Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing smart transformation continues to gain international recognition, with the city ranked eighth in the Polytechnic University’s 2025 Smart City Index among 73 global cities. The study evaluates the progress of urban innovation across six dimensions: citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure and governance.
The index highlights Hong Kong’s strong performance in governance, particularly in the formulation and implementation of smart city policies and plans. The city also ranks first globally in e-government development, underscoring its focus on using technology to enhance public administration and citizen engagement.
In the area of data transparency, Hong Kong leads in its willingness to expand open data access and diversify data categories. This approach reflects its broader digital strategy to create an interconnected ecosystem that supports evidence-based policymaking, fosters innovation, and enables cross-sector collaboration.
A major contributor to the city’s success is its robust economy, supported by advanced technological infrastructure and a strong research and education base. These elements have created a favourable environment for innovation and digital transformation across multiple sectors. Public and private entities benefit from a data-driven framework that encourages efficiency, transparency and sustainable growth.
The city’s governance capacity has also been enhanced through several digital initiatives that streamline service delivery. Among these, the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) Portal plays a central role in enabling seamless data sharing between government departments and the wider community. By providing spatial data in a unified format, the platform promotes more effective planning, development and public participation.
In addition to data sharing, Hong Kong has prioritised the digitalisation of government services to improve efficiency and accessibility. A key initiative in this effort is the “iAM Smart” platform, a one-stop portal offering residents personalised access to a range of public services. Since its launch, more than 3.8 million users have registered on the platform, which facilitates over 180,000 interactions daily.
The platform comes in two versions: iAM Smart and iAM Smart+, which adds a digital signature for secure online transactions. Updates also improve convenience, including instant billing access and enhanced digital document support. These enhancements aim to simplify user interaction with various government departments and improve the overall service experience.
Recent upgrades allow residents to view and pay water and postal bills through the platform, with payments processed via the Faster Payment System. This integration of digital services reflects Hong Kong’s broader strategy to unify service access through a single, user-friendly interface. The initiative also supports environmental sustainability by reducing reliance on paper-based processes.
The Digital Policy Office plays a pivotal role in driving these advancements. Working with government bureaus and departments, it has been developing a centralised online service portal to achieve full digitalisation of government operations. The initiative seeks to increase efficiency, reduce administrative burdens and enhance service consistency across departments.
Efforts are also underway to extend the benefits of digital transformation beyond city boundaries. The Digital Policy Office has been collaborating with authorities in Guangdong Province and Shenzhen to advance the Cross-boundary Public Services initiative.
This partnership aims to provide residents with integrated access to government services from both sides of the boundary, reinforcing regional connectivity and digital cooperation within the Greater Bay Area.
Hong Kong’s strong showing in the Smart City Index reflects sustained progress in integrating technology into governance, data management and public services. Through strategic planning, digital infrastructure development and intergovernmental collaboration, the city continues to enhance its resilience and competitiveness.
These initiatives collectively position Hong Kong as a leader in smart city innovation, demonstrating how technology can be effectively harnessed to improve governance, boost efficiency and create a more connected urban future.
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Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Open Gov Asia, 03.11.2025
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