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.
Read more: GB: Newcastle aims to become digital city to head next industrial revolution
And doesn't get a look-in on top 10 most cyber-conscious nations
The UK has fallen off its perch at the top of the UN’s biennial e-government ranking, dropping three places.
The survey, which compares trends in digital government across countries, rated Denmark as the most developed – a big jump from its previous ninth place.
Read more: UK slides from first to fourth in UN e-gov survey
Smart cities are inevitably the future, offering endless benefits for businesses, governments, and everyday citizens. These can range from heightened security, thanks to the likes of HD Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled CCTV and parking optimisation, through to smart lighting and a fully WiFi-enabled town centre to aid connectivity. There are also green initiatives, such as electric car charging and monitoring air quality through smartphones, enabling citizens to adjust their route through a city accordingly and promote a low-carbon atmosphere.
All of these benefits improve the quality of life for smart city residents – a key motive for creating any smart city –safeguarding them through harm-reduction in everything from transport to respiration. Naturally, this attracts more people to both live and work in a city. In turn, this can result in swathes of local businesses springing up, spurred on by council investment and creating countless jobs in the process – another crucial factor.
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.
Former Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude was central in creating the Government Digital Service and oversaw many of the early digital reforms.
Francis Maude, the former Cabinet Office Minister who oversaw the creation of the Government Digital Service (GDS) and spearheaded much of the digital reform in Whitehall between 2010 and 2015, has called on the government to reboot its digital strategy.
Read more: GB: Francis Maude – “It is time to reboot. Government 2.0 is overdue”