Data Driven Smart Cities

Data is key to building smart cities.

22:00 15 April 2019

The concept of building a smart city, or a community that uses innovative technology to improve the quality of life of its residents, is something that many of us are already familiar with. We all know that it requires the use of sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G network, among others to improve current services and better serve the community. However, the backbone of building a smart city is data collection. Whilst tools are undoubtedly part of the whole process, without an effective way of collecting data and clear understanding on how to use information they provide, any smart city building project can easily become another IT project destined to fail.

 

 

 

Councils have a wealth of data on their citizens that they can use to determine what they need to improve their well-being and become a more productive member of the community. These include employment data, data on social care, homelessness, residents’ ages, waste data and more. Such information is a part of a jigsaw of data that can provide a valuable insight into the interventions required to improve the lives of residents.

 

 

 

For example, a particular community with a high unemployment rate could be having the problem due to lack of digital skills or perhaps they don’t have access to high speed broadband service that they miss all the employment opportunities posted online. By identifying the root cause of the problem through data collection, councils will be able to better respond to the needs of their community.