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272 Big Data Analytics for Connected Vehicles and Smart Cities Summary 273

Figure 12.1 Word cloud for Chapter 12.

12.3 Introduction

The primary reason for writing this book at this point in time is to provide a
nexus or bridge between transportation in a smart city and data science. There
is much interest, thought, and action relating to smart cities at the current time.
The subject has, quite rightly, captured the imagination of city planners, may-
ors, and the public at large. The smart city initiative is acting as a banner that
provides a focus point and the convergence catalyst for the application of ad-
vanced technologies to urban environments. While the smart city goes beyond
transportation into subjects such as smart healthcare, smart places to live and
work, and smart utilities, the role of transportation will be inordinately impor-
tant in the formation and operation of smart cities. It is hoped that this book
will add further fuel to the smart cities initiative and provide transportation
professionals with some additional insight and understanding to help ensure
that smart city transportation investments are made in the most effective man-
ner. One of the early lessons learned in the intelligent transportation system
program is the need to identify and harness the common ground between dif-
ferent projects in different applications. Many of the technologies are designed
for sharing, and close interaction between the public and private sectors can go
a long way to accelerating the deployment programs. This chapter summarizes
the preceding chapters and provides an overview of the essential points. It also
contains suggestions for further action and further reading.