__This article is written by Dr Kate Harrington, Head of Strategic Digital Initiatives, NSW Department of Customer Service and Dr Alan Thorogood, Senior Visiting Fellow, UNSW __

  • The problem: Finding a way to invest in local communities to make the best use of technology for improved decision making.
  • Why it matters: Local communities need to be put at the centre of ‘smart’ place planning to ensure customer needs are met.
  • The solution: Creating a smart place acceleration fund to support local innovation.

A smart place may be anywhere people live, work or play. What makes these places ‘smart’ is the intelligent use of available resources, including social, cultural and natural resources. They use information and technology to improve the quality of life for individuals and the community, increase transparency in decision-making for various levels of government, improve the efficiency of resource use, and decrease pressure on the environment.

A smart place is usually a geographic region that benefits from acquiring and analysing data within that location. Environmental sensors and other forms of data gathering are not particularly new phenomena. However, the emerging challenge of interpreting and acting on what we can learn from smart places data requires a change in capabilities and mindset across all levels of government.

Smart places initiatives have the power to provide real-time access to data for improved decision-making, enabling efficiencies through automation and innovation and supporting a future-ready workforce.

The delivery of smart places requires a true partnership between government and the community — ensuring that the solutions are relevant for that specific place and meet citizens and businesses' current and future needs.

Making places smart

Applying some of the principles outlined in our article: How NSW is Building a Digital Capable Workforce, the New South Wales (NSW) government has taken a co-design and agile funding approach to engaging with local government and the community to invest in smart places solutions.

In August 2020, the NSW Smart Places Strategy launched technology initiatives to create exceptional community places, improving liveability and economic and environmental outcomes. The NSW Smart Places Strategy draws on the digital principle that the customer will be at the centre. That is, the needs and desires of communities come first, and governments and place owners deliver on the ambitions of a place and its people by deploying technologies and generating data insights.

The challenges for NSW in achieving this vision include:

  • Data literacy – many service delivery staff and policymakers need skills to interpret the data from smart places and translate insights into policy and services informed by new avenues of data intelligence.
  • Collaborative jurisdictions – there are multiple spheres of government that oversee the management of infrastructure and environmental policy in most geographic regions. Local councils manage waste and park facilities, and the State government handles major roads, lighting, public transport and major sporting venues. In contrast, the Federal government manages airports, interstate highways and provides investment into co-funded ventures with the states.
  • Trusted sharing of data – when surveyed about smart places initiatives, 32% of respondents said they felt the collection of smart places’ data could represent a risk to customers' personal information. The same survey also found that 11% felt that there would be strong community resistance to smart places initiatives.

The NSW government created a Smart Places Acceleration Fund (SPAF) of $45 million over three years for smart places initiatives to address these challenges. The SPAF is a co-contribution model connecting local councils and businesses with the State government and requiring ideas for investment to put the customer at the centre of the solution. The SPAF has been drawn from the Digital Restart Fund (see our article How to Fund Transformational Digital Public Services) and targets smart places initiatives that can generate clear benefits to communities. Investment priorities include:

  • Capability Development: Programmes and initiatives to upskill public sector staff and the industry use and interpret smart places data.
  • Data Capture and Sharing: Digital technologies that facilitate data capture and visualisation of data through shared platforms.
  • Local Economic Development: Innovation challenges that use technologies to address local issues and encourage local innovators and start-ups.
  • Digital Infrastructure Investment: Smart and connected technology deployment in an identified area or precinct to embed sensor networks and communications technology.
  • Enabling infrastructure including smart poles, fibre, mobile connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) networks.
  • Digital communication capabilities: Digital technologies that support the communication of insights to improve customer outcomes.

One early investment is the NSW Spatial Digital Twin (SDT) - a comprehensive 4D model of the NSW physical and built environment, a 3D model plus time (the fourth dimension). The SDT will be a shared platform, available to the general public and different levels of government to support planning, prioritising and delivering local services and investing in infrastructure more cost-effectively and more quickly while also ensuring community engagement.

The global crisis brought on by Covid-19 has sped up the transition to a digital economy, driving a range of out-of-the-box thinking; governments and industries are transitioning towards being ‘digital by default’ in all aspects of life. Smart places initiatives have the power to provide real-time access to data for improved decision-making, enabling efficiencies through automation and innovation and supporting a future-ready workforce.

To have real community impact, smart places’ priorities include:

  • Capability uplift to ensure service delivery teams and policymakers utilise the intelligence available through smart place data collection.Data sharing and insights beyond organisational barriers.
  • A strong consultation philosophy to put the customer at the centre of the initiative.
  • Incorporation of ‘privacy-by-design’ principles into all government initiatives to become trusted custodians of personal data.
  • Small scale investments for infrastructure and services that adapt to emerging local needs allow jobs and infrastructure that support wider productivity gains due to regional business connectivity.

The availability of timely, accessible, and quality data about the places where we live, work, and play has a central role in digital transformation in our societies, businesses, and government. — Dr. Kate Harrington and Dr. Alan Thorogood

(Image Credit: Unsplash)

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