Horizons Spring/Summer 2019

Emerging technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and the ever-growing universe of the internet of things (IoT) are being adopted at an increasing pace. It is hard to predict exactly where we will be by 2030, however there are considerations worth noting when planning for the next decade: ∙ How could we deploy both existing and new technologies in new arenas to capture data that will help us formulate answers to our challenges? ∙ What new technologies will create new challenges and opportunities? Today, it is commonplace for many people to rely on wearables or other technology such as Fitbits, iPhones, etc. to provide data such as heart rate, blood sugar, sleep quality and exercise intensity to make daily life choices. The question for government is should a similar approach be applied to managing a governmental entity? Smart Cities You may have heard the term “Smart Cities” thrown around, however there is no universal definition of what it is or could be. It is likely going to mean something different for every entity. It also should be broadened to “Smart Governments” to pull in all aspects of the public services that our governmental entities perform. Spending on smart city technology was anticipated to be $80 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to $135 billion by 2021, according to a report from the International Data Corporation. Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are among the earliest adopters of smart city technologies, with other cities such as Kansas City, Denver and Phoenix also active in the space. ∙ How will technology have an effect on the future?

We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. —bill gates, the road ahead

One of the more common attributes of a smart government is a government that analyzes both financial and non-financial data when making decisions to solve the many challenges it can face. Smart governments not only utilize the data that their accounting information system gathers, but also collects information from other sources. This approach utilizes technology such as global positioning satellites, radio-frequency identification, wireless networks connections and various other solutions falling under the IoT umbrella to gather and transmit data real time. Governments have deployed technology to gather data on topics such as traffic flow, parking utilization, emergency response times, air quality, corrections, staffing and the list of possibilities is virtually limitless. New Technology The information that is gathered about these topics can help to identify under- utilized portions, outages and exceptions real time. This can allow the entity to re- deploy resources to address challenges and ultimately deliver a more consistent level of service to the users. It can also help identify increases and trends that can help planners adapt to the ever-changing environment. This smart/data driven approach requires several considerations. One of the first aspects of this approach we should dive into is how we collect, store and transmit this data for users.

Spring/Summer 2019

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