To develop smart cities that can provide the services demanded of a population expected to be 80% urbanised by 2050, South African cities and local governments must begin with smaller, focused projects to gain traction, says Germany-based information technology multinational T-Systems South Africa Intervate head of customer and data insights Dave Stevens.
The catalyst required for the adoption and growth of systems that will underpin and enable smart city processes is digitally enabled smart citizens. Citizens are expecting technology solutions from local government that are similar to high-quality solutions of private-sector com- panies, and cities will have have to prioritise the development of smart government initiatives.
“Digital citizens expect an omnichannel experience – where they can report service delivery issues from the convenience of a mobile application (app). “They expect queries about their property rates to be resolved through a direct message on a social media platform. “It is this burgeoning demand from millions of residents in South Africa’s metros that will stimulate transformation at local-government level,” Stevens explains.
Smart city apps empower citizens with digital tools to engage with their city, helping to generate a culture of shared accountability and transparency.
Tip-offs from citizens – ranging from burst water pipes and nonfunctioning traffic lights to illegal dumping and serious crime – have enabled the City of Johannesburg to crowd-source insights from millions of people, Stevens says, adding that “tuning in to the constant chatter buzzing around social media” has subsequently resulted in cities identifying and addressing criti- cal issues.
For example, the City of Johannesburg’s Twitter account has shown how a metro can become more engaging and helpful, which helped to spawn a culture of public–private partnership and shared accountability. More than 200 000 people now follow tweets from the @CityofJoburgZA account.
However, the next step for local governments is to integrate these new digital tools into core operations. The creation of a single view of the citizen is key – providing a city with visibility of an individual’s interactions with different munici- pal entities – and allowing for tailored responses to solve any queries or problems.
“Attending to these issues of adoption and use of citizen input in the most efficient way is the crucial next step in improving citizens’ overall experience and achieving the promises of smart cities, crowd-sourcing and collective responsibility,” he emphasises.