UK’s Adoption of Smart City Technology

Why the UK still lags behind world-leaders such as Singapore?

16:30 11 February 2019

Many UK cities, such as Bristol and London, have already invested millions of pounds in incorporating Internet of Things (IoT), GPS tracking, artificial intelligence and other advanced technology into their physical infrastructure to improve safety, security and public services. However, despite enormous efforts and the launch of numerous smart city schemes, it seems that the UK is still lagging behind world-leaders such as Singapore.

 

 

 

Gavin Hepburn, director at ATG Access, said that the UK has many barriers to overcome in order to further adopt smart city technology and the lack of funding is on top of the list. The immense financial pressure currently faced by local authorities has been widely documented. This year, government funding has been reported to be reduced by further 36per cent. This is a huge challenge as the implementation of various projects is very expensive.

 

 

 

Lack of consumer awareness is another factor that keeps the UK from becoming a world leader in smart city adoption. According to a recent survey, up to 68per cent of the UK public still don’t know what a smart city is or the benefits it can offer. The report also added that 26per cent of Brits find the concept of smart city worrying.