48 August 2018
THINK DIGITAL
street furniture will change the look and feel of the city.
These infrastructures can provide immense opportunity
for OOH industry to explore. And with increased and
improved transportation, the industry will also get a
vast transit medium to bank on. Looking at this win-
win situation, it is imperative that the OOH industry
should collaborate with the civic bodies to be a part in
developing smart cities.Well-developed Smart City concept integrates four
key city services namely “Infrastructure services
(transportation, utilities, public safety, environment),
Citizen services (access and participation), City
services (city information, planning and development)
and Business services (supportive services for local
commerce).”Smart cities interact with citizens by guiding them,
enriching their commutes, providing them with relevant
information and content and digitally connecting them
with their surroundings. Digital displays are a main
feature of some of the world’s largest cities and locals
and visitors alike benefit from features that improve
their daily lives:“Live wayfinding, Free Public Wi-Fi, Weather updates,
Bus and train Schedules, City service information,
Relevant advertising, Local community information,
Emergency notification.”Digital displays can become a staple in smart cities and
an on-the-go resource for people to access information
and stay connected. They can not only change the cities
visual landscape but also reshape the relationships
between people and their communities.Ad space can be sold to fund the project, save taxpayers
and users hefty fees, and even generate extra revenue
for the city. Intersection’s Link NYC network, which
provides free Wi-Fi and telephony services, device
charging stations and local wayfinding, is fully funded
by ad revenue and is set to generate $500 million for
New York City.The Smart Cities Mission requires smart people
who actively participate in governance and reforms.
Citizen involvement is much more than a ceremonial
participation in governance. Smart people involvethemselves in the definition of the Smart City, decisions
on deploying Smart Solutions, implementing reforms,
doing more with less and oversight during implementing
and designing post-project structures to make the
Smart City developments sustainable. The participation
of smart people will be enabled by the SPV through
increasing use of ICT, especially mobile-based tools.Smart cities can only be possible when businesses and
civic bodies work together to modernise the place with
clean, green and sustainable technology. OOH industry
plays a very vital role in connecting these businesses
to the common people, be it digital advertising, transit
medium or interactive billboards. All that is needed
now is right polices at the government level and right
attitude of the outdoor industry players towards building
a Smart City. l