Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1472963
July/August/September 2022 I 49 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS The word "smart" when used as an adjective has vague applications. The term has become colloquial and devi- ated from its original definition, which is sometimes utilized as a buzzword to spin-up public interest and appeal. What is the correct use? It is not commonly known that the term "SMART" is an acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. This definition will be used for the discussion of smart as it pertains to applications, infrastructure, and splicing technology; the primary focus will be on the latter two. This original acronym is not all encompassing of product features deemed smart by today's standards, but such deviations are worth noting. However, features or capa- bilities that do not meet the original definition at a minimum are not considered "smart." Infrastructure is a broad term describing many categories of underlying structures that support current and future ways of life (e.g., roads, bridges, power grids, water, waste, and broadband). A smart infrastructure has the ability to self-monitor and report data for either manual or automatic decision making, improving network efficiency, lowering cost of ownership, and mitigating critical errors. This definition, however, does not depict smart infrastructure clearly either. Why? The answer is that its exact definition is still maturing and, like many industry-wide terms, may possess a myriad of diverse meanings. Smart infrastruc- ture is currently defined and discussed as a unique union between physical and digital infrastructures. As an example, some smart cities include the use of sensing and control systems to traffic lights, so the Department of Transportation (DOT) of a municipality can establish real-time, automatic traffic flow decision making at intersections with regard to rush hour changes, emergency responders, city events, and construction related detours. Various impact metrics could then be generated based on this new variable at the government's control, such as improvements to commute times, emission levels, and automotive accident rates. This is only one example, but countless like it are possible as current smart infrastructure ideas are implemented and new ones created. Figure 1 illustrates a smart intersection. FIGURE 1: A smart city intersection. ICT INDUSTRY STIMULI The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), an incentive program from the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stimulate network builds for broad- band equitable access, in conjunction with the more recent $1.2 trillion USD bipartisan infrastructure bill, have catalyzed smart infrastructure discussion as nation- wide deployments are in various stages—from funding application, distribution, network design, planning, or building construction. Internet access is now regarded as a critical utility and, likewise, the supporting infrastructure. Therefore, the ICT industry is receiving significant funding from these bills. These investments have directly and indirectly stimulated network builds. Not all networks qualify for federal funding (e.g., wireless 5G), but the bullish outlook on the industry overall is driving private and telecommu- nication network expansion. Although money is currently plentiful, this industry is cyclic, and data communica- tions infrastructure is a significant investment. Designing and building networks to meet today's needs are not suffi- cient. Planning for 15 or 20 years of bandwidth growth is preferred to avoid wasting time and money spent on new infrastructure. As smart applications, such as autonomous vehicles, smart homes, delivery drones, emergency response systems, advanced medical procedures, biometric monitoring, and other smart technologies advance in capability, the amount of data required to support them is astronomically higher than the current infrastructure can supply.