ArticlePDF Available

China's Smart City Pilots: A Progress Report

October 2014
Computer 47(10):72-81

DOI:10.1109/MC.2013.149

Authors:

Pu Liu

Beijing Jiaotong University

Peng Zhenghong

Wuhan University

To sustain its largely urban population, China has invested heavily in making its digital cities smart, and with more than 200 pilot smart cities, has the opportunity to explore technology, apply lessons to future development, and refine conceptions of what such cities require.

Layers in China's smart city architecture. Keeping transmission and processing in separate layers ensures that multiple applications can share and reuse resources.

…

. Key goals and technologies in China's near-term IoT industry.* Goal Technologies Increase perception UHF and microwave RFID tags, smart sensors, embedded software, sensors based on MEMS, 2D decoder chips

…

Figures - uploaded by Pu Liu

Content may be subject to copyright.

Content uploaded by Pu Liu

Content may be subject to copyright.

PERSPECTIVES

China’s Smart City Pilots:

A Progress Report

Pu Liu and Zhenghong Peng, Wuhan University

To sustain its largely urban population, China has invested heavily in mak-

ing its digital cities smart, and with more than 200 pilot smart cities, has the

opportunity to explore technology, apply lessons to future development, and

refine conceptions of what such cities require.

By 2025, an estimated one billion people in China

will reside in urban areas,1 and the country is

already facing traffic complexities; increased

energy, power, and water use; and more challeng-

ing urban management. To manage urban growth, which

affects more than two thirds of China’s population, the

country is accelerating and concentrating its IT adoption

and solidifying its position in the machine-to-machine

(M2M) market—the technology that wirelessly intercon-

nects machines, devices, and appliances as part of an

intelligent network.

According to a 2014 GSMA Intelligence report, at the end

of 2013, China had 50 million M2M connections, relative to

32 million in the US and 9.3 million in Japan.2 China also

provides exceptionally strong government support—all of

which has contributed to its dominance in smart city initia-

tives. As of August 2013, China’s Ministry of Housing and

Urban and Rural Development (MOHURD) had announced

193 national smart pilot projects, which included core

cities, towns, districts, and counties.3

After three to five years of construction, MOHURD will

assess the pilots and rate them along three levels. The

national evaluation model, which is expected to be finished

by the end of 2014, will emphasize a smart city infrastruc-

ture built on new-generation IT, as well as social and indus-

trial applications that enhance urban life and management.

In November 2013, China and the EU officially launched

the China–EU Smart City Cooperation, which added 15

pilot cities.4 Thus, as of September 2014, China has more

than two hundred smart city pilots under construction.

Investment in IT for national smart city construction had

reached more than ¥1.1 trillion by the end of February 2012,

and that amount is expected to be more than ¥2 trillion

by 2015.5

To better understand China’s progress in establishing

smart cities, we surveyed recent literature on existing and

planned projects, explored general theories and observa-

tions on what constitutes a smart city, and reviewed sample

pilot projects. Although some pilots are making impressive

gains in smart technology and intelligent planning, our

survey identified many obstacles that require more intense

cooperation and larger-scale implementation to overcome.

A serious problem is the lack of consensus on a smart

city definition. Aside from agreeing that smart cities are

built on intelligent sensing technology, and decision plat-

forms characterized by the Internet of Things (IoT) and

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OCTOBER 2014 73

cloud computing, and that they enrich material and cultural

life and promote economic and social progress, practitio-

ners and academics have not reached a clear and uniform

conceptual understanding of “smart.”6–8

Another obstacle is the inability to evaluate scale.

Despite the inherent macro nature of smart city develop-

ment, scattered smart projects are unevenly distributed in

regional departments, making it even more difficult to get

a uniform picture of large-scale implementations.

Our work to connect these siloed views aims to provide

a more comprehensive look at China’s smart city pilots and

to reveal modeling and implementation lessons that have

implications for future development.

FROM DIGITAL TO SMART

Despite popular opinion, digital cities are not smart in the

truest sense. Digital cities integrate urban information and

create public spaces for people living in the cities, using

digitization, networking, visualization, and information

technologies to attain urban information about population,

resources, environment, economics, and social statistics.9

A digital city is founded on a broadband metropoli-

tan area network and geospatial data, supported by GPS,

remote sensing, a geographic information system, virtual

reality, data fusion, and dynamic interoperability. Exam-

ples include Digital City Amsterdam, Helsinki Arena 2000,

and Digital City Kyoto—all started in the late 1990s.

In contrast, a smart city exploits IT’s full potential in all

walks of life, integrating the digital city, Internet, and the

IoT, which embeds sensors in everything from buildings

to pipes10 so that individuals and the infrastructure can

interact in multiple relationships for mutual benefit.

Both the IoT and cloud computing are foundational

smart city technologies and the focus of China’s current

work to establish smart cities.

Internet of Things

The IoT collects real-world object information through sens-

ing equipment such as RFID and transmits information to a

processing center though the Internet, wireless networks,

or optical-fiber technologies. Intelligent systems then com-

prehensively analyze this massive amount of data and use

it to refine urban operations’ control and management.

The IoT also allows deeper contact relationships, such as

people-to-object and object-to-object, and enables commu-

nication on many levels. The result is a city that displays

and uses intelligent characteristics.

Since 2011, China’s IoT research and deployment has

concentrated on wireless sensor network nodes, the WSN

gateway, system miniaturization, and network planning

and deployment, among other areas. The industry has

reached ¥500 billion in 2013 and is expected to exceed

¥700 billion by 2015.11

Technologies in the immediate future will center on

information processing and application services. Table 1

shows the industries’ primary goals and technologies to

achieve them.

In August 2009, recognizing that the IoT is the basis of

a smart city, the State Council of China opened the Sens-

ing China Center in Wuxi. A year later, more than 200 IoT

enterprises set up operations in Wuxi and began collabo-

rating with 26 institutes and 16 universities that had been

conducting IoT research and technology development.

An earlier effort, the 530 Project, the goal of which was

to introduce international talent in science and technol-

og y,12 resulted in 1,631 entrepreneurial startups, funded

by local government, many of which were IoT enterprises.

Together these efforts earned Wuxi the status of a leading-

edge smart city. In December 2013, it won China’s top smart

city award and, in August 2014, became one of only three

IEEE-endorsed global smart city pilots.12

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is based on parallel, distributed, and

grid computing and thus comprises a mixed bag of vir-

tualization, utility computing, software as a service, and

service-oriented architecture. Cloud storage uses clus-

ter applications, grid technology, and the distributed file

system to interconnect and facilitate collaboration among

disparate network storage types. With its unlimited expan-

sion ability, it can support petabytes of data and is available

even during a hardware malfunction.

Table 1. Key goals and technologies in China’s near-term IoT industry.*

Goal Technologies

Increase perception UHF and microwave RFID tags, smart sensors, embedded software, sensors based on MEMS, 2D decoder chips

Promote transmission New close-range wireless communication and sensor nodes, self-reliant sensor network, multiple IoT net-

working levels (fixed, mobile, wired, and wireless)

Strengthen processing Massive storage, data mining, intelligent video image analysis

Consolidate technology IoT core chip, sensor miniaturization, security, sensor node micropower efficiency

*IoT, Internet of Thing s; MEMS, microelect romechanical sys tems; and UHF, ultrahigh frequen cy.

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74 COMPUTER

PERSPECTIVES

Smart city architecture

Figure 1 shows the four-layer architecture that China’s

smart cities are adopting. Unlike other smart city models,

China’s architecture separates information transmission

and processing because having these functions in the same

layer results in a closed-loop application13 that is not con-

ducive to resource sharing and reuse.

Sensing layer. The sensing layer is responsible for identify-

ing objects and collecting information through two main

components. The first is the basic identifier or sensor, such

as RFID tags, reader-writers, cameras, GPS, and 2D barcode

labels. The second is a fusion network with inductors, such

as a sensor network. The sensing layer’s core is the IoT,

through which sensors, nodes, wireless routers, and wire-

less gateways interact.

The main challenge is standardizing interaction pro-

tocols. However, standardizing IoT design and architec-

ture at this level is problematic

because the IoT industry’s

boundaries are indistinct and

the industry chain is long with

scattered links.

Transmission layer. The trans-

mission layer is responsible

for exchanging information

and transmitting data through

access and transport networks.

The access network includes

fiber, wireless, Ethernet, and

satellite access; it is the last

stage of the sensor network

base and RFID network access.

The transmission network

includes the Internet; telecom-

munication, broadcast, and

television networks; and a digi-

tal trunked system. Integrating

multiple networks is the main

challenge, but fusing the IoT

and mobile Internet has the

highest market potential.

Processing layer. The process-

ing layer intelligently processes

and controls information and

provides services and other

functions to industries and

public users. It consists of

business support, network

management, and information

processing and security, among

others. Typically it includes

middleware, virtual, and high-reliability technology, and fea-

tures cloud computing and a service-oriented architecture.

Introducing semantic technology into the IoT can solve

resource interoperability problems because it is more suit-

able for machine processing and thus enables a greater

degree of automatic processing and open sharing.

Application layer. The application layer offers solution sets

of widely intelligent applications. Smart cities can finally

realize the depth of synergy between information tech-

nologies and industry-specialized technologies. This layer

greatly influences national economic and social develop-

ment. Key problems are widespread information resource

sharing and the need to safeguard information security.

SMART CITY ELEMENTS

Smart cities must handle massive amounts of data in an

attempt to achieve the comprehensive intelligence that

Figure 1. Layers in China’s smart city architecture. Keeping transmission and processing in

separate layers ensures that multiple applications can share and reuse resources.

Processing

layer

Application

layer

Smart

environmental

monitoring

Smart trac and logistics

Smart community

Business support platform

(middleware platform)

Information

processing

platform Information security

platform

Service support

platform Network

management

platform

Transmission

layer

Transmission

network

Access network

Sensing

layer

RFID tag

Reader-writer Camera Infrared sensor

Parking sensor

Smart

healthcare

Smart food

Sensor network and gateway

Body sensor

Smart public securitySmart home Smar t life

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OCTOBER 2014 75

enriches the lives of their residents and upgrades urban

management and industry while also protecting the envi-

ronment. China’s smart city pilots already have many and

varied applications in elements such as life enrichment,

public administration and service, and wide-scale resource

management.

Life enrichment

Life enrichment covers both home and community func-

tions as well as healthcare and education.

Home. Everyone enjoys more convenient and higher

qualit y daily life when home devices, such as appliances,

operate in an intelligent network. China’s smart cities

benefit from environments such as Haier’s U+ smart life

operating system, released in early 2014, which enables

a range of smart home solutions. Three interconnected

platforms—home, cloud services, and data analysis—allow

the interconnection of lighting, appliances, and security

systems regardless of brand.

Community. A smart community provides mechanisms for

home care, street monitoring, and property management.

A community in Wuhan, for example, is using a real-time

community monitoring system to warn government depart-

ments about issues that affect residents’ welfare. More than

2,000 probes monitor the smart community, and residents

can see videos of streets and roads. Through intelligent

analysis, the system can identify and track unusual events,

such as wandering citizens and abnormal object trajectories.

Systems intercommunicate to provide services that

enhance daily life. For example, residents control lights,

air conditioning, curtains, and doors through their smart

phones and intelligent household remotes. They can also

display the home’s energy consumption as well as a real-

time index of chemicals in the indoor air, such as formalde-

hyde, which is in some home decorations, and particulate

matter, such as PM2.5, from smoke, dust, and gas. Wearable

sensors on elderly and disabled citizens can provide their

families with health status and alerts.

Healthcare. A medical information integration platform

allows doctors to quickly see their patients’ symptom-

atic history, which ensures fast, consistent and accurate

healthcare across hospitals; enables community workers

to determine eligible services; and eliminates long waits

for payment processing.

In Suzhou, the health bureau, hospitals, banks, and wire-

less application center cooperatively developed and imple-

mented a platform to integrate reservation services, health

records, community services, family health services, and

payments. Consequently, hospital efficiency has improved,

patients wait less time for services, and citizens can easily

view their health records at home.

In Nanjing, another medical information integration

platform connects ambulances equipped with 4G network

transmitters to hospitals in major cities so that paramed-

ics can conduct remote consultations as soon as patients

enter the vehicle. The benefits are optimal use of health

resources and improved clinical decisions.

Education. Education is central to an enriched life, and

many smart cities have invested in student–parent com-

munication to enhance safety. In Hubei, middle school

students carry a multipurpose card that works with the

smart school system to inform parents when their children

enter and leave school, how much they have spent using

the card as a debit card, their academic record, teacher

comments, and their environment.

Students of Huazhong University of Science and

Technology now enjoy a smart campus by using their

mobile phones as identity cards, consumer cards, and

an information platform. Through their phones, students

enter libraries, select self-study room seats, view litera-

ture resources, receive campus notifications, buy goods

in the campus supermarket, and access the university’s

cafeterias, restrooms, and dormitories.

Smart City Vision

Smart cities are built on the hope of exponential personal and

public improvement that technologies such as cloud com-

puting and the Internet of Things (IoT) make possible. These tech-

nologies interconnect urban public facilities, home appliances,

and offices and form the b ackbone of real-time sensing in urban

operations, delivering an impressive list of benefits:

• Full integration. The IoT and the Internet will be completely

interconnected, integrating data into a core urban operation

system and providing the foundation of smart facilities.

• Collaborative operation. Each operating system, platform,

and individual should be able to cooperate harmoniously

and efficiently.

• Clean urban energy. Smart cities will extensively use solar

photovoltaic power as well as wind, biomass, and tidal

energies.

• Knowledge-based services. The service industry already

accounts for more than half of GDP growth worldwide. This

trend will intensify as knowledge-based services flourish,

including financial services; logistics; information, educa-

tion, and research serv ices; and product design.

• Expansion of the city-group model. Convenient informa-

tion and a comprehensive traffic network will narrow the

distance between cities, which will develop cooperatively

and complement one another.

• Personalized services. Because the network will already

know enterpr ise and public needs , it will be able to anticip ate

and provide personalized services.

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76 COMPUTER

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Public administration and service

Through grid-based data collection and analysis, an urban

system integrates data and transfers information, enabling

smart management and service. Its partitioned method

and system-of-systems approach breaks down information

barriers that arise from inequitable regional development

and proprietary interests and replaces them with func-

tional subsystems that share resources and collaborate in

inter regional operations. This collaboration ensures that

resource allocation is fair and appropriate.

Haidan’s grid-based platform, in operation since July

2013, integrates government services, social manage-

ment, and data resource systems by consolidating ser-

vices from 78 bureaus and more than 8,000 grid clerks

in this Beijing district. Platform users across the grid

have access to data sharing and visualization tools to

identify issues.

Within four months after becoming operational, the

“smart management, zero distance” platform was handling

325,928 cases to resolve issues such as landscaping, public

security, and environmental order.14 By sharing informa-

tion across so many levels and functions, the platform helps

build a service-oriented government that can promote sta-

bility and harmony.

Smart public service and administration also includes

systems with specific functions, such as to supervise public

and food safety, improve traffic conditions, and protect the

environment.

Public safety supervision. Sensors, GPS, and mass-

information processing technologies ensure safety in

every part of a smart city, enabling video surveillance that

enhances emergency response.

In Chaoyang, another Beijing district, smart safety

systems monitor heating to prevent carbon monoxide

poisoning or a gas explosion. During the 2012–2013 cold-

weather season, Chaoyang’s district information office

distributed and installed 11,000 alarm apparatuses that

interact with an IoT-based carbon monoxide prevention

and control system, which uses a call center to monitor

alarms. During that time, the center addressed more than

133,000 alarms with no resulting poisoning or explosions.

In 2013, Beijing had expanded the use of this system to

300,000 households.15

Food safety supervision. Smart safety manage-

ment and tracking control systems ensure that food is

contamination- free from its source to the consumer. Citi-

zens simply press mobile phone keys to learn about food

origins, growth conditions, nutrition facts, and even cook-

ing methods and recipes.

In 2011, the Ministry of Commerce determined that 10

pilot cities would have the meat and vegetable traceability

system, including Xi’an, Hefei, and Harbin. In 2013, Harbin

started using the system to manage food safety. Consum-

ers can identify and trace the meat or vegetables through

scanning the shopping receipts on an automatic inquiry

machine. All related information is available, including the

producer’s name, cultivation place and process, and the

time the meat or vegetables were sent to market.

Smart traffic. A smart traffic system processes infor-

mation exchange among people, vehicles, and the

environment on states such as traffic flow, noise, acci-

dents, and temperature. Its goals are to improve traffic

safety, provide access to information that will enhance

the driving experience, reduce energy consumption, and

protect the environment. For example, the system should

be able to predict traffic f low and dynamically control

road conditions enough in advance that drivers know to

take alternative routes.

In Beijing, drivers with Green Wing system navigators

can choose to activate the dynamic path-selection func-

tion to bypass congestion or the driving habits advice

Smart Electric Substations

WHERE Xi’an

WHEN End of 2017

GOAL 39 percent of all substations are smart

Xi’an has been working on various smart grid pilot projects

since 2009 and has already implemented 17 smart substa-

tions. In 2012, China’s first 330 -kV smart substation became oper-

ational in Xi’an, and by 2017, the city is expected to have five

750-kV smar t substations, 46 330-kV smart substations, and 236

110 -kV smart substations ,1 accounting for about 39 percent of the

substations designated to meet its electrical needs.

Smart substations integrate information collection, measure-

ment, security, and testing, as well as real-time automatic grid

control, which enables online decision making and collaborative

interaction. The city is also implementing newer smart substa-

tions, which integrate primary equipment such as sensors and

smart components in a more economical and logical layout. Rela-

tive to traditional smart substations, the new system covers 15 to

25 percent less area indoors and 45 to 64 percent less area out-

doors. Their more efficient installation and debugging can reduce

construction time by 25 percent.

The newer substations are more economical, energy efficient,

environmentally friendly, and reliable. An integrated platform

could add enha ncements, such as intelli gent alarms and sequen ce

control, and regulation. A 330-kV newer smart substation—the

first of its kind in China—is under construction on Xi’an’s

boundary.1

Reference

1. “First Newer S mart Substation of 330 -kV to Begin Buildi ng This

Year,” Chi na’s Smart Grid, Mar. 2014; w ww.chinasmartgrid.com.

cn/news/20140327/500120.shtml.

r10liu.indd 76 9/25/14 4:43 PM

OCTOBER 2014 77

function to have the system monitor their driving habits

and vehicle emissions.

In Nanjing, 1,800 buses are equipped with 4G network

transmitters that interact with 52 base stations along the

bus lines,16 allowing passengers free Internet access to

information such as the time of the next bus. Information

about the bus and its interior informs the monitoring center

of any suspicious activit y, as well as the driver’s condition.

Passengers continuing a commute by car can get real-time

traffic videos on their mobile phones and the cost of the

nearest parking lot.

Environmental protection. Traditional cities are built on

an economy that consumes resources and pollutes the

environment. In contrast, a smart city integrates resource

development, clean production, and waste disposal. Natu-

ral resource use changes from a single line or a chain into

a reticular structure, in which the production and living

environments do not overta x the natural ecosystem. The

emphasis is on saving natural resources as much as pos-

sible and constantly improving efficiency.

In Wuxi, the lakewater–monitoring system of Taihu

Lake, operational since 2010, integrates mobile networks

and a wireless sensor network across the lake both to

gather and collect data on water quality and microbial

indicators and to control basin pollution. In collaboration

with Jiangsu’s environmental monitoring center, the system

traces pollution to its source. When its 33 cyanobacteria

sensors detect algae bloom, for example, the system sends

signals to nearby cargo ships and salvage vessels so that

they can quickly treat the cyanobacteria. The system also

supervises facilities that are pollution sources to ensure that

they fortify wastewater treatment, effectively controlling

the activity of potential heavy polluters.

In Xin, a Wuxi district, 31 street-cleaning vehicles have

readers and GPS devices that communicate with tags on

more than 70 crossroads. Sensors measure the amount of

road dirt,17 and position scheduling-management systems

alert drivers that an area needs cleaning and help them find

it. In Xin’s 22 green areas, five sets of soil moisture sensors

conduct a real-time analysis of moisture and salinity to

keep it suitable for plants.

Wide-scale resource management

Through management systems, organizations can moni-

tor resources such as water, electricity, and agriculture to

better regulate resources over large areas.

Wat er. Smart water management helps a region respond

quickly to water pollution emergencies and intelligently

allocates limited water reserves. Xinjian’s system—a three-

year, ¥14 million effort—has 29 monitoring stations and a

water center based on cloud computing and IoT,18 allowing

it to monitor river water flow and water quality to deal with

pollution and f loods. The system’s hydrology information

monitoring network uses a variety of sensors to collect

real-time data, which it transmits to the network center,

and then integrates for the monitoring, managing, and

control platform.

Sensors relay characteristics of rainfall, water quality,

underground water level, and rivers. Data collection is

real time and transmission is through a range of methods,

from satellite to the Internet. Early warning messages

automatically go to managers and staff so that they can

take prompt action to address any abnormal conditions.

Integrated information automatically refreshes every

Smart Traffic Management

WHERE Beijing

WHEN 2017

GOAL Integrated public service platform that

alleviates congestion, saves energy, and

reduces pollution.

On Beijing’s ring roads—concentric circles around the city—

157 high-definition cameras automatically count vehicles

and provide traffic flow statistics. When event s such as accidents,

congestion, and surface water accumulation occur, the system

automatically videotap es the event and activates an alarm as

needed.1

Tens of thousands of de tecting coils embed ded in expressways

and trunk roads near intersections automatically collect traffic

flow, speed, and density data through electronic induction. Ultra-

sound, microwave, video, and other technologies provide traffic

information for integration, analysis, and processing. The real-

time traffic query system analy zes the data and relates the

location of vehicles to the time and road capacity. It then sends

congestion information to a roadside board display, which the

public can easily see.

At intersections, traffic flow detectors collect information, and

a traffic control system regulates flow by automatically adjusting

the release time according to the number of cars. The collected

real-time traffic information transmits to the intersection’s signal

equipment and from there to the traffic command center, where

the center’s computer sends it to crossroad traffic lights. On Bei-

jing’s Fifth Ring Road, 80 percent of the intersections have this

regulated control, which has increased road capacity by 15

percent.1

Overall, Beijing’s traffic congestion has decreased by up to 60

percent and its road capacity has doubled or even tripled. With

driving time reductions of up to 45 percent, vehicle use ef ficiency

has improved by hal f. Automobile fuel cons umption has decrea sed

15 percent because drivers’ average speed is consistently higher,

which lowers fuel consumption and reduces gas waste.1

Reference

1. Z. Yun, “Beiji ng Traf fic Installs Sma rt Brain,” China Environment

News, 10 Feb. 2014; w ww.cenews.com.cn/sylm/jsxw/201402/

t20140210_764378.htm .

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15 minutes, including information on water resources,

drinking water safety, hydrology, sewage discharge, and

groundwater. Monitoring information on flood control,

drought relief, mountain torrent disasters, and any early

warning messages are part of the integrated information

provided. Local water managers and urban planners have

access to data detection and statistics analysis to support

decision making.

Electricity. Through effective information retrieval, smart

electric management allows on-demand power use without

a risk of overload.

The State Grid Corporation of China’s explicit aim is to

build a strong smart grid with an ultrahigh-voltage back-

bone network frame that connects large energy bases

and main load centers and has transmission branches to

coordinate various grid levels. To that end, China installed

196 million smart meters, servicing more than 200 million

households. During 2014, the country added 60.91 million

newer smart meters, and projections are to complete 50

newer smart substations and 100 smart substations by

2015. The total investment to date is ¥77.5 billion.11

In Hebi, a grid supports smart city construction

through chips installed on high-tension lines that moni-

tor temperature, running state, line loss, and other real-

time information and transmit data through a general

packet radio service. Infrared temperature measurement

and load detection allows power managers to quickly

understand the running state of distributed network

equipment and enables workers to accurately locate and

resolve potential safety hazards. In the past, a small mal-

function could cause the entire transmission line to fail

because the failure point was difficult to identify. With

the smart grid, the time from failure to resolution and

power restoration is only two minutes on average. With

a much shorter average outage time, citizens can enjoy

more reliable power.

The smart grid also enables the delivery of power fiber

to the home, through which citizens enjoy high-bandwidth

Internet access and an efficient information transmission

channel for the intelligent use of electrical applications. The

2-cm–diameter optical cable supports the integration of

telecommunications, broadcast television, and the Internet

and links smart communities. For example, citizens can

start and set smart appliances remotely.

Agriculture. Smart agricultural management aims to

reduce labor costs and improve crop quality while moni-

toring resource use, security, and environmental impact.

In Meilie, a district in Sanming, four smart systems enable

the intelligent control of grape production. The smart drip

irrigation system automatically rations irrigation water and

fertilizer, and a controllable pipeline system ensures that

soil around the grapes’ main roots stays loose with the

appropriate water and soil nutrients.

Temperature and humidity monitoring equipment in

steel-frame greenhouses acquires real-time environmental

parameters so that grapes always have an environment suit-

able for growth. The cold-storage control system monitors

the storage temperature and humidity to guarantee qual-

ity once grapes are picked. Finally, the video- monitoring

system surveys greenhouse sections and the drip irriga-

tion system’s status and transmits real-time images to the

management center.

Smart grape production has reduced irrigation water use

by more than 30 percent, fertilizer use by 10 to 30 percent,

and annual labor costs by ¥600,000. The smart system

has met its three 10-percent goals: reduce the amount of

materials used in production (seeds, fertilizer, and so on)

by 10 percent, increase yield by 10 percent, and improve

product quality and safety by 10 percent.19

Smart Tourism Services

WHERE Kaifeng

WHEN Operational in January 2014

GOAL Promote local tourism

Kaifeng’s smart tourism ser vices, a ¥45 million investment ,

rely on technologies such as cloud computing, cloud stor-

age, augmented reality, and image processing and recognition to

acquaint visitors with the cit y’s points of interest, which center on

aspects of the Song Dynasty culture.1

Visitors use portable mobile terminals to acquire tourism

resources and information. Free Wi-Fi is available in all public

areas, including all railway and bus stations, scenic spots, hotels,

and squares and plazas. Through the mobile Internet, visitors can

get information when entering areas and receive a smart naviga-

tion guide with location-based services so that they know their

location at any time. Visitors also receive information about their

location, such as traffic and parking lot congestion and available

activities and facilities. Using their phone as a scanner, visitors can

download rotatable pic tures and 3D models, and they can experi-

ence augmente d and virtual reali ty roaming as well as h olographic

images of scenic spots and attractions. Because they book attrac-

tions and events through the mobile Internet, visitors can modify

any stage of their trip on the fly.

Dynamic management increases the quality of service. High-

definition cameras monitor public areas and feed images to the

monitoring center, which uses statistical analysis to direct and

coordinate a function or event. The smart tourism services also

include social services functions, such as real-time monitoring of

long-distance passenger vehicles and allocation of emergency

resources.

Reference

1. “Kaifeng Tourism En ters the Smart Era,” The Pe ople’s Govern-

ment of Henan Pr ovince, Mar. 2014; w ww.henan.gov.cn/zwgk /

system/2014/03/24/010461143.shtml.

r10liu.indd 78 9/25/14 4:43 PM

OCTOBER 2014 79

LESSONS FROM PILOT PROJECTS

Although these applications demonstrate gains toward truly

smart cities, the rush to become a smart city is leading

to widespread construction, which creates some issues.

Namely, projects are often insular, creating information

islands that waste funds because of repeated and redun-

dant construction.

As a pioneer of smart city applications, a department

or sector can easily create an information barrier. Inte-

grating the smart systems scat tered over cities is prob-

lematic, not only because performance is uneven and

heterogeneous data systems conflict, but also because

macro guidance and policy planning cannot keep pace

with development speed. Design at the national level is

difficult to set, since laws, regulations, and technical

standards are imperfect or lacking. The process of con-

structing smart cities is essentially the large-scale evolu-

tion of institutional systems and technical standards that

involves capital, technology, individual talent, govern-

ment, industry, and academia.

Despite a lack of standards, the attraction of having tan-

gible results is motivating smart city construction, which

often proceeds without realizing the loftier aims of smart

cities. Information security is a particular concern because

the technology scale is so large that even a small weakness

can cause considerable damage.

How the data will be used for other systems is also an

issue because data design and software systems are closely

correlated. The greater the amount of data, the higher the

risk will be. If a smart city upgrades, huge costs will be hard

to bear, since many technology schemes, such as cloud

computing, are not clearly defined.

National guidance and coordination

Smart city construction requires complex system engineer-

ing that demands large amounts of capital to solve a range

of problems over a long term, any one of which can result

in huge losses.

To avoid these losses, policy guidance and top design

at the national level must come early in the project. The

current lack of specific national guidance and coordina-

tion is causing information disconnects and attendant

resource waste, as well as gaps in urban safety. In addi-

tion, city management has many communication and

technology barriers, making a seamless, synergistic

fusion improbable.

Specific relevant policies, laws, and regulations at the

national level to direct technical top design and local proj-

ects could improve interconnection and information flow

and promote nationwide smart city development.

Standardization

National IoT and information management standards are

essential. The IoT is critical to smart city support, and the

lack of standards restricts development. A few pilot cities,

mainly those focused on improving telecommunications,

could serve as reference cities for developing standards on

reliable operation, compatible technology, and effective

interfaces. These standards will make it easier to integrate

smart cities as their numbers grow.

To address that problem, in July 2013, the China Elec-

tronics Technology Standardization Institute released a

white paper, “Standardization of Chinese Smart Cities,”

which outlines smart city construction research and prac-

tice, and proposes a framework for a smart city standards

system and key national standards, which are urgent

needs. Other standardization efforts could stem from

the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC-SEG1

annual meetings, in which countries present their smart

city standardization progress and propose and discuss

international standards.

Frameworks, such as the City Protocol, are using meth-

ods similar to those used to evolve the Internet Protocol to

develop smart city standards.

Urban and regional planning

Although smart city development remains controversial,

districts and departments generally agree that the basic

requirements are a smart infrastructure, smart applica-

tions, and smart security. Unevenly developing this founda-

tion results in heterogeneous technologies across cities, and

inherent differences due to regional economies, politics,

and cultures exacerbate the unevenness.

Urban and regional planners must anticipate future

needs and attend to local conditions, recognizing and

spotlighting features that distinguish their city from

others. They must be clear about why their city needs

to be smart and what it needs to earn that status. One of

Beijing’s goals, for example, was smart cultural heritage,

which was consistent with its need to be a national cul-

tural center. Shanghai wanted deeper interconnectedness

between information and industrialization, which would

strengthen its IT applications, software, and information

services industries.

The process of constructing

smart cities is essentially

the large-scale evolution of

institutional systems and

technical standards—involving

capital, technology, individual

talent, government, industry,

and academia.

r10liu.indd 79 9/25/14 4:43 PM

80 COMPUTER

PERSPECTIVES

Infrastructure construction

Smart cities aim to eliminate the urban–rural divide, estab-

lish an urban planning and e-government platform, and

implement a ubiquitous seamless network system. Defin-

ing, implementing, and strengthening a national broadband

plan and infrastructure are foundational to these goals.

Information security

Because data transmission and interaction is on such

a large scale, information security is a critical concern.

Measures to strengthen it include tightening relevant regu-

lations and laws, enforcing information safety accredita-

tion, implementing information security levels and risk

assessment systems, improving the network’s monitoring

and supervision capabilities, and strengthening network

management.

People-rst approach

Smart city implementation must be people oriented at

every step. The city’s primary purpose is to use limited

resources in an optimal way to provide the best practical

services for the most public benefit. Without this goal, the

smart city becomes a vanity project to display technological

progress or elegant engineering as the return on a massive

hardware investment. Novel technology application and

intelligent control should not be the sole aim, nor should

economic growth and industrial upgrades.

Rather, a people-first approach acknowledges that a

smart city is a complex, interacting system in which IT

and other resources work together in an optimal configu-

ration to deliver envisioned benefits that will improve the

life experience of the city’s citizens. Urban development is

not a snapshot but an evolutionary process that requires a

long-term flexible planning mechanism that can adapt to

change and keeps citizens as the first priority.

Talent cultivation

A smart city requires a variety of individual talent, which

can be difficult to find and engage. Encouragement poli-

cies, such as innovation rewards and project funding, can

help motivate professionals to participate in local smart

city construction.

Another cultivation method is to build a high-end talent

platform of well-known university and scientific research

institutes in cooperation with local industries. The platform

can serve as a formal structure for applying leading-edge

research to a local smart city project.

Smart cities change the way government, enter-

prises, and individuals interact, as networks and

systems quickly and intelligently respond to a

range of demands—from protection to entertain-

ment. As more cities attempt to evolve into a place that can

raise the quality of life and improve city comprehensive

competitiveness, people-oriented concept and sustain-

able innovation are emphasized. In China two driving

forces are promoting smart cities. One is new-generation

IT, such as cloud computing and IoT. The other is socio-

economics, which recognizes that a smart city is an open

innovational urban ecosystem that serves a technologi-

cally savvy society.

China’s smart city evolution also strives for a high degree

of collaboration, which allows cities to evolve systemically,

providing f lexible services that readily adapt to the citizens

they serve.

References

1. “China’s Urban Population Growth Research Report

Ab s t rac t ,” Economic Observation, Aug. 2006; www.eeo.

com.cn/2006/0822/37612.shtml.

2. “How China Is Set for Global M2M Leadership,” GSMA:

Connected Living, June 2014; www.gsma.com/newsroom/

wp-content/uploads/2014/06/china-report.pdf.

3. “Notification from Housing Urba n and Rural Development

General Office about the 2013 National Smart City Pilots,”

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural Devel-

opment (MOHURD), Aug. 2013; www.mohurd.gov.cn/zcfg/

jsbwj_0/jsbwjjskj/201308/t20130805_214634.html.

4. “China–EU Cooperation Results in Launch of 15 Pilot Proj-

ect Cities,” Xinhua, Dec. 2013; http://news.xinhuanet.com/

info/2013-12/11/c_132958077.htm.

5. C. Yang, “Smart Cit y Brings Huge Space for Information Con-

sumption,” Elect ronic Information Industry, Feb. 2013; http://

cyy w.cena.com.cn/a/2013-02-05/136002761681583.shtml.

6. S. Alawadhi et al., “Building Understanding of Smart City

Initiatives,” Proc. IFIP e-Government Conf., LNCS 7443,

Springer, 2012, pp. 40–53.

7. A. Alkandari et al., “Smart Cities: Survey” J. Advanced

Computer Science and Technology Research, vol. 2, no. 2,

2012, pp. 79–90.

8. T. Nam and T. Pardo, “Smart City as Urban Innovation:

Focusing on Management, Policy, and Context,” Proc.

ACM Int’l Conf. Theory and Practice of Electronic Gover-

nance (ICEGOV 11), 2011, pp. 185–194.

9. D. Li et al., “From Digital Earth to Smart Earth,” J. Wuhan

Un i v., vol. 35, no. 2, 2010, pp. 127–132.

10. M. Naphade et al., “Smarter Cities and Their Innovation

Ch a lle nges ,” Computer, vol. 44, no. 6, 2011, pp. 32–39.

11. “White Paper on the Internet of Things 2014,” China

Academy of Telecommunication Research of MIIT,

May 2014; www.catr.cn/kxyj/qwfb/bps/201405/

P020140603502205906273.pdf.

12. “Sensing China Starting from Sensing Wuxi,”

Sina, Apr. 2011; http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2011-04

-02/203722230305.shtml.

r10liu.indd 80 9/25/14 4:43 PM

OCTOBER 2014 81

Pu Liu is a researcher at Wuhan University, China. Her

research interests include urban systems engineering,

digital cities, computer graphics, digital design, human–

computer interaction, information visualization, and visual

communication. Liu received a PhD in engineering from

Wuhan University. Contact her at liu2005xin@163.com.

Zhenghong Peng is a professor of computer science and

technology at Wuhan University. His research interests

include computer application technology, digital cities,

urban transport, data mining, and computer graphics. Peng

received a PhD in engineering from Wuhan University. He

is a member of the China Engineering Graphics Society.

Contact him at laopeng129@vip.sina.com.

13. C. Xu, “Construction Patterns of Smart City and Ideas of

Smart Wuhan Construction,” master’s thesis, Dept. of

Information Science, Central China Normal Univ., 2012.

14. J. Ma and X. Li, “Smart Haidian: A Ser vice-Oriented

Government,” Smart Cities in China; Nov. 2013; www.

smartcities.com.cn/contents/4/1158.html.

15. “The IOT Safeguards City Public Security,” China ’s

IOT Application Alliance, May 2014; www.ciotaa.com/

jinkadongtai/chanyedongtai/1690.html.

16. “Nanjing Mobile Extends 4G Public Transportation Points

to 1,800 Vehicles in the City,” D1net, Aug. 2013; www.

d1net.com/scity/vindustry/traffic/232517.html.

17. “Xin District Manages with the Help of the Internet of

Things,” Wuxi Daily, Mar. 2014; www.wxrb.com/node/

kandian/2014-3-11/69F99748D555404.html.

18. Z. Li, “Xinjian Water Management into the Era of the Inter-

net of Things,” Chengdu Daily, Aug. 2012; www.cdrb.com.

cn/html/2012-08/08/content_1655267.htm.

19. “Meilie Applies Internet of Things To Build Smart Agricul-

tural Base,” China’s Smart Cities, Mar. 2014; www.cnscn.

com.cn/news/show-htm-itemid-9098.html.

Selected CS articles and columns are available

for free at http://ComputingNow.computer.org.

IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications bridges the theory

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March/April 2013

Interactive Surfaces

Game Analytics

Haptic-Based Training

Interactive

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May/June2013

Building Virtual Worlds

Viewing Art on Interactive Tabletops

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IEEE COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND APPLICATIONS May/June 2013 Scattering VOLUME 33 NUMBER 3

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Game User Research

IEEE COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND APPLICATIONS July/August 2013 Big-Data Visualization VOLUME 33 NUMBER 4

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Treating Phobias

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Ag e n t-

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Haptic-Based Training

Walking in Virtual Environments

Treating Phobias

Visualizing Uncertainty

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