A gateway to digital life
As the embrace of technology changes how people perceive and experience life, digitization presents a powerful opportunity to enhance how they live within cities.
As a result, governments and city officials are building “Smart Cities” by leveraging latest technologies supported by next-generation city-wide infrastructure to better engage with their citizens. Success in Smart City development, however, demands a phased, holistic, citizen-centric approach.
Think of the following series of events in the day and life of people. A mother and homemaker starts her day. In the morning, she uses her mobile phone to check traffic routes to school, schedule an appointment at the public clinic, and secure a parking spot in front of the clinic before she arrives there. In the afternoon, she uses that same mobile phone to register her children in a government-sponsored book club and pay for petrol at the gas station, and before bed, she checks her daughter’s electronic medical records for her last vaccination date. Meanwhile, her neighbor, a middle-aged marketing professional, uses apps on his phone to locate the nearest pharmacy, pay his monthly municipality fees, order a toll road pass, and check on the progress of a postal delivery.
“By facilitating the creation of Smart Cities, which use advanced infrastructure and digital solutions to deliver services, technology can help policymakers address the economic, social, and environmental challenges of urbanization. ”
