Wuxi leads Chinese smart cities in integration of IoT technology, saving people time.[Photo/WeChat account: wuxibobao2013]

A study sponsored by Intel has come to the rather unsurprising conclusion that smart cities save people time. The company says that major cities that have embraced the Internet of Things (IoT) can save each of their citizens up to 125 hours per year.

Being able to free up more than five days over the course of a year seems too good to be true, but the study from Intel and Juniper Research appears to bear out the claim. The research looked at smart cities around the world, ranking them in terms of mobility, health care, public safety and productivity.

The world's leading smart cities were found to be Chicago, London, New York, San Francisco and Singapore, with each integrating IoT technology in numerous ways.

Wuxi, thanks to its booming IoT and integrated circuit (IC) industries, is the highest ranking Chinese city on the list, at 17th. The next highest Chinese cities are Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The introduction of smart toll roads, parking systems, traffic systems, etc., can save many hours that would otherwise be spent, for instance, sitting in a vehicle.

Efficiency improvements in the health sector (including the use of wearables to monitor conditions without the need to visit a hospital), and enhanced safety in other sectors serve not only to save time, but also to improve quality of life.

Sameer Sharma, global general manager of Smart City IoT Solutions at Intel, says that "Cities are engines of economic activity, and we as an industry need to make them more resilient and responsive. Partnerships between city planners, government officials, private companies, OEMs, software developers and startups are creating smart city ecosystems that will empower citizens while reducing our carbon footprint."