{"id":7593,"date":"2020-05-15T09:52:29","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T09:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/?p=7593"},"modified":"2020-10-12T10:11:26","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T10:11:26","slug":"how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/","title":{"rendered":"How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_45_1 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69f2490a9f5f8\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69f2490a9f5f8\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#Disease_tracking\" title=\"Disease tracking\">Disease tracking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#Autonomous_delivery\" title=\"Autonomous delivery\">Autonomous delivery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#Geolocation\" title=\"Geolocation\">Geolocation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#Internet_connectivity\" title=\"Internet connectivity\">Internet connectivity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As our cities get smarter, so will our emergency responses. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/find-an-expert\/subject\/covid-19?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Post&amp;utm_campaign=SmartCities-Pandemic\">COVID-19<\/a> threat has exposed the importance of a quick and efficient pandemic response plan. Urban planning could be the difference between life and death for residents, especially in densely populated urban areas such as New York City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By 2050, it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/development\/desa\/en\/news\/population\/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html\">estimated<\/a> that 68% of the world\u2019s population will live in cities. To plan for the future, officials are evaluating how technology can help stop the spread of viruses through disease tracking, geolocation, autonomous delivery, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep reading to learn how <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">smart city technology<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can stop the spread of pandemics in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disease_tracking\"><\/span><strong>Disease tracking<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/ensuring-reproducibility-in-ai-driven-research-how-freelance-experts-can-help-in-biotech-and-healthcare\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a> software by the name of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/03\/03\/bluedot-used-artificial-intelligence-to-predict-coronavirus-spread.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BlueDot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was the first to alert users about unusual pneumonia cases in Wuhan on December 31, 2019. It would be another 10 days before the World Health Organization would make any public statements about a novel coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how does artificial intelligence track diseases and viral spreads? Big data and natural language processing allow the software to scour through public data to flag unusual occurrences. Scientists, city officials, and researchers can then access this data in real-time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Autonomous_delivery\"><\/span><strong>Autonomous delivery<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limiting human contact has been an essential part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, as the virus can live on surfaces for up to three days. \u201cShelter in place\u201d orders have urged citizens to stay inside, although essential workers such as delivery workers have not gotten the luxury of staying home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autonomous delivery would limit the number of essential workers needed to perform tasks such as transportation and delivery. Delivery drones could deliver small packages and food items, and self-driving trucks could bring goods into a city unmanned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart cities of the future will likely develop ways to work with transit companies to control autonomous delivery, prioritizing essential goods such as the delivery of medical supplies and medicine over other items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Geolocation\"><\/span><strong>Geolocation<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your phone is likely already collecting geolocation data on your movements, so why not share this data with city officials to make disaster response planning easier? Cities that use geolocation data will be able to more accurately predict human movement and behavior patterns, which becomes essential when deciding city ordinances around curfews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic.jpg 967w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic-510x382.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic-300x225@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Internet_connectivity\"><\/span><strong>Internet connectivity<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart cities, such as New York City, offer free WiFi access in public areas so citizens can always access the Internet. This is a great way to keep people up-to-date with information during an emergency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to free WiFi, information kiosks throughout the city can also easily spread information. This helps communicate information to older and poorer populations who may not have access to or be as savvy with smartphone and computer technology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart cities of the future will undoubtedly use lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic for future pandemic planning. One benefit to a connected world is access to more information, especially in matters of life and death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smart city technology isn\u2019t only helpful during a pandemic: there are tons of other benefits that data tracking can provide such as energy conservation, water and energy management, traffic controls, and more. Check out this animated visual on how smart cities work below<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thezebra.com\/resources\/driving\/what-is-a-smart-city\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thezebra.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-is-a-smart-city.gif\" alt=\"What is a Smart City?\" width=\"750px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As our cities get smarter, so will our emergency responses. The COVID-19 threat has exposed the importance of a quick and efficient pandemic response plan. Urban planning could be the difference between life and death for residents, especially in densely populated urban areas such as New York City.\u00a0 By 2050, it\u2019s estimated that 68% of<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":7595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[558,398],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.1 (Yoast SEO v20.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics - The Kolabtree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As our cities get smarter, so will our emergency responses. 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The COVID-19 threat has exposed the importance of a quick and efficient pandemic response plan. Urban planning could be the difference between life and death for residents, especially in densely populated urban areas such as New York City.\u00a0 By 2050, it\u2019s estimated that 68% ofRead More","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/","og_site_name":"The Kolabtree Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kolabtree","article_published_time":"2020-05-15T09:52:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-12T10:11:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1051,"height":701,"url":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/smart-cities-pandemic-measures.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Ramya Sriram","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@kolabtree","twitter_site":"@kolabtree","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ramya Sriram","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/"},"author":{"name":"Ramya Sriram","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/81992f5863a1b06d132a47822e7b4400"},"headline":"How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics","datePublished":"2020-05-15T09:52:29+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-12T10:11:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/"},"wordCount":526,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["COVID-19 resources","Data Science"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/","name":"How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics - The Kolabtree Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-05-15T09:52:29+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-12T10:11:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/pt\/how-smart-cities-can-defend-against-pandemics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Smart Cities Can Defend Against Pandemics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/","name":"The Kolabtree Blog","description":"Expert Views on Science, Innovation and Product Development","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Kolabtree","url":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Kolabtree"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kolabtree","https:\/\/twitter.com\/kolabtree","https:\/\/instagram.com\/kolabtree","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/kolabtree","https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kolabtree"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/81992f5863a1b06d132a47822e7b4400","name":"Ramya Sriram","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8100b45c960ebbbbe420e8b3f250515f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8100b45c960ebbbbe420e8b3f250515f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ramya Sriram"},"description":"Ramya Sriram manages digital content and communications at Kolabtree (kolabtree.com), the world's largest freelancing platform for scientists. 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