Making our cities smarter

07 November 2016

Leveraging the link between open data, entrepreneurship and smart cities can help governments achieve national goals faster

Government entities in the region are generating ever-increasing volumes of data about every aspect of our lives. At the same time, the rise of smart cities and the Internet of Things is only accelerating the pace of data generation.

This data, although tremendously valuable if put to use, requires much more skill and risk appetite than governments can muster.

Providing this information freely and without restrictions, as open data, is one simple route by which governments plan to tap into entrepreneurs to deliver intelligent, context-aware services for the benefit of all. These services in turn help make smart cities smarter.

Several nations in the region have set ambitious targets. Open data, and the resulting entrepreneur-driven innovation it could unleash, would accelerate progress towards national goals.

Take, for example, the UAE’s COP21 commitment to have 30 per cent of its energy needs met by renewable sources by 2030. This requires not only that the government invests more in renewable generation but also that society reduces consumption.

Energy data

One way to achieve lower demand would be to provide open access to anonymised, neighbourhood-level, smart meter data on energy usage. This open data could be used by entrepreneurs to deliver services calculating how much more households are spending on energy than their neighbours. OVO Energy does something similar in the UK already.

The service could then, based on location, even suggest solutions such as the cheapest cleaner for an AC unit or the availability of discounted LED bulbs from the local municipality.

The impetus for opening up and connecting entrepreneurs to government data is definitely there, but the question is how can it be done? This can be tricky to answer because a fair amount of background work is required to identify publishable data, sanitise and release it. Much kudos must be given to Dubai for putting together an Open Data Law, which is a necessary first step.

Other government entities contemplating the same need to carry out further steps, including providing clarity on the data selection process, a policy on security and privacy, and a clear mechanism to reduce the burden on publishers. They must also encourage engagement from entrepreneurs. Policies on data selection, security and privacy can be pushed through with the right leadership, but experience shows governments often get stuck when it comes to getting organisations comfortable with publishing data and engaging with entrepreneurs.

Government entities typically see this release of data as an additional operational burden with little business case. This means ways need to be found to reduce the effort required.

The use of various cloud-based open data platforms is one way to make life easier, and can be a fail-safe way to start experimenting with data publishing. These solutions are easy to use and maintain, can be scaled up with need, and are constantly being improved with new features.

Beneficial partnerships

Without entrepreneurs engaging with the data and bringing it to life by generating new services, any open data programme will fail. Government entities contemplating the release of open data can benefit from partnerships with the region’s multitude of incubators or accelerators. This would be a mutually beneficial relationship as it allows the government to quickly identify what entrepreneurs are looking for. In return, entrepreneurs receive access to valuable data that they can then attempt to monetise.

An old African proverb says that to go fast one must go alone, but to go far one must go together. Open data is the means by which the wider entrepreneurial community can be involved in the delivery of smart city services, ensuring that governments that aim to be smart can be so in a sustainable way, allowing them to go further than ever before in improving the lives of citizens.

 Rohit Majhi, Deloitte Middle East

Rohit Majhi, Deloitte Middle East

Rohit Majhi, Deloitte Middle East

Rohit Majhi is a senior manager at Deloitte Middle East

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