The city you live in is unique – from its architecture to public spaces to how utility services are delivered. As much as each has a distinct vibe, all have one thing that binds them.
It is a common objective. Cities must provide resources and utility services to everyone within their boundaries. If you have heard of or played the video game SimCity, you will know that this includes affordable living spaces, food, transportation, security, electricity, water, sanitation and job opportunities.
Universities have had to ramp up their compute power to accommodate the increase in online learning since the onset of the pandemic and the resulting move toward hybrid learning models.
This is among the findings from an IDC study, “Post-Pandemic IT Infrastructure in South African Universities”, released by Dell Technologies.
Read more: SA universities need to fast-track digital transformation
In South Africa, major metros are investigating the potential that smart city automation technologies have for meeting the needs of an increasingly urbanised population writes Yuri Ramsamy, the product marketing specialist building products at ABB.
A city can be defined as ‘smart’ when investments in human and social capital and traditional transport and modern ICT communication infrastructure fuel boost sustainable economic development, quality of life and equitable management of natural resources.
Read more: ZA: Smart city: Automation of electrical and mechanical building systems
The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers many potential benefits, not least of which is providing local government with access to a wide new range of tools and solutions – from cloud and Internet of Things, to big data and advanced analytics – which it can leverage to improve the services it delivers to citizens.
With the significant push towards digital transformation, inspired at least in part by the pandemic-driven switch to remote working, there are a number of technologies and solutions being considered – or already leveraged – by local government to help improve service delivery.
In March 2020 SA faced an unprecedented challenge as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. With the imposition of a nationwide lockdown, almost every human endeavour switched from being physical to virtual. For many the conversion was effortless. For others, however, the switch to a predominantly digital world only served to further deepen prevailing divides.
As a corporate social investment (CSI) practitioner with a keen interest in facilitating the active economic participation of people through education, I am constantly struck by the frustratingly slow pace of meaningful change in many South Africans’ lives. Notwithstanding the grave socioeconomic implications of certain Covid-19 decisions, the pandemic provides an opportunity for meaningful engagement around innovative options to bring about much-needed, broader societal transformation.
Read more: ZA: Bridging the digital divide in public education is a collective effort