Smart cities could become healthier cities as the Internet of Things learns to gauge conditions from the sky to the sewer.

Fledgling IoT teams working above and below ground came out for the Re.Work Connect Summit conference in San Francisco on Thursday. Both say they can help cities understand and anticipate issues that affect human health. With smaller devices and smarter analytics, they’re improving upon the systems that have been testing urban conditions for years.

The so-called “smart cities” trend has generated attention for things like automated traffic, parking management and better transit, but urban life also has an underside of health dangers. For the Senseable City Lab at MIT, that side is found literally underground. Its Underworlds project is analyzing sewage for signs of diseases and poor health.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here