What does the ‘Smart City’ of the future look like?

Cities and communities generate data through a vast and growing network of connected technologies that allow services to function productively. From speedometers and apps that helps citizens find parking to sensors that improve water quality, such services improve individual lives and make cities more efficient.

It’s true smart city technologies raise privacy issues, but sophisticated data privacy programs can mitigate these concerns while preserving the benefits of cities that are cleaner, faster, safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

When Future of Privacy Forum approached us to help them visualize a smart city, all of us wanted to do something different—something smart and useful. By creating an interactive microsite, we were able to portray a futuristic, yet incredibly viable, version of a modern day city. The infographic is segmented into categories:

1. Urban sectors being served by smart technologies
2. Technology enablers supporting the creation of smart features
3. Stakeholders using or delivering smart technologies

Viewers can hover over specific markers to find out how it contributes to the comprehensive operation of the city. Clicking through tabs lets the viewer see how those technologies affect various stakeholders, including utilities, transportation, government services, and more. In addition to the interactive piece, we developed a complementary static map that also shows how everything fits together.

Future of Privacy Forum is a Washington D.C. non-profit advocating for privacy leadership, scholarship, and emerging technologies while working towards data protection and transparency.