Greenfield Smart Communities
Source: https://technofaq.org/posts/2019/07/6-hot-iot-technologies-to-watch-for-in-2019/
The Lemming Dilemma
Though lemmings diving off cliffs is an old myth, it is a perfect illustration of herd mentality in humans.
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. The Norway lemming is one of the few vertebrates which reproduce so quickly that their population fluctuations are chaotic, rather than following a line of linear growth to a regular carrying capacity. Lemmings have cyclical population booms that are driven by factors such as food availability. If the snow is soft and dry, then a space under the snow builds up within which the lemmings can survive and reproduce very well during the winter. If there are a couple of consecutive winters like this, vast numbers of lemmings can emerge in the spring, as if from nowhere. In reality, why lemming populations fluctuate with such great variance roughly every four years before numbers drop to near extinction is unknown.
Lemmings reproduce quickly and, in favorable conditions, a population can grow ten times its initial size in one year. When the group runs out of food, it disperses, and the subgroups go looking for a new, food-rich spot to start a colony. With too many hungry lemmings about, the vegetation quickly gets overgrazed and the animals are forced to seek new pastures. In springtime, spikes push lemmings to disperse from the mountains in search of better accommodations.
Driven by strong biological urges, some species of lemmings may migrate in large groups when population density becomes too great. The migration may begin with only one leader and one follower. As these two lemmings progress, the pair is joined by other lemmings because of some inherent instinct. This somewhat larger group of lemmings in turn is joined by others until the group eventually becomes an enormous mass of lemmings marching to a new food source and habitat.
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During the march, if the mass comes upon a river, the lemmings following those in the lead will enter the water in such proportions that the lemmings drown the preceding lemmings. If by chance the lemmings encounter a cliff, the mass of lemmings following closely to one another will force the leaders at the forefront over the cliff. Wave after wave of lemmings follow one another over the cliff. The deaths are not an intentional mass suicide, but a suicide caused by the force behind the migration of such an enormous gathering of lemmings moving as one toward a goal. Lack of leadership leads to the demise of the lemmings.
So metaphorically, someone who blindly follows a crowd — maybe even toward a catastrophe — is called a lemming, a self-destructive, mindless conformist. It all boils down to one thing: Is the traditional model for economic development outdated in the age of the latest technologies?
Smart Communities
The ink spot strategy is defined as a military maneuver whereby counter-insurgency and reconstruction efforts spread outwards from secured key areas, the same way an ink spot expands on blotting paper. It is not a new strategy; it is a version of the “ink spot” approach that French General Lyautey made famous in Madagascar and Morocco, and it is one that was and is often adopted in counter-insurgency campaigns of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Through this ink spot strategy, we can identify undeveloped land, or greenfields, which are the smallest possible administrative units (in the case of India, it is a village) and are remotely located geographically. Then we can attack all the problems through customization and the prioritization of framework. The intent here is to create Ink Spots of Success which, once established, will spread and replicate in the areas where they have the best chance to succeed quickly. The idea is that you start small with a specific greenfield, secure it, and build it up as a safe haven for the local population or community. Instead of trying to poorly develop a few cities out of the whole country, a few visionaries equipped with technology can focus exclusively on the decisive areas they could hold.
This is almost the same as building multiple smart cities, although there are a few differences. Smart cities are towns which have the potential to grow into big urban cities. The idea of a smart city is to concentrate on building up a particular city and turn it into a beacon of excellence with top class infrastructure and social services. The difference with greenfield economic development is that it is centered on a happiness index, green GDP, and economic decentralization. This also includes demystifying glorification of acquisitiveness at the expense of enjoyment. Smart greenfields can be seen as an opportunity for equitable and sustainable growth/development prospects without simply imitating economic models
that may have suited one specific smart greenfield cluster but may not suit another greenfield.
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