IoT sensors in the service of the smart city
Smart city, tangible care
Smart city, tangible care: How do IoT sensors make our everyday lives more livable?
Table of contents
Smart City, Tangible Care: How do IoT sensors make our everyday lives more livable?
A city is not just a collection of buildings and roads, but a living organism. For this organism to function healthily, it needs a nervous system that senses changes and helps in decision-making. This role is filled by the invisible helpers of modern urban development: IoT (Internet of Things) sensors.
1. Why does the city need sensory organs?
One of the most important goals of modern urbanism and district development is that technology should not be an end in itself, but should serve the comfort and safety of residents. IoT (Internet of Things) sensors are small, networked measuring devices that continuously collect data about the physical environment of the city.
These devices are often mistakenly identified with monitoring, even though the goal is not control, but more accurate service of needs. Think of them as the nervous system of the city: they provide the real-time information on the basis of which the maintainers can intervene to make the city more efficient, sustainable and livable.
1.1 From reactive to predictive care
Traditional city management is “reactive”: they fix something when it’s already broken, or they water it when it’s Tuesday on the calendar – regardless of whether it’s raining or not. With IoT devices, we can move to “predictive” maintenance. This means the system will alert you before something goes wrong, or only intervene when it’s really needed, saving the community money and resources.
2. In practice: What specific tools can we encounter?
Perhaps the most important question for the public is: “What exactly are those boxes on poles or in the asphalt?” In the spirit of transparency, we will detail the technologies and brands that are operating today in the most advanced smart cities in the world – and potentially in our district.
2.1 Parking Ease: Bosch Parking Lot Sensor
The unnecessary circling caused by searching for a parking space is not only annoying, but also has a significant environmental impact.
- The device: The Parking Lot Sensor (PLS) manufactured by Bosch is the most common solution.
- What does it look like? It is a round, gray “disk” the size of a palm on the asphalt.
- How it works: It uses a combination of radar and magnetometer to detect when a car is standing over it. It does not take a picture of the car or the license plate, it only indicates occupancy.
- Installation: Unlike previous methods that require cutting asphalt, this is non-destructive. Professionals attach it to the cleaned asphalt with a special industrial adhesive, or stabilize it with a central screw. Since it works with its own battery (which lasts for 5-7 years), there is no need for wiring.
2.2 Clean air and health protection: Libelium Waspmote
Measuring urban microclimate and air quality is key to combating heat islands and maintaining health.
- The device: Waspmote Plug & Sense! units from the Spanish company Libelium.
- What does it look like? A robust, grey box that is usually mounted on street lighting poles, 3-4 meters high.
- How it works: It measures airborne dust, CO2 levels, nitrogen dioxide and temperature in a modular way. It is capable of microclimate-level measurements, so we know exactly which playgrounds are overheating and where steam traps are needed.
- Sustainability: It often has its own solar panel and battery, so it runs entirely on green energy, independent of the grid.
2.3 Waste management: Nordsense and Sensoneo
So that the garbage truck only comes when it is really needed.
- The device: Ultrasonic sensors from the Danish Nordsense or the Slovak Sensoneo.
- What does it look like? A small box that is attached to the inside of the lid of the containers, so it is invisible from the outside.
- How it works: When viewed “upside down”, it measures the distance to the garbage pile with ultrasound, thus determining its saturation. If the bin is full, it signals the center.
- Advantages: Noise and traffic are reduced, as vehicles do not needlessly drive through empty streets, and at the same time, garbage piles do not form in busy parks.
2.4 Smart street lighting: Signify and Schréder
Increase the feeling of security without light pollution.
- The device: Signify (Philips) or Schréder control modules.
- What does it look like? A small, standard connector (Zhaga/NEMA) unit located on the top or bottom of the luminaires.
- How it works: The system with motion sensors dims the light at night on an empty street, but when a pedestrian approaches, the brightness automatically increases, as if “accompanying” the person returning home.
- Installation: Modern lamps have a “Smart Ready” design, the module is simply fixed by the installer with a twist-lock, like a light bulb.
2.5 Water safety and economy: Diehl Metering HYDRUS
Eliminate invisible leaks and waste.
- The device: Diehl Metering’s ultrasonic smart meter.
- What it looks like: A digital unit with no moving parts that replaces traditional water meters.
- How it works: It has no wearing parts, making it extremely accurate. It has a built-in radio module (LoRaWAN) so it alerts you immediately if a leak is detected – such as a burst pipe or a constantly running toilet – preventing high water bills and damage.
2.6 Noise pollution measurement: Cesva TA120
For quieter nights and a peaceful living environment.
- The device: Cesva TA120 Class 1 noise monitor.
- What does it look like? A microphone hidden in a special, weatherproof casing (protected by bird spikes and windproof sponge), placed on lampposts.
- How it works: It does not listen to conversations! It only measures the sound intensity (decibel) and the noise spectrum. This provides objective data to the municipality if, for example, a construction site or entertainment venue exceeds the permitted limit.
2.7 Intelligent Transportation: FLIR Thermal Cameras
Optimizing traffic while protecting personal data.
- The device: FLIR TrafiOne or TrafiSense thermal cameras.
- What does it look like? Devices that look like cameras mounted on traffic lights.
- How it works: Important: these are not traditional cameras. They create a thermal image that does not show faces or license plates, making them fully GDPR-compliant. The system only distinguishes pedestrians from cars based on the thermal pattern.
- Advantage: It can dynamically give a green light to cyclists or pedestrians if it sees them waiting, eliminating unnecessary waiting at empty intersections.
3. How does the system work in the background?
For these sensors to be useful, a coordinated system is needed. We can imagine this in four layers:
- Sensing: The devices presented above convert physical reality (heat, motion, noise) into digital signals. The technology is often based on MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) – microscopic moving parts on silicon chips.
- Connectivity: Data transmission. In urban environments, special, low-power networks are used for this, such as LoRaWAN or NB-IoT. These allow devices to operate on batteries for years and send signals for kilometers.
Data processing (Edge and Cloud): - Cloud: Large amounts of data are analyzed in server centers for long-term planning.
Edge Computing: Quick decisions (e.g. in the case of a self-driving car or smart light) are made by the device itself on the spot, without waiting for a response from the center. This is faster and safer. - Action: The end result that the resident perceives: the light turns on, the irrigation starts, or the mobile application indicates where there is a free parking space.
4. Security and Privacy: Not Surveillance, but Care
We know that when we hear the term “smart city”, many people are concerned about “Big Brother”. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to clarify the limitations of the technology and the principles of data protection.
- Anonymity: Most urban sensors do not record personal data. The activity meter in the park does not look at who is sitting on the bench, but whether the bench is occupied.
- Privacy by Design: Modern systems (such as thermal cameras or Edge devices) process the image within the device and only send statistical data (e.g. “5 people passed by”). The original image is immediately deleted or made unrecognizable.
- Data ownership: The data collected by the city is public. The goal is for residents to also have access to it (Open Data), for example to see the noise level or air quality of their own street via an application.
5. The Future: Sustainability and Empathy
The developments do not stop at convenience. The goal is to create an “Empathic City” that notices the needs of its residents and protects the environment.
- Green IoT: The sensors of the future no longer require battery replacement. With Energy Harvesting technology, they obtain the energy needed to operate from the environment (vibration, heat, radio waves), so that no hazardous waste is generated.
- Digital Twin: A virtual copy of the city, where professionals can simulate the impact of their decisions. Before building a house, they can see how it affects wind or shadows, thus avoiding bad decisions.
- So, the introduction of IoT devices in district development is not about technology, but about people. These invisible devices allow us to create a cleaner, quieter and safer environment for all of us with fewer resources.
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