IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Foreign “smart cities” could face GDPR fines for misusing EU citizens' data, a Government smart city tsar has warned.

Dr Jacqui Taylor, strategic advisor to the UK Government on smart cities, said that public bodies and companies based abroad could face fines worth millions of pounds if they fail to follow strict rules which protect EU residents from data misuse.

The global rush to roll out mobile apps, e-government services and other “smart” city tools is leaving behind people with disabilities.

That’s the conclusion of a pair of experts in accessible technologies presenting at this week’s Smart Cities NYC conference in New York. They’ve also launched a “Smart Cities for All” toolkitto help city leaders apply a more inclusive approach to urban technology.

It’s no secret that we are about to enter a phase where living smart is the baseline, and everything else just falls in the jigsaw to complement that lifestyle. Our world is shaped by how people and machines work together sand technology is there to support this process. It helps to create better cities for all, and we have the power to make it happen, a future where people are empowered by technology to lead meaningful and fulfilled lives in smart cities.

More cities are looking to charge drivers for entering congested areas, which can help pay for municipal improvements in a low-risk way.

Several cities in the United Kingdom are looking to initiate smart projects to improve the efficiency of local services, enhance sustainability, and develop their competitiveness. Smart city developments improve the ‘livability’ of a city, helping support economic and business growth.

Whilst 5G is discussed in the same breath as national security and Theresa May’s decision-making, Iain Shearman discusses using 5G networks to support smart cities

On our increasingly urban planet, technology is transforming the lives of millions of people as smart cities start to become a reality. Over the next 30 years, it is predicted that almost 70% of the world’s population will be living in these cities; this rapidly growing number of new city dwellers will need homes, jobs, healthcare, infrastructure and services.

Mike Kenworthy, assistant director of digital and ICT, joined Hull City Council several months ago with a remit of modernising the IT internally within the council as well as developing the digital strategy for the city as a whole.

This meant working with partners across the city on areas such as regeneration, economic development as well as improving life for citizens.

Digital Salford, the collaboration of key stakeholders in the City of Salford, has published its ambitious new Digital Strategy setting out some clear intentions for Salford to become an internationally recognised connected digital city. It includes the launch of MediaCityUK’s first Smart City Accelerator.

Salford’s race to become a Smart City was boosted further with the official publication of its Digital Strategy and the launch of a Smart City Accelerator. The Accelerator, sponsored by MediaCityUK and CBRE, will be based at The Landing in 2020 and will be the first of its kind in the region aimed at innovation companies who are looking to develop and demonstrate smart solutions for both build and environmental management.

Salford, in Greater Manchester, will launch the region’s first smart city accelerator in early spring 2020.

Sponsored by MediaCityUK–the country’s largest digital and creative cluster outside of London–the accelerator will be aimed at innovation companies which are looking to develop and demonstrate smart solutions for both build and environmental management.

The industrial internet of things (IIoT) will have an important role in defining the future of cities. In the transport sector, IIoT will be used to understand how transport networks dovetail with passengers in real time, with the global passenger information system market expected to reach $63bn by 2030.

How does it work in the real world? WeMaintain is responsible for the maintenance of all lifts and escalators on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), part of the London rail division of Transport for London (TfL). Since it opened in 1987, it has been extended almost constantly, and now reaches as far north as Stratford, through the City of London financial district, and east to London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal. Much of the service is automated, and in the 2019/20 financial year there were 116.8 million passenger journeys.

Praise has been given to work carried out to extend access to public WiFi across Sunderland and the early success of a new dedicated city-wide app.

Sunderland City Council bosses stressed they have been working “very hard” and made some “great progress” in terms of providing online network connections over the last five years.

The internet is ready for an upgrade. That’s according to UK researchers who are setting up an “internet playground” to try out new kinds of internet infrastructure on a national scale.

They believe an improved internet could make a wide variety of new applications possible, from robotic surgery conducted from hundreds of miles away to musical duets performed by singers on different continents.

Concerns about data privacy have grown as tech creeps into urban spaces

The Mayor of London has unveiled a new register designed to increase transparency and trust around the use of smart technologies in the capital.

The initiative, known as the Privacy Register, aims to provide citizens with comprehensive information about the data-driven systems they encounter daily in public spaces.

The smart city concept basically entails having more digital technology around cities will ensure for a safer city. One major ongoing issue is traffic collisions. With the help of smart city systems, this issue could be decreased. A couple of methods of technology that cities have been commonly using to monitor speed enforcement are semi-stationary and mobile systems, according to vitronic.com. These have been regarded as solutions to establishing a safer city and keeping traffic collisions held to a minimum.

One city that is trying to promote this concept is London. Thousands of cameras are already deployed around the city. In addition, the Metropolitan Police of London are soon going to be deploying a drone to oversee the road, as stated by theguardian.com. The drone will assist police by surveying the roads for dangerous drivers; once a threatening driver is spotted, police will be informed immediately.

City centre improvement group NE1 says digital improvements are needed to help businesses stay ahead of competition

Newcastle is leading a new industrial revolution with a growing reputation as a centre for digital, software and technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

The city is not a newcomer to this frontrunner position and has long been known as a centre of innovation and technological advancement.

If successful the city will gain additional funding and have the chance to be involved in innovative pilot projects

Newcastle is aiming to become one of Europe’s 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, in order to bolster its ability to respond to the climate crisis.

Newcastle City Council has submitted a bid to the European Commission for the city to become one of its 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.

Eight in 10 (83 per cent) Scottish citizens believe their local councils should embrace a wider range of digital technologies, according to new research commissioned by Capita on behalf of the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN).

The research explores the attitudes of Scottish citizens to increased digitisation and to the internet of things (IoT), finding that 69 per cent of Scottish residents said digital access to local government services influences where they choose to live. Overall, the research shows people living in Scotland are keen to see more digitisation, underlining the importance of fast, reliable connectivity to enable the use of IoT and ‘smart’ technologies throughout the country.

The first innovation loans have been offered to 13 businesses improving smart cities and transport and working on the challenges of accelerating urbanisation and climate change.

The global smart infrastructure market those businesses will be operating in is estimated to be worth £1.2 trillion per year by 2025.

A new multi-million pound 'Smart City Mobility Centre' is being established at the University of Warwick's Wellesbourne campus in the UK. This facility will be used to developer driverless capable and electric vehicle technology as part of a multi-million pound pilot programme in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.

Why connecting communities with technology is vital for economic and social vibrancy.

Food, water, shelter and clothing – these four things are often described as human beings’ basic needs. But what about creating communities? Being connected to one another is a fundamental part of the human experience and one could argue necessary for survival, or at least sanity.

Pop culture routinely explores the detrimental effect the lack of community has on us. Whether that’s how to re-establish some semblance of community amid unspeakable horrors in The Walking Dead or watching a person grow increasingly unhinged as The Last Man on Earth, losing our connections to others is one our greatest collective fears.

Cities around the world are increasingly becoming dependent on technology as according to a report by NLC. These trends are disrupting workplaces and companies need to be aware of the changes and seek to adapt in order to remain competitive.

Smart cities - connected spaces where technology is integrated into business and social life - are growing. ABI’s Smart Cities Competitive Assessment report names Singapore as the world’s leading smart city, primarily due to innovations with driverless taxis and shuttles. Most other major capitals are following suite, developing automated and connected technologies. This leads to questions as to how the smart city is altering the way we work.