The Potential for Big data for Urban Sustainability

This chapter first looks at existing data collection in cities, and its limitations, then at the reasons why making cities sustainable will need vastly increased amounts of data in future. It next describes the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and how the data from vast numbers of urban sensors could make cities ‘smarter’. The chapter also gives a number of examples of how big data and IoT is presently being used in various cities. Since the impact on sustainability in smart cities is presently minimal, we also look at the more advanced use of big data in other sectors. But big data alone will not in itself guarantee urban sustainability: supporting policies, including those for reducing energy and private transport use, and improving public health, will also need to be in place.