{"id":1313,"date":"2015-11-12T15:31:33","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T15:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/industry\/blog\/uncategorized\/creating-smarter-cities-with-iot\/"},"modified":"2023-05-31T16:34:24","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T23:34:24","slug":"creating-smarter-cities-with-iot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/government\/2015\/11\/12\/creating-smarter-cities-with-iot\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating smarter cities with IoT"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Empowering_Digital_Government_Blog_733x112\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question that the Internet of Things (IoT) is here to stay. As more sensors are added to everything from vehicles to buildings to street lights, the number of \u201cconnected things\u201d in use is expected to hit nearly 5 billion by the end of this year, according to the analyst firm Gartner<\/a>. And by 2020, that number will escalate to 25 billion.<\/p>\n

The ability to collect information from sensors holds tremendous promise for governments of all sizes. By equipping their assets with sensors and connecting these sensors to the cloud, governments can tap into continuous information streams that help them increase efficiency and reduce costs, make better-informed decisions, and improve citizen services in ways never before imagined. In a nutshell, they can create smarter, safer, and more sustainable cities.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re analyzing information nonstop, the volume of information allows you to predict behaviors. And that\u2019s the ability that IoT provides. By understanding the behavior of people and things on a very detailed level, governments can repair vehicles, bridges, roads, and other types of infrastructure before they break down. They can better understand traffic patterns to improve transportation flows. And they can conserve valuable resources such as water and energy. Consider a few examples:<\/p>\n