TV monitors that display scenes from multiple angles, with live feeds from HD cameras embedded in the city’s LED streetlights. This is part of the city’s WindyGrid hub which houses information on many operational data sects into a single operating picture for city response teams to use when responding to an incident.
The court system is eased
in San Antonio with its smart city technology. The city encompasses 460 square miles, which makes court-related issues a problem since some citizens have to drive a long distance just to get to the courthouse. Through smart city technology, residents can now use video court monitors at court kiosks throughout the area instead of actually appearing in court in person, said Miller.
Warrants can also be applied for online, which “radically shrinks the duration of time to deal with a public safety issue,” Miller said, acknowledging that that could be a plus or a minus depending on which side of the law a resident might be on.
