The Internet of Things is helping cities improve everything from traffic data, weather, and parking to water usage and waste management.

The cost of sensors has more than halved in the 10 years to 2014, falling to an average of 60 cents per unit. Declining sensor cost is one of the main drivers of the Internet of Things technology, and the proliferation of internet-connected devices in the built environment. Those sensors are allowing us to gather new data that was previously inaccessible, and one impact is the growth of companies with the potential to make our cities smarter and more efficient as a whole.

We used CB Insights data to segment the companies that are working to build smart cities.

These are some of the segments that these startups are attacking:

Parking - Startups are improving the efficiency with which we park our cars, doing everything from booking (ParkWhiz), parking analytics (Parkifi), and smart metering (MeterFeeder).

Grid/Energy – These companies are using analytics, algorithms, and connectivity to keep supply and demand for electricity in balance.
Such as street lighting network & smart city wireless setup  (Telensa), power networks & operations by (Enbala), and realtime analytics & smart automation by (GreenSync)

Data-Driven Urban Planning – These companies are providing access to new, hyperlocal data about our cities and helping planners understand neighborhood needs better.
Example, mobile mapping & data collection (AmigoCloud), cloud-based mapping platform that helps cities and communities (LocalData), and urban intelligent platform (Placemeter).

Smarter Transport – Startups that are making our existing transport smart (Zubie, Vinli), creating new smart vehicles (Ather Energy), new public transit options powered by data (Bridj, Shuttl), or smart bike-sharing programs (Zagster).

Environmental Sensors - Companies that are developing hardware to better understand our urban environment, from weather data, to pollution, to ambient sound.
Such as real-time and historical street-level air quality reports (BreezoMeter), real-time weather data and analytics (Understory Weather)

Connectivity – Startups that are using different means to provide internet, connections, and infrastructure for new networks.
For examples, Veniam turns vehicles into Wifi Hotspots (Veniam), deploy a long-range wireless network anywhere (Filament)

Waste Management – Using data and connected devices to optimize waste collection.
AMCS Group, providing on-vehicle technology to the recycling and waste management industry (AMCS), collects and analyzes garbage and recycling data for a neighborhood (Zerocycle)

Traffic/Transit Data – Private companies that are using mobile and sensors to provide analytics around commutes and congestion. Revolutionizing the way people experience public transport (Moovit), reduce congestion by combining insights and incentives to improve city planning and operations (Urban Engines)

Water Usage/Quality – Tools that help to analyze the traffic of water in our cities.
Such as Rachio, providing software and hardware focused on improving water efficiency of homes (Rachio). Integrates utilities' customer billing data into a financial and water use performance monitoring tool by (Valor Water Analytic).