Enhancing Urban Sustainability:
Practical IoT Applications
in Smart Cities
Our cities are booming, but our traditional ways of managing them just can't keep up. Urban areas worldwide are experiencing unprecedented growth, with over 56% of the global population now residing in cities—a figure projected to reach 68% by 2050. This incredible urban expansion, while exciting, brings with it some serious challenges that threaten both our planet's health and our own well-being.
Smart city is a huge shift in how we manage our urban spaces, and at its core are IoT solutions. By leveraging interconnected intelligent devices and sensors throughout urban infrastructure, today's cities continuously collect and analyze vast amounts of real-time data. From tackling frustrating traffic jams and cutting down on energy waste to streamlining waste collection and air quality monitoring, IoT solutions provide practical ways to solve everyday urban challenges. This data-driven approach enables city administrators to make informed decisions to improve the quality of life for residents while optimizing resource consumption and reducing environmental impact.
The Resource Gap: Why Fast-Growing Cities Are Struggling
Resource Management Constraints
- Energy Consumption: Urban areas account for approximately 75% of global primary energy use, with significant inefficiencies in distribution systems and building operations. Traditional power grids struggle with peak demand management, integration of renewable sources, and resilience against service disruptions.
- Water Scarcity: Cities worldwide confront deteriorating water infrastructure, with aging systems losing an average of 20-30% of treated water through leakage. Water stress is further exacerbated by growing demand, contamination issues, and climate change impacts on precipitation patterns.
- Waste Management: Urban centers generate over 2 billion tons of solid waste annually, with collection and processing systems often operating at suboptimal efficiency. Limited landfill capacity, insufficient recycling infrastructure, and inadequate waste-to-resource conversion capabilities compound these challenges.
Infrastructure Inefficiencies
- Building Stock: Existing buildings account for approximately 30% of global energy consumption and 26% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Outdated construction standards, inefficient HVAC systems, and limited building management capabilities contribute to excessive resource consumption.
- Utility Networks: Aging utility infrastructure—much of it designed before the advent of digital technologies—operates with limited real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance capabilities, or demand-response functionality. This results in inefficient resource distribution and vulnerability to disruptions.
Real-world Applications: How Milesight Supports Urban Sustainability
Milesight's comprehensive LoRaWAN sensor portfolio addresses the unique connectivity challenges of smart city deployments. With low power consumption and long battery life, long-range urban coverage, and the ability to connect thousands of node devices through a single gateway, LoRaWAN technology provides the cost-effective scalability that makes city-wide IoT implementations both practical and financially viable.
Smart Buildings: The Core of Urban Sustainability
Modern smart buildings deploy advanced sensor networks and automation systems that continuously monitor occupancy, ambient conditions, and energy usage patterns. Milesight innovatively integrates people sensing technologies to detect presence and movement throughout spaces, enabling systems to automatically adjust lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning based on real-time occupancy data rather than fixed schedules.
At Milesight's headquarters, a range of IoT sensors monitor occupancy and environmental conditions across the facility. The results speak for themselves: energy usage dropped by 45%, room utilization rose by 62%, water consumption reduced by 13%, and most importantly, employee satisfaction with workplace comfort remained at an impressive 98%. Overall, we saved approximately $45,000 annually.
Smart Waste Management
Milesight's waste management solution enables real-time monitoring of waste bin fill levels, transforming traditional collection schedules into data-driven route optimization. Our sensors detect when bins approach capacity and transmit alerts to waste management systems, allowing trucks to service only full containers rather than following fixed routes. This solution reduces public health risks by preventing overflow situations and maintaining cleaner urban environments.
In Malta, Milesight's smart waste bin solution—featuring EM310-UDL Ultrasonic Distance/Level LoRaWAN® sensors—transformed waste management. Through collaboration with local authorities, the solution optimized collection routes, reduced fuel consumption, and minimized bin overflows.
Smart Water Management
Milesight enables continuous remote monitoring of water bodies such as rivers, dams, and urban sewer systems through advanced radar and ultrasonic sensors. Instant abnormal water level alerts significantly enhance flood prevention and public safety. Additionally, the system optimizes water resource management, supports sustainable irrigation in urban green spaces, and improves sewer system efficiency to prevent blockages and overflows. This comprehensive monitoring reduces manual inspections, lowers maintenance costs, conserves water, and promotes environmental sustainability.
Besides, we also enable smart water meter reading with the EM300-DI Pulse Counter or X1 Sensing Camera, combined with remote control via the UC300 IoT Controller. Real-time water consumption data enables municipal authorities to manage water resources more effectively and identify inefficiencies before they become costly problems.
- Located in a remote valley in Austria, the Chorinsky-Klause Dam has implemented remote real-time water level monitoring with Milesight EM500-UDL and EM500-SWL sensors with UG67 Gateways. This setup has enhanced flood warning and management efficiency while reducing manual checks.
- A pilot project in Devonport, Australia, transformed irrigation across 10 parks and sports grounds with Milesight. Through the integration of soil moisture sensors, weather data, and automated control systems, the project has achieved significant water conservation, cost savings, and improved plant health, showcasing a scalable, sustainable approach to urban irrigation management.
- Milesight partnered with Qantec Automation to address a remote water meter data transmission challenge at a warehouse in Australia. By deploying the EM300-DI Pulse Counter and the UG56 Industrial LoRaWAN® Gateway, Milesight enabled wireless data transmission, streamlining management, and improving water usage efficiency.
Urban Sewer Management
Milesight EM410-RDL Radar Distance Level Sensor measures water levels in sewer systems non-invasively, detecting potential blockages or overflows early to prevent flooding and related hazards. The EM500-CO2 sensor monitors carbon dioxide levels and other environmental parameters within sewer systems. This helps predict pest infestations, such as mosquito breeding in warm environments, enabling timely pest control and protecting public health.
In Córdoba, Spain, Milesight helps efficiently monitor a sealed underground area spanning 148,000㎡. By tracking key environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels, city administrators get real-time insights and predictive analytics to combat cockroach infestations.
Smart Parking Management
IoT sensors installed in parking spaces provide real-time availability data to drivers through mobile apps and digital signage. With Milesight EM400-MUD sensor for real-time space occupancy and the PM3322-E camera for AI-based vehicle recognition, this system reduces parking search time by 30%, lowering emissions and enhancing city life.
Benefits of IoT-Driven Urban Sustainability
- Reduced environmental footprint: Lower emissions from optimized traffic, energy, and waste systems.
- Resource efficiency: Smarter use of energy, water, and materials.
- Improved quality of life: Cleaner air, safer transportation, and responsive public services.
- Economic savings: Reduced operational costs through automation and predictive maintenance.
- Data-driven urban planning: Enhanced decision-making based on comprehensive, real-time data.
The Path Forward: Building Tomorrow's Sustainable Cities
For cities worldwide facing the dual pressures of rapid growth and sustainability mandates, IoT solutions offer a proven pathway to creating more resilient, efficient, and livable urban environments for current and future generations. The convergence of sensor networks, data analytics, and automated response systems creates a feedback loop of continuous improvement, enabling urban environments to become increasingly efficient and livable over time.
IoT-driven urban sustainability is a fundamental shift toward data-informed city management that prioritizes both the environment and citizen well-being. Cities that embrace comprehensive IoT integration today position themselves to handle tomorrow's urban challenges more effectively.
