IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

“The global world of Telemedicine opens to these facilities without the major up-front costs and effort normally associated with developing an in-house Telemedicine department,” said Gideon Ilumin, Director of Business Affairs for US Tele-Medicine.

US Tele-Medicine, a national health care provider based in Beverly Hills, CA and licensed in twelve states, providing General Practice and Family Practice services, is forming joint ventures with hospitals and clinics in its territories.

Drones monitor construction progress. Robots probe the sewer system for insights into human health. Streetlights maximize street parking and report on air pollution.

These innovations are not taken from the storyline of a sci-fi series. They are real technologies in use in so-called “smart cities,” and they have the power to transform urban life in America.

Let this sink in: Southeast Asia, India and Europe are beating us when it comes to the smart cities movement.

At least, that’s according to Jim Haskins, Cisco’s Smart Connected Communities/IoT specialist.

“We’re a little slow on the uptake,” he told a 200-strong crowd gathered for the second day of the sixth annual Clean Tech Summit in Chapel Hill.

U.S. cities can expect to save $280 billion by 2030 with the deployment and use of digital twins, according to a new report. A digital twin is a simulated model of a physical process, product or service that can increase efficiency.

A digital twin uses the best available models, sensor information, and input data to mirror and predict activities/performance over the life of its corresponding physical twin. According to research, this technology is the ultimate tool for urban planners and city governments to design and build their infrastructure in a cost-effective way.

Imagine that you could vote securely on your smartphone, change your vote anytime before Election Day, and know that your vote has been counted.

The crazy quilt Americans call their election process has produced another nail-biter, with delays caused by everything from postal bottlenecks and voting machine malfunctions to an unexpected shortage of printer ink. The way votes are collected and counted in the U.S. makes recounts, lawsuits and sometimes lingering doubts over an election’s true outcome all but inevitable: You don’t have to be Donald Trump to worry that errors could have tilted a tight count toward the opposing side.

The reality of smart cities gets a little closer with the launch of a 5G-enabled testbed.

Enhancing urban services such as energy, transportation, and utilities with ICT, the concept of the smart city — rooted in real, fast-emerging technology and 5G connectivity — is a tangible one.

Technology is increasingly being deployed at all levels of government around the world to combat COVID-19. While ARC sees significant headwinds affecting smart city markets over the next couple of years due to decreased tax revenue, reduced workforce, and more, many cities, states, and countries are forging ahead with large increases in technology investment both to combat COVID-19 and reignite economic growth in beleaguered cities. While ARC expects many smart cities related markets to decline in 2020, this increased investment in technology will provide an impetus for growth and quick recovery. Here are some examples of what’s happening around the world right now.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, not this time, as we report on the latest news from the Mobile World Congress.

Las Vegas, working with NTT—an IT infrastructure and service company—announced the deployment of the most extensive 5G private network in the U.S. The announcement was made during the Mobile World Congress 2022 in Las Vegas.

NTT also presented a full-stack Net-Zero Action offering to help companies reach carbon zero goals with data-driven technology combining 5G, edge computing and Internet of Things solutions.

Data, technology and Customer Experience (CX) are among the trends shaping the future of local governments, a new report shows. “The Future of Local Government” report states that because the public interacts with local governments the most, those agencies are best poised to make a for constituents and businesses.

The report states that game-changing technology will be central to forging local government organisations that are digitally enabled, data-driven and effectively serving the remarkably diverse array of stakeholders they serve across their localities and communities.

At this year’s annual gathering, the Chinese legislative body proposed the establishment of a fund to support the development of blockchain technology led by the government.

The National People’s Congress (NPC), the Chinese legislature in its annual gathering of leaders this year featured representatives from all across China including delegates from Hong Kong and Macau. The meeting normally lasting 10 days this time had controversial issues on the agenda. Top of the list was, of course, the economy and security. However, the world was surprised to see the heated Hong Kong protest issue also included among the key issues to be discussed.

Dive Brief:

• The IMD World Competitiveness Center partnered with the Singapore University of Technology and Design to release an index ranking 102 global smart cities. The rankings are based on residents' perceptions of issues related to structures and technology applications available to them in their city.
• The top five global cities are Singapore, Zurich, Oslo, Geneva and Copenhagen. Nine U.S. cities made the list; the highest ranking one is San Francisco at No. 12. It is then followed by a bevy of U.S. cities further down the list: Washington, DC (31); Boston (32); Denver (33); Seattle (34); Los Angeles (35); New York City (38); Chicago (53); and Philadelphia (54).
• The index notes that being a globally recognized smart city now is critical to attract investment and talent. This is the first edition of the index and it took the partners two years of work to compile. Researchers hope to expand the scope of topics studied as well as the number of cities included in future editions.

Discover how the SCNAA finalists are leading the way in employing technology to enhance urban life, focusing on innovation, inclusivity, and community engagement. Public voting open until March 8th!

Imagine walking through a city where every element is interconnected, from traffic lights that adapt in real-time to reduce congestion, to public parks that monitor air quality and adjust irrigation based on weather forecasts. This vision is closer to reality than you might think, thanks to the efforts recognized by the seventh annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA). Hosted by IDC Government Insights, the awards spotlight the strides North American cities, states, counties, and universities are making towards becoming smarter, more sustainable, and more inclusive communities.

Dive Brief:

• U.S. cities must make significant progress in collaboration and leadership to attain the status of "smart city," according to a rating released Thursday through a partnership between Leading Cities and Bright Cities.
• The rating evaluated 24 U.S. cities — those involved in the now-shuttered 100 Resilient Cities program — on 45 indicators across 10 dimensions of a smart city: governance, economy, education, entrepreneurship, environment, health, mobility, security, technology and energy. None of the cities scored higher than a B+.

A six-month agreement with the University of Miami calls for experts to create a master plan for a technologically modern area that is a model of sustainability, resilience and health care.

The tiny country of Guyana, tucked in the northern coast of South America, is poised to become one of the richest countries in the world per capita and one of the largest exporters of oil, news outlets have reported.

Smart city development has just received a new boost in the United States with the formation of the National Smart Coalition Partnership. This national network, one of the largest in the country, represents an opportunity to raise funds as well as a new way for the different states involved to move forward through cooperation.

Last week several regional smart city development organisations in the United States announced that they were coming together to form the National Smart Coalition Partnership (NSCP), one of the largest major networks of this type in the country. Consisting of companies, universities and more than 100 local governments, the members will come together to address common challenges facing cities on issues of connectivity, cybersecurity, transportation, environment or resilience.

Smart city technology is bringing more opportunities and facilitates urban development when it is implemented correctly, U.S. officials said on Saturday.

Smart city technology is probably one of the biggest things that have benefited his city, said Mayor Alan Nagy of Newark city in Northern California on the sidelines of an international electronic summit held in San Francisco Bay Area.

Through software, AI and Big Data, cities are transforming the way they generate electricity, deliver drinking water and build the clean transportation systems of the future.

In Montgomery, AL, a network of road sensors infused with artificial intelligence (AI) is saving time, money and exhaust emissions by reducing the need for municipal repair crews to drive around inspecting streets and highways.

Big Data is a term used to describe large and complex data sets that can provide insightful conclusions when analyzed and visualized in a meaningful way. Conventional database tools do not have capabilities to manage large volumes of unstructured data. The U.S. Government is therefore investing in programs to develop new tools and technologies to manage highly complex data. The basic components of Big Data include hardware, software, services and storage.