[LINK] Smart Cities

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Tom writes,

> > IBM wants to develop an Operating System for cities
> >   http://www.ibm.com/smartercities
> > ... What might a future smart-city control-room be able to know,
> > and to do?
> .. 
> 
> These visions assume centralised control is required, which makes the 
> systems very fragile. We need resilient systems, with distributed local 
> intelligence which will continue to operate when communications links 
> are lost and retention of reliable mechanical systems for when the 
> automation fails.


Yes agreed Tom. De-centralizd, function-specific & well-resourced local
city-management systems, with eyes on the ground but also drones, seems
most appropriate. But still, command centre oversight appears necessary.
A better system would be more than a city wide. State-wide is equitable.


> Similarly, you would be nuts to build a city which relied on a cloud 
> based operations centre. If the operations centre was disabled, due to 
> accident or attack, or the links to the cloud facilities were lost, the 
> city would cease to function. The result would be a disaster, as you 
> would not even be able to warn the citizens or organise an evacuation, 
> as the communications to do so would also be down.
> 
> Apart from accident, deliberate attack needs to be considered. The 
> Stuxnet computer worm is rumoured to have damaged nuclear processing 
> facilities in Iran. An attack on the centralised operations centre and 
> computer controlled equipment of a city could paralyse the provision of 
> services and result in the deaths of thousands of citizens, directly
> and indirectly.
> 
> We need to build our city systems the way the army trains its troops: 
> they are not trained to be mindless automatons following orders. In 
> battle communications are often poor and those at the top have little 
> idea as to what is happening on the battlefield. They rely on the 
> judgement of those on the front line. Similarly the city needs its 
> automated systems and its staff to know what to do in a crisis, without 
> detailed orders from a centre which may not be contactable, be there,
> or be giving sensible advice.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
> PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
> Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
> Legislation
> 
> Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
> Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
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