IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

• Data is driving the world's most powerful tech companies - but it will also shape cities of the future
• In Canada, the Sidewalk Labs smart city experiment has drawn criticism
• So how do we establish data governance that meaningfully involves citizens for the good of all?

We live in a world where information has been transformed into one of the world’s most precious commodities. Data is a significant driver of our economies and the backbone of the world’s most powerful technology companies.

A data-driven “neighborhood of the future” masterminded by a Google corporate sibling, the Quayside project could be a milestone in digital-age city-building. But after a year of scandal in Silicon Valley, questions about privacy and security remain.

On a Tuesday night in August, Jesse Shapins, the director of public realm and culture at Sidewalk Labs, flipped through a set of colorful slides before a public audience in downtown Toronto.

Toronto needs rules and regulations to govern the collection and managing of data from smart cities including the one Sidewalk Labs has in mind, says a city councillor who has launched a plan calling for a new policy.

Councillor Joe Cressy, whose ward covers Quayside — the parcel of land Sidewalk Labs wants to turn into a tech-driven residential neighbourhood complete with sensors and other digital devices — wants to see a citywide public consultation launched to gather input on what the new “data governance principles” should look like and how they can be applied to the Quayside project.

Politicians got their first look at a plan to harness technology for made-in-London solutions to everyday problems at a committee meeting Monday night.

The goal is a “smart city” that uses data, technology and innovative ideas to improve the lives of Londoners and give the city an edge on a provincial or national stage.

Bell Canada and IBM Canada Ltd. are teaming up with the Toronto-area city of Markham, Ont., to test a new generation of systems for monitoring city infrastructure and detecting problems such as storm flooding.

The six-month research program that starts in April will combine Bell’s broadband networks, IBM data analytics and data from sensors placed in various parts of the city of 355,000 residents, northeast of Toronto.

On a plot of land that once served as a stark reminder of how quickly a promising tech sector can go bust, a new facility is paving the way for cutting-edge products that could fundamentally change how residents move about the capital.

The 16-kilometre test track for self-driving cars is located on a 1,866-acre site just off Woodroffe Avenue across from the Nepean Sportsplex. In the early 2000s, the area housed an incubation centre for biotechnology startups, a venture that ultimately became a casualty of the dot-com bust.

London politicians approved the draft strategy at the city's Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee

A "Smart City" uses technology and data collection to enhance the lives of its residents and increase its competitiveness with other cities.

And now, London, Ont., could become just that.

Will Sidewalk Labs be kicked to the curb in Toronto? Dave Lewis takes a closer look at the controversies surrounding the Google-backed initiative

Smart cities are all the rage these days. From Singapore, Dubai, and Toronto, these so-called digital utopias are catching all of the headlines.

One such project in Toronto, Canada, has been faced with pushback. The smart city initiative, run by Sidewalk Labs and backed by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has been generating a lot of concern here in Canada from a privacy perspective.

The former privacy commissioner of Ontario recently resigned from a project to create a smart city in Toronto because there are no guarantees the collection of personal data would be kept private. Privacy is fundamental to freedom, says Ann Cavoukian, and smart cities being created around the world are not doing enough to guarantee it.

‘No opportunity to revoke consent’

Barcelona’s chief technology and digital innovation officer believes the protection of personal data is a “fundamental right” for citizens.

Francesca Bria, who is the city’s top expert and adviser on policies related to technology, information and digital strategies, is a leading proponent in Europe of “data sovereignty” — ensuring that citizens, rather than big tech, get to control the way their data and the data collected in public spaces is used.

More cities and states should adopt a smart video surveillance system to enhance public safety and ensure a safer Malaysia for both tourists and locals, said Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan. 

Khairul today visited the Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre in Bukit Jalil and saw the capabilities and capacity of CCTV operations in the city centre. 

• Region is at the heart of the geopolitical rivalry between the two economic giants, experts say
• Both have committed to regional partnerships but US is struggling to make its mark

China's rapid deployment of new technologies and desire to develop artificial intelligence (AI) will help lead the smart city development, experts said the other day.

Senior information technology experts and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley shared their opinions on China's smart city development and application at a seminar held by the US-Asia Technology Management Center and Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

It’s almost as if the community was dreamed up as part of a movie set. But the Suzhou Industrial Park is real and part of a cooperative effort with Singapore. It is a carefully planned area on 27 square miles that a quarter-century earlier had been farmland. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies have invested billions into hundreds of cutting-edge projects.

China is known as a developing country. But in reality, it is more developed than many western countries. The Suzhou Industrial Park is sustainable and high tech, which has attracted trailblazing companies ranging from Samsung to Siemens to Philips. Others from around the world have since followed and use it as a base from which to produce and to export their goods.

In line with the country’s aim to open up more government data, this citizen-centric service portal will provide more convenient government services, information to improve city life, an app store for city services, and relevant news to keep residents updated.

US-based Cisco Systems has teamed up with eight Taiwanese strategic partners to set up a demonstration center for smart city applications and solutions in northern Taiwan, seeking to join forces with the Taoyuan City Government, Taoyuan Aerotropolis and Asia Silicon Valley Development Project to build an IoT R&D cluster in the country.

The center will showcase diverse smart solutions in security, energy conservation, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, architecture, transportation, environmental monitoring and conferencing presented by the partners, JetIT, LANtel Telecommunication, Synergies Intelligent Systems, e-Formula Technologies, Delta Electronics, MiTAC Information Technology, The Syscom Group, and HuaCom Systems.

The report, Strategy to reality: Getting smart cities to deliver for the environment, finds that cities face huge challenges to deliver their environmental ambitions. Cities that have recorded 2020 emissions targets though the Carbon Disclosure Project are on average still 47% short of meeting those targets. The report also looks at city recycling rates and air pollution.

There is a disconnect between cities’ environmental policies and their smart city strategies, according to the report. Of 12 cities analysed, while all had comprehensive environmental strategies, aside from smart energy management initiatives, cites only on average had one other smart environmental initiative.

Some smart city ideas have taken a wrong turn, too often emphasizing expensive hardware rather than cheaper solutions using the Internet.

A report released June 18 claims many cities need to reevaluate their “smart city” strategies.

Called Rethinking Smart Cities from the Ground Up, the report claims that some smart city ideas have taken a wrong turn, too often emphasizing expensive hardware rather than cheaper solutions using the Internet. It also notes that cities are too often showcasing technologically interesting ideas rather than responding to citizen’s real needs. As a result, many smart city ideas have failed to deliver on their promises, resulting in high costs and low returns.

For years, enterprises have invested in cloud-enabled digital innovation. Businesses reap the rewards in terms of business agility, efficiency, cost savings and improved customer experience. People who have enjoyed the benefits of digital innovation now have high expectations for all their interactions, as they no longer differentiate who they are dealing with, be it their bank, a retailer, or a government agency. They expect fast and frictionless interactions with all of their service providers, including their local government.

People-centric services are one of the most important trends in digital transformation in government organizations across the Asia-Pacific Japan (APJ) region. The Hong Kong Special Administration Region government is committed to providing personalized and digitalized services to its citizens. The city has made a lot of progress since the launch of the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint in 2017.

The construction and infrastructure sector is often criticised for not clearly and in an accessible way illustrating the tangible benefits of its work to citizens. In my experience this is a charge that could be laid at the door of construction’s growing number of digital advocates, who come together at conferences and workshops and are so excited by the tech that they forget about its impact on those whose lives it affects the most.

So, it was a breath of fresh air to hear Ayesha Khanna, co-founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence advisory firm and incubator, speaking at the Bentley Year in Infrastructure conference in Singapore, say passionately “It’s never the right way to start with the technology – you should always start with the problem.” Khanna repeatedly urged her audience to focus on citizens and the benefits of digital technology on real people’s lives and making them better for longer.