Humble lamp posts have been regarded as a good idea for well over 100 years in many cities when they reliably light up public places for the sake of safety and security. Given their ubiquitous presence, it is no surprise that they too feature in the Smart Nation Sensor Platform being developed here - a common technical architecture for gathering and making sense of a wide range of data.

The lamp post itself would be smart if it is responsive to changes in natural lighting, nearby hazards and levels of public activity. By scaling brightness up or down selectively, it could alert road users and conserve energy. Or one could keep lamp posts as they are and fit them with sensors and cameras for other purposes. Whatever the plan, the benefits must justify the costs.