Smart city transformation can lead to new profits for the local governments, more fertile environment for innovation, sustainable growth and most importantly better services for citizens and local businesses. However efficient smart city economics requires a solid foundation of data governance, quality integration of data and a systemic cybersecurity framework. Using an actionable and clearly framed strategy, the way to a smart city success does not have to be difficult.
Problems
• More patchwork smart city and digital public service solutions and technologies being deployed, each one with their own data standards and ecosystems, vendors trying to lock the administration into them
• No comprehensive cybersecurity umbrella, cities and institutions are exposed to malicious attacks and damage to critical infrastructure
• New and coming regulatory requirements related to use of open data, AI, ongoing developments in GDPR and persisting lack of compliance risking bad PR and financial penalties
• A lot of different data being collected but not analyzed nor used to better target citizens’ needs and preferences and to identify effective and cheap solutions to problems
Objectives
• Avoiding scandals and costs related to misuse of data, cybersecurity breaches, and bad spending decisions
• Squeezing value out of the already available data and systems
• Becoming leader in the country in data governance and integral cybersecurity, positive PR and attracting talent
• Regulatory compliance early on, avoiding costly last-minute scramble and allocating costs and priorities the wrong way that will need fixing later
• Having a ready pipeline of investment projects and consortia ready for funding under grant schemes and concessional loans aimed at digital transformation
Key Regulation
• EU Artificial Intelligence Act (April 2021)
• EU Open Data Directive (July 2019)
• EU Data Act aimed to create fair data economy (public consultations until September 2021)
• EU Cybersecurity Act (June 2019) and cybersecurity certification framework
• EU GDPR regulatory framework (since April 2016)
Concept
• Initial audit on how the administration is collecting, using, protecting data from infrastructure, internal systems, and citizens
• Set of recommendations on critical measures to be taken, a proposed investment program and data valuation program to make the most out of the data and systems the administration already has
• Data governance and valuation strategy to be presented at a high-profile conference event
• Inputs for future grant schemes and kicking off dialogue with funding agencies and development banks to gain resources for implementing it