Navigating Asia’s Smart Cities

Smart Cities are a contentious subject because they plan to integrate and utilise the vast streams of data they generate. Much of this data, of course, is your data.  Check-in Asia produced a Thought Leadership piece for FCM Travel about some of the potential benefits and challenges of Smart Cities for business travellers in Asia.

Intelligent technology is assisting cities to merge their digital and physical landscapes

For many travellers, the holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and Oudomxay, the eighth-largest city in Laos, may not seem to share much in common. But both have recently announced they are joining the global race to become Smart Cities.

Bolstered by the impending roll-outs of 5G networks, cities on all continents are using Internet of Things connectivity, intelligent interfaces and machine learning to reboot urban planning and management. Two key objectives are to enhance the quality of life for residents, and optimise the shifting flows of traffic and tourists.

Beyond Digital Payments and Drone Taxis

Business travellers are becoming acquainted with data-driven technologies that makes trips more manageable.

• We board planes and trains using QR codes rather than physical tickets.
• We pass through customs thanks to biometrics and facial recognition.
• At the hotel, we may check-in via a voice-activated kiosk.
• Exploring the city, we ride driverless subway trains and pay for products and services by swiping our phones.
• And, tests are currently underway for us to fly to meetings in autonomous drone taxis.

Each of these interactions generates unique, invaluable data. But, at present, these data points operate in isolation from each other. Travel-related information collated by an airline, train company, hotel or payment services provider is mostly proprietary.

But imagine an alternative scenario

Smart Cities are designed to unlock the various data blockages encountered during our travels – and reinvigorate the delivery of services that we choose to use.

So, how do Smart Cities actually work…?

Read the full article here.

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