Right now, there is a proliferation of big data that can be used for a myriad of purposes. Unfortunately, without a structure in which to organise big data, its full potential can often be overlooked.

Technological advances are now revolutionising development, construction, maintenance and day-to-day operations of projects.

The first step in video analytics is to train artificial intelligence (AI). This requires AI to go through thousands of hours of video to 'learn' what different objects, such as people, cars, license plates and trucks are. Initially, a human must help the AI by tagging different objects, but very quickly the AI can self-learn and educate itself at a rate that is orders of magnitude faster than what people can do.

An estimated 30 people will leave rural India for urban areas every minute during the next 20 years. At this rate, in the next two decades, most Indian cities are likely to double their size in terms of population and more than double in area.

Since cities have been administered manually, it is difficult for city administrators to be present at every single asset owned by city corporations physically. But there is a solution to this challenge.

Harshavardhan Chitale, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Philips Lighting India Ltd, has lauded Urban Local Bodies for focusing on smart and modern lighting systems in their Smart City plans.

Digitisation can be considered as substitution of traditional analogue formats to collect, process, store, and transfer data by new technologically advanced methods. Putting it in a pedantic outward appearance, digitisation is the conversion of information into a digital layout.

With 59 special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in place, India's Smart Cities Mission is now ready to take off. With more than 15 tenders coming in every month, winning cities have made sure their envisaged plans are on track, albeit at a slow speed.

In an exclusive, PP Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, says that the Centre is planning three IT and electronics regions, which will create direct employment opportunities for 12 lakh youths.