- Smart cities and communities
- English
- Louis-Ray Harris
- Mikaila Collymore
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 begun to develop smart villages/towns/cities with varying degrees of success. This course provides an overview of aspects of smart cities to be considered when aiming to achieve this development. It focuses on the perspectives of the human element and the built environment, which includes buildings, street furniture, foliage, etc. Although it references more technical topics (such as sensors and radiofrequency propagation), those are the focus of an advanced-level 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 concepts
- 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 its suitability for “smartification.”
- Devise a plan for the development of a basic smart city based on specific scenarios.
The objectives of this training course will be achieved over 20 days, starting with a brief quiz (MCQ) to determine the initial understanding of the participants before the first session. On Day 1, reading material will be made available on the platform along with a simple pre-quiz for participants to complete before the first synchronous session. On Day 2, there will be one 2-hr synchronous Zoom session followed by an online individual assignment related to the content covered. On Day 3, an online quiz (MCQ) will be made available for completion before the second synchronous Zoom session on Day 4. There will be another assignment related to the content covered during Day 4. Then, on Day 6, there will be the final scheduled synchronous session, which will be approximately 1.5-hr long. On Days 7 to 19, participants will be required to complete an online group assignment, which will require collaboration with other participants virtually. On Day 20, there will be a final exam (MCQ). In addition, all participants are required to contribute to online discussion forums throughout the duration of the entire course.
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 smart cities. 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. The graded quizzes will be used to assess the degree to which 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 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:
1. Attendance (Individual) 5%
2. Discussion Forum Participation (Individual) 15%
- Participant posts new comments about each topic covered during the sessions or responds to at least three (3) comments posted by other participants.
3. Assignment / Quizzes (Individual) 20%
- Successful completion of this component will require the participant to complete and submit quizzes and assignments that are posted.
4. Group Activity 10%
- Small groups will be formed at the end of the final day of instruction, and participants will be assigned a task to complete and submit.
5. Final Exam (MCQ) (Individual) 50%
- 20 MCQ questions randomly presented from a bank of questions. To be completed within 7 days of being made available.