The London borough’s strategy includes an emphasis on harnessing data for analytics and support of new methods of public transport
The Royal Borough of Greenwich has become the latest local authority to adopt a smart city strategy, with plans including smart transport and an extensive internet of things capability.
Council officials announced the move yesterday at the Digital Greenwich hub, saying that the move is an effort to deliver better services in the face of the long term squeeze on public spending.
A strategy document points to plans for transformation in four streams: neighbourhoods and communities, infrastructure, public services and the local economy.
Although details are in short supply, it highlights the intended use of Ordnance Survey data for different purposes, including predictive analytics, the creation of building information models and a smart transport strategy.
The latter includes harnessing data to integrate public transport routes, support vehicle sharing apps and provide the data infrastructure for autonomous vehicle navigation.
Digital team
The document says the public services stream will involve setting up a team named Digital Greenwich to work with service teams on potential innovations, run pilots and identify good practice. It will use the British Standard Institute’s PAS181 as a framework and report directory to the borough’s chief executive.
A roadmap for the changes is scheduled to be delivered by the second quarter of next year, and is expected to include the creation of an open data partnership that will give the community opportunities to develop services, and the relevant governance and stakeholder processes.
There are also plans for all services to be made available through digital channels.
Infrastructure plans include an internet of things capability – with a wide range of sensors and actuators – and ultra-fast broadband throughout the borough in order to provide the supporting infrastructure.
Need to invest
Council leader Denise Hyland said: “In the face of the rapid increase in the borough's population and in the face of globalisation and technological change, we have to invest in the future and face these challenges head on, right now.
"We have to invest in a modern built environment, in globally competitive connectivity, in the skills of our people, and in the transformation of our own public services to meet the needs of all our citizens, young and old.
"The Smart City Strategy is our blueprint to take Royal Greenwich into the future. This comprehensive approach to delivering a smarter borough is not an option – it is a necessity. There is no alternative."
Image: Greenwich street by Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
