AU: South Australian: Adelaide: "Our data is 100 times better than we've ever had": City of Burnside
One of the biggest challenges facing executives is the pressure to match the demand for improved services, while reducing costs. Delivering more for less is a simple problem, but in local government it can be hard to deliver, given the vast array of services the sector provides. City of Burnside CEO Paul Deb discusses why digital innovation is key to unlocking long-term benefits and delivering better services to the community.
Australia has been ranked in the top 10 countries in the world for "digital readiness", in a new study of 118 countries by tech giant Cisco, but some states are falling behind.
The study examined a range of factors from technology infrastructure and adoption to human capital, with Australia scoring most highly in categories such as the ease of doing business, the start-up environment and basic human needs.
Read more: Australia ranked in global top 10 for digital readiness, but some states lag: Cisco
Councils would dramatically ramp up their e-government efforts by adopting a multichannel approach and working closer with third parties under a proposed framework.
The vast majority of local governments’ websites provide a good source of information to citizens but most are “still relatively basic” and fail to realise the benefits of more advanced and sophisticated technologies, according to Qiuyan Fan, a researcher at Western Sydney University.
Read more: AU: Model sets higher bar for digital local government
Ipswich continues to be recognised as one of Australia's leading smart cities after being shortlisted for the top prize at the inaugural Australian Smart Cities Awards.
The awards, to be held as part of Australia's first Smart Cities Week from October 29-31, recognises and rewards leadership, celebrates best practice and stimulates action to advance the smart cities movement.
Read more: AU: Queensland: Ipswich: City nominated for smart network, the Internet of Things
A UK-based maker of connected streetlights, Telensa, reported that the Sunshine Coast Council of Australia has selected Telensa to deploy its PLANet intelligent street lighting system, for a 24-month pilot project. The pilot project will create, demonstrate, and test a smart infrastructure in the Maroochydore City Centre development, and in nearby Evans Street.
The council says that Sunshine Coast is one of the largest and fastest growing regional economies in Australia, and says the Maroochydore City Centre development will create a new capital city for the region with smart technology embedded from the outset.