2009 International Conference on Computational Intelligence, Modelling and Simulation
Smart City Components Architecture
Mahmoud Al-Hader Ahmad Rodzi
Geomatics Information System Department of Civil
Dept, Engineering
Limitless LLC, Dubai World University Putra Malaysia
Dubai, UAE Serdang, Malaysia
Mahmoud.hader@gmail.com arm@eng.upm.edu.my
Abstract—The research is essentially to modularize the
structure of utilities and develop a system for following up the
activities electronically on the city scale. The GIS operational
platform will be the base for managing the infrastructure
development components with the systems interoperability for
the available city infrastructure related systems. The
concentration will be on the available utility networks in order
to develop a comprehensive, common, standardized geospatial
data models.
The construction operations for the utility networks such as
electricity, water, Gas, district cooling, irrigation, sewerage
and communication networks; are need to be fully monitored
on daily basis, in order to utilize the involved huge resources
and man power. These resources are allocated only to convey
the operational status for the construction and execution
sections that used to do the required maintenance. The need
for a system that serving the decision makers for following up
these activities with a proper geographical representation will
definitely reduce the operational cost for the long term.
Keywords-component; Smart Cities, GIS, City Infrastructure
Development, City Monitoring.
I. INTRODUCTION
Several governments and master real estate developers
start implementing an enterprise GIS project for their
national and world wide development projects in order to
facilitate the project management processes within the smart
city infrastructure concept. The potential in the government
and master real estate developers are the scale of the projects
and the huge man power that they are utilizing in their real
estate development projects. Due to wide range real estate
development activities, a detailed study of the existing
systems with the associated database engines and business
platforms will be tackled. The study aims to build up the
model of operating the infrastructure/utility networks
frameworks.
The major five smart cities in the world are Malta, Dubai
Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Festival City and
Kochi. The scope of these cities is to construct a technology
park converting the industrial real estate to state of the art
information technology using the evolution in the telecom
and IP networks. The financial background is to develop an
978-0-7695-3795-5/09 $26.00 © 2009 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/CSSim.2009.34
Abdul Rashid Sharif Noordin Ahmad
Department of Civil Department of Civil
Engineering Engineering
University Putra Malaysia University Putra Malaysia
Serdang, Malaysia Serdang, Malaysia
rashid@eng.upm.edu.my noordin@geoinfo.com.my
operational platform that would manage the power
consumption and operational resources.
Several smart/digital terms used to reflect the smart
concept which still expressing the communication and
telecom IP/internet network and other related applications.
[8] Debate some similar terms such digital community, smart
community, digital city, information city and e-city. [9]
Consider All of those alternative terms are used to refer to a
connected community that combines broadband
communications infrastructure; [10] discuss the flexibility of
the service-oriented computing infrastructure based on open
industry standards; and innovative services to meet the needs
of governments and their users, citizens and businesses. The
geographical dimension (space) of smart communities is
varied; it can be extended from a city district up to a multi-
million metropolis [11].
While wireless infrastructure is a key element of digital
city infrastructure, it is only a first step. The smart city may
require hard-wired broadband infrastructure, and it is much
more than just the network. A smart city provides
interoperable, Internet-based government services that
enable ubiquitous connectivity to transform key government
processes, both internally across departments and employees
and externally to citizens and businesses. Smart city services
are accessible through wireless mobile devices and are
enabled by services oriented enterprise architecture
including Web services, the Extensible Markup Language
(XML), and mobilized software applications.
Research on smart cities has been conducted by many
organizations, such MIT Smart Cities Lab; the World
Foundation for Smart Communities; URENIO research unit
and the Lab for Global Information Networks, Unicamp and
Limitless/Dubai World
The implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) system is the base of creating the smart concept in the
city infrastructure level. The idea beyond implementing the
ERP is replacing the existing legacy systems and available
interfaces into a single functionally rich system application
product. The purpose of the SAP is to standardize all
possible business models and all operational processes in one
platform [3]. The economic factor is one of the main
objectives of implementing the ERP, which is normally
represented in creating the smart services. Most of the smart
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services either in the personal level or in the scientific
research level will be focused on the infrastructure, urban
and environmental services. [5] Investigates the issues and
constraints experienced by smart services firms.
II. SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT PYRAMID
The principle of smart city development is the
sustainability of creating modern urban spaces in a balanced
environment where the people can live, work and play [1].
The aimed environment is to deliver a sustainable future with
satisfied functional capacity. Due to the world development
where the living spaces requirements increases, the
challenges and opportunities are to create such environment
founded on a foresight understanding and pragmatism. The
science as base of all built facts [2], as a house is with stones,
but a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of
stones is a house. This objective can be served by an intense
focus on sounding the end users and key stakeholders to
define the main features and principles that obviously raise
the smart city concept.
Figure 1. Smart city development pyramid
The smart city principle development elements are
forming the overall smart city framework. The smart city
need to be debated starting from the infrastructure
preparation stage. The preparation should be discussed while
doing the concept of design of all infrastructure networks.
The smart concept is represented in transmitting and
receiving the data using communication protocols from and
to the network element (asset). The asset’s data sending and
receiving is the base of monitoring and controlling the
functional operational framework needed for smartly
network assets managing. The most practical way is to
embed the required hardware (operational sensors) and
software during the design and physical excavation and
cable/pipe laying implementation. The physical network
implementation used to have a certain excavation depth
depends on the network/service type. The most of the
transmission networks (electrical transmission network) is
barred 2.0 to 4.0 m depth, where the distribution network
(electrical distribution network) is barred 0.5 to 1.0m depth.
Due to the cost impact and the complexity involved either in
locating the assets using high tech surveying technologies
such as geophysical surveying (cable locator, Ground
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Penetrating Radar - GPR); or to expose the smart system
network items (assets) in order to fix the sensors along the
needed communication protocol; then implement the related
configuration for the data sending and receiving to realize
the needed asset management in both monitoring and
controlling. The proper and practical system design will
facilitate the system configuration and reduce the cost and
complexity impact.
As mentioned, the assets physical location accuracy
(positional accuracy) is a continuous task needed along the
city life cycle. The proper definition of locating the city
assets and concerned components is extremely important
while establishing the smart city concept, which will make
the meaning of saving energy in all trends, is more
significant. As for representing the assets precisely, a proper
Global Positioning System (GPS) reference network would
be the best monitoring system for observing the assets within
the required level of accuracy. The easy and precisely assets
recognizing is a very essential practice in order to maintain
and operate the assets and all physical/spatial features. The
level of accuracy is highly related to the application usage;
for locating the major assets such as electrical substations
and motorized pumping stations, the accuracy shouldn’t
exceed +- 1 m. while the observation accuracy for locating
the electrical distribution board and the gate valves shouldn’t
exceed +-10 cm. the accuracy technical impact is to locate
the needed asset without damaging the neighbor assets
specially in the distribution networks besides the easiness of
locating the assets.
The master real estate developers need to concentrate on
building up the smart city concept from the initial master
planning phase. The concept of design accommodates the
major system requirements while implementing the first
phase of the development. In terms of physical monitoring
system, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
reference stations preferably need to be established. The
GNSS reference stations should be built along the
development area. The reference station is continuously
transmitting the corrections for all GPS receivers within 5
km buffer zone in a very strong radio waves and within 15
km where it will be acceptable in most of the locations
unless we have construction or electromagnetic barriers. The
data communication protocol is using radio frequency where
the obtained accuracy is 3-5 cm (the needed accuracy for
developing and maintaining the city assets). The reference
station also used for controlling any aerial photogrammetric,
LIDAR and Laser Scanning activities for any kind of
mapping might needed in the feature.
The second preparation stage for creating the smart city is
to build up the proper database that would reflect the
existing/proposed infrastructure networks. The database has
to reflect the completeness of the network assets as well as
the consistency and data integrity. The assets positional
accuracy is extremely important aspect that has to be taken
care for all of network assets which will reflect the physical
reality of the system that would be the base for all network
spatial analysis actions. On the other hand the database has
to manage the data communication protocols between the
assets programmable logic controllers and the data servers
that will be fed to Geospatial application platform for further
networks analysis and operational actions. The proper
database generates a proper control, good management, less
cost, mitigate risks and better decisions. Figure 1 is showing
the primary stages and the development elements of building
up the smart city.
After preparing the database that reflects the physical
reality of the assets/network components. The third stage is
to build up the most practical and efficient Building
Management System (BMS). The BMS has to have an
automation work frame that has to be smartly operated in
order to save energy and accordingly reduce the running
cost. The magnitude of energy saving produced due to the
economical automation and comfortable/easiness operation
reflects the level of the smartness that the building has.
III. SMART CITY COMPONENTS ARCHITCETURE
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The smart city has four principle unites that cover the
majority of networks, processes, applications and several
associated activities in different trends. The first principle
component is the applications whether these applications are
related to physical assets monitoring using surveying
technologies such as satellite imagery, aerial mapping,
GPS/GNSS reference station and laser/LIDAR technologies,
or much complicated applications as following:
x City security processes
x Building management system for building’s
automation
x Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) for several
types of monitoring and controlling
x Community Access Television (CATV)
x Geographic Information System (GIS) for
overall visualization, analysis and data banking.
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Figure 2. Smart city business, applications & management architecture
Most of these applications that might be implemented
within the city operational framework while they will be
considered as disparate applications unless the proper
interaction with other business trends and/or several kinds of
asset management processes is take the right place.
Therefore the city business unites is very essential in order to
realize the function of using the mentioned applications. The
majority of the business units that used to communicate the
city applications are as follow:
x User information for monitoring the public
behavior
x Document information for better statistical and
feasibility studies.
x Industry Information for monitoring the market
demand, inflation and others
x Business information for more commerce and
financial analysis
x Revenue Information for better understanding of
the market cash flow and daily business
activities.
x Circulation Information for treating the new
emerged business cases
The third principle component is process management in
order to define the relationship, rules, strategies and policies
between the city applications and related business unites.
The management has to participate in the following parties
which will substantiate the overall city components.
Information management: the collection and management
of information from one or more sources and the distribution
of that information to one or more audiences. This
sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to
that information. Management means the organization of
and control over the structure, processing and delivery of
information.
Transaction Management: is an approach to managing IT
from a business transaction perspective. BTM aims to
guarantee service quality for users conducting business
transactions while simultaneously optimizing the IT
applications and infrastructure across which those
transactions execute.
Human & Workflow Management: to depict a sequence
of operations, declared as work of a person, work of a Assets

simple or complex mechanism, work of a group of persons. Ultra structure

ISO 1252 (2006) consider it as a work of an organization of
staff, or machines. Workflow may be seen as any
abstraction of real work, segregated in work share, work
split or whatever types of ordering. For control purposes,
workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen
aspect. ISO/TR 16044 (2004) debating it as a virtual
representation of actual work. The flow being described
often refers to a document that is being transferred from one City Infrastructure GIS Automation Server
step to another. Figure 3. Smart city operations portfolio
Land/Spatial Management: TO define the process
of managing the use and development (in both urban This spatial engine will be strongly connected with the
and suburban settings) of land resources in a sustainable monitoring devices that used to be managed by several types
way. Land resources are used for a variety of purposes of SCADA with several level of controlling.
which interact and may compete with one another; 
therefore, it is desirable to plan and manage all uses in an 
integrated manner.
The closer of this activity city cycle is the connection
between these three principle components. The connections
have different concepts. The connections (communication
protocols) might be utilizing the conventional wiring
network or using fibber optic cables for the systems that
depending on the physical network connectivity concept.
Wireless, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and different GSM technologies
are going to be mature in the near future, which make them
more practical and feasible solutions for data sharing and
information exchange processes.
IV. SMART CITY OPERATIONS PORTFOLIO
City portfolio has several items that running the daily life
cycle. The energy management either for power,
communication and any pressurized liquid networks such as
potable water and district cooling is extremely important.
The automation system for managing these different
components is needed to reduce the capital cost which
would be reflected significantly in the quality of service
offered to citizens. Figure 3 is representing this concept
where the buildings/assets need to be designed in a way that
compatible of the smartness of the infrastructure and
network connectivity framework. The ultra structure
smartness is limited to precisely representing all
features/internal assets in terms of positional accuracy and
in terms of operational functions which are the basis for
monitoring and controlling. The well definition of the
operational functions will reflect the sustainability of the
smart and automation system. GIS is combining these Figure 4. Smart city components architecture
components in spatial warehouses in order to reflect the
graphical representation of the city components, along the The advantage of adopting such systems is the high level
data, images and any related information’s connected in the of integration and systems interoperability, which expanding
same platform. the view of daily controlling. The other advantage of

96
implement such operational framework is the overall view
of several industrial sectors and real estate development
areas in one system platform.
The city component architecture is based on
infrastructures, ultra structure networks connected to a
system administration work frame. The system
administration comprises of cluster of server applications,
database servers and communication servers. Figure 4 also
discussing this sophisticated IT platform that is not only for
data storage and data manipulation processes, but it will be
operated, supported and managed by service oriented
architecture bus. The system administration is the tracker of
any feasible activity implemented in any feasible asset. The
feasible assets are not necessary the major assets but it can
be the network joints, house meters (connections) and other
helpful assets. The basic research scope is enhancing the
level of controlling and monitoring these assets in order to
rise up the performance as well as reduce the operational
cost. The GIS automation platform is very helpful tool for
administering and maintaining the assets in several terms.
The primary terms are limited of maintaining the network
sustainability architecture, the network analysis such as
leakage management, organizing facility sitting activities,
comprehensive reports and statistical analysis and solid base
of decision making. This research is highlighting the
District Cooling and electrical networks which are
considered the major energy consumption consumers along
the city.
V. CONCLUSTION
The centralized operational platforms are very efficient
in the sense of resource planning, cost reduction and
significantly enhance the quality of services. the research
will formalize for necessary data integration with the
enterprise geospatial data warehouse management solutions
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to provide a unified solution that brings together smart
concept enterprise asset and infrastructure management
capabilities with the geospatial and visualization
capabilities. The primary background of this research is to
provide a single management system for the collective
processing and management across multiple sub-systems,
applications and controllers.
The goal is to provide the initial necessary guidelines to
improve operations and maintenance, reduce the cost of
operation, provide enhanced energy management
capabilities and provide scalability and freedom for future.
REFERENCES
[1] Saeed Ahmad Saeed, http://www.limitless.com/, 2008.
[2] Jules Henri Poincare, “La Science et L'Hypothese”, 1908.
[3] Smart GIS/IT, “The city of cape town in south africa has pursued a
‘smart city’ goal through the integration of GIS with it systems”,
GEOconnexion International Magazine, 2007.
[4] http://www.smartcity.ae/malta/index.html, “Smart City”, accessed on
March 2009
[5] Smart State Council, “Smarter Services Future Jobs and Growth for
the Smart State”, Queensland Government, 2006.
[6] http://www.timesofmalta.com, “SmartCity to have larger business
park”, Accessed on March 2009.
[7] http://www.timesofmalta.com, “SmartCity Malta is leading energy-
efficient development' , accessed on March 2009.
[8] Ishida T., Isbister K. (Eds.), “Digital Cities: Technologies,
Experiences, and Future Perspectives”, Springer-Verlag, 2000.
[9] Tanabe M., Besselaar P., Ishida T. (Eds.), “Digital Cities II:
Computational and Sociological Approaches”, Springer-Verlag, 2002.
[10] Cook Diane, Sajal Das, “Smart Environments: Technologies,
Protocols, and Applications”, Wiley-Interscience, 2005.
[11] Besselaar P. Koizumi S. (Eds.), “Digital Cities III: Information
Technologies for Social Capital - Cross-cultural Perspectives”,
Springer-Verlag,2005