Often known as the eco-city or green city, the smart city is designed to improve the quality of the public services and reduce the cost. Intelligent management, lifestyle, housing as well as an intelligent enterprise are its unique features. The main objective is to put technological innovation into balance with tomorrow’s political, social, and environmental challenges. With the emerging economic opportunities in the region, Capital Smart City Islamabad is the first-ever Smart city in Pakistan and a model for sustainable development. The main focus is quality of life, and how we can better live together while our environment is valued in this regard. Is it not time to learn what your town looks like when it is “smart?” While we expect to have state-of-the-art facilities in our future towns, we could not have known that our cities already have some smart features. Smart cities provide useful information to leverage capital and property efficiently using information and communication technology (ITT) and the Internet of Things (IoT). It includes personal information and mechanical devices processed and analyzed for traffic and transport systems, power stations, water supply, waste dumping. The main objective is to merge technological innovation with tomorrow’s city’s cultural, social, and environmental challenges. Their theme is quality of life: how we can live better together while respecting our surroundings.

WATER ATM

The majority of Smart Cities have water ATMs in public places already installed. Various private companies are at the forefront of supplying water ATMs in remote areas of water shortage. The main advantage of installing Water ATMs in the city or villages is that people will get clean and safe drinking water. It is also referred to as the water dealer. For poor people who lack access to clean drinking water, the level of water-born diseases is minimized. Water ATMs is being built to provide people in places like the train stations, bus stands, etc. with clean drinking water. Water from Water ATM is so cheap that you get just a dollar of 5 liters of water. It benefits many of the poor who live on the road and have no access to clean water. Company installation of Water ATMs in rural areas has started in various countries for the purpose of clean drinking water.

LED LIGHTS

Street lights are replaced by LED lights for energy saving in many countries. CCTV cameras also protect the streets. Currently, in housing colonies where houses are held for most days, CCTVs are used to curb the crimes. Semiconductors include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), transforms into light when electrons move through this kind of semiconductor. LED lights are more capable of converting power into light contrast to incandescent and CFL bulbs. The power thus radiates less than heat from the light. LEDs are very energy-efficient and use up to 90% less power than bulbs. Since LEDs only use a fraction of the light bulb power, the cost of electricity decreases drastically.

ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS

In a number of countries metropolitan administration has made the construction of solar panels compulsory for all public and private buildings.

Millions of homes and commercial buildings in urban and rural areas of countries have rooftops that get plenty of sunshine. These are suitable to harness the energy of the sun by turning it into electricity. This can be completed by putting in an adapter called an inverter to transform the solar panels ‘ DC power on the roof to AC power as most machines run on Alternate Current. Even though rooftops can be used to generate rooftop energy sources, various factors are needed before solar panels are installed on a rooftop.

There are three types of Solar Panels which are used in market:
1. On-grid System

One of them is the on-grid model in which the roof solar system is combined with the main grid supply. This device only generates grid power when the solar system on the rooftop cannot provide the power required. It allows a well-built rooftop network to supply power effectively without the need to conserve grid power costs that would otherwise occur from using the grid.

2. Off-grid System

The second is an off-grid system where the solar rooftop network is not connected to the main grid. With its own pump, this device will run on its own. The solar power generated from the solar rooftop system loans the battery to different applications. This method is very effective if the network supply is not sufficient or the supply of repeated problems is very intermittent.

3. Hybrid System

The third is a hybrid system in which both on-grid and off-grid networks work in tandem. While batteries are used in this kind of device, the benefit is that the excess power that is produced is pumped into the grid after the battery has been fully charged and generates extra revenues to the user.

The design of the roof is very important to establish its viability for home solar rooftop systems. The following factors have to be taken into account:

• In order to calculate the generable energy it is necessary to have sunlight throughout the year and also the area available on the roof. By using one-hour direct sunlight, a standard home solar panel will yield 290 watts. The solar panel will produce 2320 watts of energy if sunlight falls for 8 hours.
• The roof is very much geared to the light. The board is preferably geared towards the West. When the roof is naturally inclined to the south, it is very suitable for mounting solar panels on the roof. If the roof is plain solar panels, the maximum possible sunlight is to be located at an angle to the south. In fact, the performance of solar panels should not be affected by strong ups and downs.
• The selection of an appropriate model of solar rooftop system has an effect on the system costs. Every type has various components, and depending on them the costs may vary.

The house owner will do a cost analysis to determine whether or not to generate electricity to make a profit. This could include satisfying the power requirements of the homeowner and the amount of power transmitted to the grid for additional revenue.

Rooftop solar systems become a common power source as they are a source of renewable power and are widely available throughout the day.

PRE-BOOKED PARKING

In different countries you can buy space with mobile apps at multiple levels of parking spaces. This is to alleviate pollution in busy cities, in which there are serious concerns over parking. Such parking spaces will soon be available at new cities and towns.

Pre-booking helps you to pay in advance for your parking and then use your credit card, which has been assigned during the reservation process, to identify your booking with your entry ticket. Pre-booking means that you can pay for your car park in advance and have less to do on the day of your journey. It saves time and quickly ends your day.

Pay and display machines are a type of parking control ticket system used in commercial or parking areas. This relies on a customer buying a ticket from a computer to display the ticket on the vehicle’s windshield, windscreen or passenger window.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES

Hundreds of schools now have electronic libraries in Asian countries and this feature will soon be embraced by more. In order to improve education quality in these institutions, 3D printing machines are being installed in several schools and in the national capital.

MECHANIZED WASTE MANAGEMENT

In some countries Municipal Corporation has introduced a system to collect mechanized waste, enabling people to find public bathrooms near them. Zero waste colonies will be in the city in the near future. This was one of the main objectives of the smart city mission.

SMART TOILETS

Cities of some countries have installed smart toilets with water-based sanitation and low-consumption flushes.

HAPPINESS ZONES

As part of its intelligent city programs, the administration of municipal companies has built green “happiness zones” all over the region. Such sites are designed to help people deal with physical stress and psychological stress.