Energy Magazine August 2018 | Page 55

Woolley explains . “ It ’ s one of the key reasons the Bluetooth SIG was created 20 years ago as , without universal standards , interoperability couldn ’ t be achieved . It is the foundation of Bluetooth and has remained not just a core component , but also a major contributing factor for the widespread adoption of the technology across a wide range of markets and use cases .” The nature of the smart city concept and its inherent means that there isn ’ t a standard way in which such an environment works . Rather , it is imperative to assimilate technologies based on each urban area , the people living in it , its requirements and so forth . A smart city , Woolley says , “ has a collection of technological systems that aim to solve all sorts of problems that modern cities face and improve the quality of life for citizens . As a result , the priorities will be different across different cities , based on their most urgent concerns .
“ Often , citizens themselves are part of the solution ,” he adds . “ For example , frequent smartphone usage and wearable technology can be leveraged to capture all kinds of live data , including traffic and pollution levels .”
Bluetooth , with its ability to connect wireless devices and build personal area networks , can act as an underpinning technology in the smart city . “ Engaging and involving citizens in smart city initiatives is essential to their success and a common strategy is to crowdsource urban data
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