Cities today operate in an increasingly complex world, reflected in the volume and ubiquity of data produced by citizens and through the growth of connected devices. From connected cars to emergency response — here are some of the top trends that industry analysts have spotted for Smart Cities in 2018.

• Connected vehicles: attention in the automotive industry is now shifting to developing the car’s ability to connect with the outside world and enhance the in-car experience. Utilizing this tremendous technological acceleration to public safety vehicles is expected to allow the government to respond faster and more accurately to emergencies and natural disasters.
• Intelligent City Platforms that aggregate and analyze information from diverse data pools, detecting patterns and surfacing insights that are otherwise impossible to derive and support governments to build institutional systems that incorporate citizen voices in decision-making processes.
• 5G Technology: being a keyword that dominates CES2018, 5G Technology is also repeatedly mentioned as a sector that will greatly benefit once 5G officially rolls out. According to SmartCitiesDive it will help existing devices — such as public safety cameras — operate more smoothly and effectively while paving the way for efficiently introducing new ones — such as autonomous vehicles.
• Technologies that support situational awareness for emergency response:  Situational awareness is about being able to accurately determine what has happened, what is happening now, and what will come next, all in order to plan and coordinate the most effective response possible maximizing the value of possessed resources. Big Data and technological advancements empower governments to employ systems that gather heterogeneous data from diverse resources such as environmental, social media, input from first responders and/or people in danger and aggregate them so as to enhance and support decision making in times of need in crisis management centers.
• Civic Engagement: Resilient cities require citizen involvement. Civic engagement can be boosted via app development by the government. Tools that facilitate citizen interaction with government enhance transparency of government-gathered data, leading to more trust in local government, increase responsiveness to citizen needs and improve daily living.

With hyper-urbanization & data generation growing, cities must leverage technological advancements, analytics and user contributed content to understand, listen & respond to residents’ needs and address contemporary challenges. Around the globe, Smart City technologies foster a better quality of life for citizens. Is your city ready for a turning?