- Smart cities and communities
- English
- Louis-Ray Harris
- Mikaila Collymore
- Guiomar Levi-Setti
Introductory
Description
This course is the first in a series of courses that focus on the design and implementation of smart cities. Many countries have sought to develop smart villages/towns/cities with varying degrees of success according to the penetration of broadband networking infrastructure capable of supporting the large amounts of data that need to be transmitted. This course provides an overview of aspects of smart city development to be considered. It focuses on the perspectives of the human element and the built environment, which includes buildings, street furniture, foliage, etc. Although it makes reference to more technical topics such as sensors and radiofrequency propagation, those will be the focus of a subsequent course.
This course aims to provide information about theoretical and practical considerations in the early stages of the development of smart cities. It targets intermediate and senior personnel in Government offices, regulatory authorities, and public and private entities that are responsible for proposing and installing solutions for smart cities. Members of academia and others in related research fields will also benefit from this course.
Participants should ideally (but not necessarily):
- be familiar with urban planning, networking and communications infrastructure.
- have a basic understanding of principles of communications systems.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Define the concept of a smart city.
- Recognize different stages of smart city implementation.
- Identify parameters/services that affect smart city planning.
- Assess different aspects of a city’s infrastructure and analyse their suitability for “smartification.”
- Devise a plan for the development of a basic smart city based on existing scenarios.
The objectives of this training course will be achieved over seven days, starting with a brief quiz to determine the initial understanding of the participants. On Days 1 and 2, there will be two 2-hour synchronous Zoom sessions. On Days 3 to 6, participants will be required to complete an online assignment, which will include a group activity. They will also be required to take part in an online discussion forum. At the end of Day 7, there will be a final exam (MCQ).
The course will use a combination of PowerPoint slides that present relevant background information and theory related to different topics pertaining to the design and development of a smart city. Several scenarios will be covered in a series of activities to engage the participants. A case study will be presented to show an example of the implementation of different components of different cities. Pre- and post-surveys will be conducted to assess the degree to which the participants have improved their understanding of the material presented. A group activity will be planned and participants will be required to assess a real village/town/city to determine its suitability as a smart city, and to show steps required for their transformation into smart cities. Participation will be required for all synchronous sessions, and this contributes 5% of the final grade.
A total score higher than 70% is required to obtain the ITU certificate. The course will be assessed as follows:
- Attendance (Individual) 5%
- Participation during Zoom sessions.
- Discussion Forums (Individual) 15%
- Participant posts new comments about topics covered during the sessions or responds to at least three (3) comments posted by other participants.
- Assignment / Quizzes (Individual) 20%
- Successful completion of this component will require the participant to complete and submit quizzes that are given during sessions and assignments that are posted.
- Group Activity 10%
- Small groups will be formed at the end of the second day of instruction, and participants will be assigned a task to complete and submit.
- Final Exam (MCQ) (Individual) 50%
- 10 MCQ randomly presented from a bank of > 40 questions - pre and post course - post-course score awarded.
- Complete within 7 days of last Zoom session
Module 1: December 4
- Urbanization: The Case for going Smart
- Economic development – Implications for urbanization
- What is a “Smart Sustainable City”?
- How much “smartness” is really needed?
- Smart cities and existing infrastructure
The first day will commence with a quiz to ascertain participants’ basic understanding. This will be followed by a series of PowerPoint slides that incorporate videos. There will be 2-3 slots (approximately 10-15 min each) dedicated to group discussions.
Module 2: December 6
- Service Factors that Impact/are Impacted by Going Smart
- Demographic
- Residential
- Commercial & industrial
- Residential, commercial & industrial implications for going smart
- “Smartification” of urban & rural spaces
The second day will commence with a quiz that assesses what was retained by the Learner from the previous days’ slides and discussions. There will be PowerPoint slides that also incorporate videos with 10-min slots allocated to group discussions.
Days 3-6
- Planning for Smart City Development
- Devise a strategy for assessing the suitability of a city for smart city development
- Prepare a report/presentation outlining the state of preparedness along with challenges to be expected in the early stages of “smartification.”
This will be a group assessment that requires the Learners to meet and discuss the approach. Posts on discussion forums will also be assessed to determine their degree of understanding of the material covered.