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this is To the Point. The pros and cons of Smart Cities. Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from

Public Radio International. Let me look at the issues Americans care about most. Big tech companies like

IBM and Cisco invented the idea of smart cities to use big data to systemize public services and improve the quality of life.

Complex networks of sensors and cameras would monitor everything from traffic congestion, crime and disease to temperatures and the weather.

That's a hard sell to local officials with limited budgets and it's raised concerns about the invasion of privacy and other abuses.

But the Internet of Things offers limitless opportunities and they're not going away.

Neither are smart cities.

We'll get a progress report.

Today's talking point, a historic moment in the privatization of space.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Warminolni, back with To the Point.

Smart cities are designed to scale up the Internet of Things to better manage local transportation, energy, health care, water delivery, waste disposal, and crime.

Can big data really improve the quality of life for residents and their neighbors?

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