ICT for City Management Using information and communications technology to enable, engage and empower city stakeholders A research project conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit Sponsored by Siemens ICT for City Management Foreword Foreword R ecent research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates that a little more than half the population of OECD countries lives in cities, and that capital cities account for about half of gross domestic product.1 In developing countries, cities are often even larger relative to national economies Globally, urban centers account for an overwhelming proportion of national population, employment, output, industry clusters and patents This is not a new phenomenon Since the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century the importance of cities has been growing steadily The visionary social observer Jane Jacobs noted many years ago that cities are the engines of national economic development.2 A much more recent development is the emergence and proliferation of information and communications technology (ICT) In the past half century ICT has already changed our lives and our behavior in numerous ways With the advent of 24-7 connectivity and cloud computing we are starting to get a glimpse of how this technology can achieve significantly more, and reach its true potential Indeed, it is fast becoming the “fifth utility” (after electricity, water, gas and telephony), in that some basic level of service is increasingly considered essential to meet citizens’ everyday needs This study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Siemens, focuses on the role of ICT in four areas crucial to effective city governance: competitiveness, physical infrastructure, the natural environment and public administration It explores how the use of ICT helps cities reap the benefits of agglomeration while mitigating the costs of increasing urbanization that can hinder economic activity and damage the natural environment This study draws our attention to several important characteristics of ICT Firstly, the virtual world reflects the realities of the physical world, so leveraging ICT for improved city governance requires organizational change in city administrations Conflicting regulations, complicated procedures, and silo mindsets must change before e-government can deliver on its potential Secondly, the medium of technology is interactive: as many of the case studies included in this report indicate, the average citizen has an important role to play, not just in contributing data anonymously but also in developing applications for anything from spotting trees to crime prevention measures The creativity and contribution of citizens must be tapped Lastly, it is important to remember that in networked technology, the road to 1) “Competitive Cities in the Global Economy”, OECD (2006) 2) Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life, Vintage Books, New York (1985) ubiquity is a long one, riddled with uncertainties For instance, I first encountered intelligent vehicle highway systems as a researcher for the Canadian Royal Commission on National Passenger Transportation in the early 1990s Nearly twenty years have passed but the technology is not in common use; far from it This is because a sponsor of new technology must play two games: a game of value and a game of perceptions This study is important because it addresses the latter: by administering surveys to public officials, business and private individuals it can help city officials get a sense of the perception gaps between city stakeholders that often put the brakes on the adoption of new technologies I feel fortunate to be associated with this effort, albeit in a very small way, and I am confident that it is of value to private citizens, business and public officials to appreciate not just the challenges but also the opportunities that ICT can provide for urban governance Ashish Lall Associate Professor Asia Competitiveness Institute Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy National University of Singapore June 2010 ICT for City Management Table of Contents Table of Contents Foreword Executive Summary Chapter 01 Enhancing Competitiveness ICT for City Management 03 06 12 02 Managing Physical Infrastructure 20 03 Protecting the Natural Environment 28 04 Improving Public Administration 34 42 46 Conclusions About the Research Case Studies Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City: A Sustainable Metropolis Berlin: Controlling Green Buildings Buenos Aires: Capacity Building The Copenhagen Wheel Delhi’s Mission Convergence: Welfare to the People Dubai: Saving Time, Saving Money Istanbul: Safer Streets Through Technology London: Adaptive Signalling Madrid’s Modern Metro Mumbai’s Citizen Services Portal: Power to the People Munich: Efficiency Through E-Government New York: Dial 311 in a Non-Emergency Shanghai: Smart City, Smarter Transport Singapore: Smarter Grids, Cleaner City? Vienna: Public Transport Information on the Move ICT for City Management 50 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Executive Summary ICT for City Management Executive Summary M ore than half the world’s population lives in cities This level of urbanization is unprecedented in human history—and it is expected to keep increasing By 2050 the world’s total population is forecast to grow by 3.1bn people while the urban population is expected to grow by 2.5bn, reaching nearly 70% of the total.3 Urbanization on this scale brings numerous governance challenges Increasingly, information and communications technology (ICT) is helping to meet these challenges A revolution in city management is underway, comparable to the adoption a century ago of widespread electrification Systems to collect and analyze data are enhancing the safety, security, usability and efficiency of city infrastructure Mobile phones, the Internet and wireless technology are transforming the way citizens and businesses interact with city officials, enabling them to monitor the impact of their actions on the natural environment The nature of this revolution in city governance warrants closer examination Previous research sponsored by Siemens, “Megacity Challenges”4, investigated the three overriding concerns that city manag- 3) World Urbanization Prospects, the 2007 Revision, UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs 4) “Megacity Challenges: A stakeholder perspective”, GlobeScan/MRC McLean Hazel, 2007 ers must balance: achieving a high quality of life for all citizens, maintaining economic competitiveness and protecting the natural environment Traditionally, the provision of an effective and efficient infrastructure system was the principal tool used by public administrations to meet these governance challenges, and this was the focus of the first report But it is only one side of the story ICT is becoming as vital a tool in the governance balancing act as buildings, transport networks and utilities systems The chapters of this report therefore examine the importance of ICT in four ar- ICT for City Management Executive Summary eas crucial to effective city governance (and therefore, indirectly, to a high quality of life) The first is Enhancing Competitiveness Basic ICT infrastructures like broadband and Wi-Fi are vital to making a city an attractive investment destination But so too are e-government services, such as online portals and processes, that can be used to drive efficiencies and make interactions between businesses and city officials quicker and more transparent These are all areas that business executives claim have a major impact on competitiveness The second chapter, Managing Physical Infrastructure, looks at ICT’s crucial role in making the operation of cities’ transport, buildings and utilities systems more efficient This includes technologies such as congestion charging, traffic-flow management, smart payment systems and video surveillance Here, new technology can be applied to old infrastructure, for example Competitiveness Governance Quality of life ICT for City Management Environment managing traffic flow more efficiently in older transport systems creaking under the strain of population expansion The third chapter, Protecting the Natural Environment, examines how technology is enabling stakeholders to keep track of their use of scarce resources and their impact on the natural environment The provision of knowledge about energy and water consumption—combined with the right financial incentives—could lead to more environmentally sound behavior on the part of all stakeholders Meanwhile, online environment monitoring tools are empowering citizens to hold city managers accountable for substandard air and water quality, two pressing quality-of-life concerns Finally, Improving Public Administration looks at the role of services like e-government in improving the efficiency and transparency of public administration Here the role of ICT in making life easier (for example when filing taxes or applying for licenses) is obvious But the research demonstrates the importance of changing people’s attitudes in order to make the most of what ICT can offer To ascertain the opinions of each stakeholder group of the role of ICT in city governance, research for this paper involved surveys of public officials, residents and businesses in 15 cities across the world The cities were chosen to represent a broad mix of size, economic maturity, level of development and importance to national economies The report compares the survey results across three city archetypes related to their economic development: emerging, transitional and mature (explained in more detail on page 48) Examples of successful deployment of ICT solutions in cities worldwide across the four topic areas are also described in case studies at the end of the report The key findings of the research include the following: Businesses and public officials think a strong Internet network is crucial for a city’s competitiveness Some 77% of businesses surveyed think an improved broadband network would have a significant impact on city competitiveness, making it the most important ICT technology for attracting private-sector investment City authorities therefore need to consider that such technologies are as fundamental to a city’s infrastructure as are its buildings, transport networks and utilities Businesses feel that government inefficiency and opacity are among the biggest constraints to a city’s competitiveness— but expect e-government to help More than half the businesses surveyed cite a lack of efficiency, transparency and account- ICT for City Management Executive Summary ability in government; complex and overlapping regulations and policies; and lack of engagement with businesses and investors as major barriers to city competitiveness These are all problems that e-government can address to some degree More than 89% of business respondents picked “Higher efficiency” as an expected key benefit of using electronic service delivery However, businesses also see “silo mentalities” between public-sector agencies as a barrier to the adoption of electronic services Though connecting departments through common technology platforms and sharing data can help resolve this, organizational change is equally as important Emerging cities are integrating ICT into their new infrastructure, while mature cities can make use of ICT to prolong the life of existing systems A higher proportion of public officials in emerging cities than in mature cities (67%, compared to 57%) agree or strongly agree that investing in ICT to manage infrastructure is as important as building the infrastructure itself Though these cities are often more likely 10 ICT for City Management to invest heavily in new transport systems, buildings and other physical infrastructure, doing so from scratch enables them to incorporate cutting-edge ICT systems from the outset In mature cities, the basic foundations of the physical infrastructure were often put in place before ICT was available, and hence the key application of ICT is to enhance the efficiency (and prolong the life) of legacy infrastructure While solutions like congestion charging are known to be effective, citizens may not necessarily see their value Residents in all cities agree that road traffic congestion has a severe negative impact on quality of life (cited by 50% of respondents, making it the most commonly cited quality-of-life problem) And in cities where they have been implemented, ICT solutions like congestion charging have been shown to be effective Yet transport does not rank highly in terms of citizens’ priorities for ICT investment—nor many citizens think congestion charging in particular will have a major impact on their quality of life or the natural environment While this contradic- Case Studies Buenos Aires: Capacity Building E ncouraging the effective use of ICT in public administration is more than a matter of deploying technology It requires changing the attitudes of users—citizens, businesses and public administrators Recognizing this, the provincial government of Buenos Aires worked with Microsoft, Intel, a provincial bank and an NGO to launch a capacity-building project whose aim was to equip 450,000 civil servants with the digital skills and tools needed to promote e-government La PC Para Conectarnos (or PC to Get Connected) project helps public employees to buy computers through an affordable plan and to get access to training in computer skills The idea behind the project was that, by giving civil servants IT skills, they could broaden access to public information, engage in more e-procurement and service citizens more efficiently It was a project that was badly needed—less than 25% of the civil servants had computers in their homes For those who City profile (Buenos Aires) Population 2010 (million) a 13.1 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 13.7 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km ) b 4,758 Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 63.4% ICT profile 2010 (Argentina) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 23.7 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 127.7 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 32.8 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 10.3 No of PCs (per 100 people) 32.8 IT services spend (US$ m) 690 Total IT spend (US$ m) 4,430 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “Argentina Technology Report”, May 2010 54 ICT for City Management did not want to buy their own computers, access to training and other resources were provided though Digital Inclusion Centers These centers were built with some of the proceeds from the computer and Internet connection sales and are also open to the public, offering citizens low-cost IT training and access to online government services Matt Miszewski, worldwide public sector general manager at Microsoft, notes the impact among those that did purchase their own computers “As they become more comfortable with using IT at home, when they bring that back to the workplace, its feeds into greater efficiency,” he says Mr Miszewski also stresses the importance of linking these kinds of initiatives with broader e-government goals “We’ve seen a lot of efforts where politicians like to hand out computers and there’s nothing wrong with that,” he says “But when they connect it back to other policy outcomes it has the most impact.” The Copenhagen Wheel W City profile (Copenhagen) Population 2010 (million) a 1.1 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 1.2 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km ) b Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 456 24.2% ICT profile 2010 (Denmark) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 45.6 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 137.4 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 89 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) No of PCs (per 100 people) hen Carlo Ratti, director of the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, did a tour of Copenhagen the first thing he noticed was the large number of cyclists Professor Ratti immediately started asking questions about what could be done if electronics were applied to a bicycle wheel, such as the same technology used in Formula One racing cars that give back energy to drivers whenever they brake The result was the Copenhagen Wheel Conceived and developed by the SENSEable City Lab, the wheel turns an ordinary bike into a smart electric hybrid that allows riders to harvest the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for later use, for example when going up hills The bicycle retrofit is easily done, since no external wiring or battery packs are needed The project also has unique ICT applications Controlled through a smart phone, the wheel acts as a mobile sensing unit that informs users of real-time conditions in the city, such as emissions levels, traffic congestion and road conditions, allowing cyclists to plan healthier and quicker bike routes “Because you can attach a sensor to anything, our cities are becoming like computers,” explains Professor Ratti “And the Copenhagen Wheel could potentially monitor other things, too With the sensing component, you can explore cities across many dimensions.” Most importantly, the bike can help users make contributions to environmental data Information collected can be shared, allowing authorities to gain a new, detailed picture of their city’s urban environmental conditions, helping inform investment decisions and shaping transport and environmental policy “An unintended consequence of the IT revolution is that you have these pervasive fingerprints everywhere and we are covering cities with layers of captured data,” says Professor Ratti “And the beautiful thing is that this allows people to visualize themselves and to make better, more informed decisions.” With the Copenhagen Wheel, the city’s bike riders—already an environmentally conscious lot—will even more to promote the greening of their city By choosing to cycle, rather than drive, they not only enhance Conpenhagen’s quality of life, they will also generate data to further reduce the city’s environmental footprint, a welcome collateral benefit of an already sustainable choice 39.8 81.4 IT services spend (US$ m) 6,199 Total IT spend (US$ m) 11,235 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “Denmark Technology Report”, December 2009 ICT for City Management 55 Case Studies Delhi’s Mission Convergence: Welfare to the People L aunched in 2008, “Mission Convergence” is an ICT-driven, high-priority and award-winning initiative of the government of Delhi to bring welfare benefits to the city’s poorest residents It “converges” Delhi’s nine social welfare departments1 and 46 welfare schemes into a single, eenabled delivery channel Rashmi Singh, director of the mission, explains, “We are taking welfare entitlements to the poorest’s doorstep, not as a favor but as a duty.” With an estimated 4m of Delhi’s 17m residents now classified as economically vulnerable, this is a muchneeded effort City profile (Delhi) Population 2010 (million) a 22.2 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 25.6 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 15 1,484 5.0% ICT profile 2010 (India) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 7.4 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 53.5 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 12.9 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) No of PCs (per 100 people) IT services spend (US$ m) Total IT spend (US$ m) 5.9 6,788 23,367 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “India Technology Report”, November 2009 56 ICT for City Management Mission Convergence takes head on the challenges that have dogged Delhi’s social welfare schemes for years One is migration: every year Delhi’s population swells by half a million (mostly poor immigrants), which makes welfare planning an arduous task Second is that Delhi’s most needy are often the least able to access the support due to them, thanks to unfamiliarity, illiteracy, distance and lack of appropriate identification Mission Convergence is thus relying on two strategies The first is to go out and build a dynamic database of Delhi’s poorest Over the past year, the government has conducted a door-to-door survey of Delhi’s poorest areas, in close partnership with community-based organizations It has now collected detailed social and economic information on 900,000 poorest households (about 4.2m individuals) It has also developed a new, more comprehensive method to categorize the poor and needy households.2 Second is to service the poorest at their doorstep, also in partnership with community-based organizations Some 93 field offices (known as Samajik Suvidha Kendra, or “Public Convenience Centers”) have been set up across Delhi to familiarize and assist target beneficiaries with relevant schemes These centers also provide a variety of free skills training, legal awareness, health and education services to bring tangible value to the local community, especially its women How does ICT fit into this picture? The mission will soon issue biometric smart cards to target beneficiaries to enable them to access entitlements, open bank accounts, and maybe even serve as public transport passes All Mission Convergence offices are also being networked for realtime monitoring and information sharing across departments, geographies, and administrative tiers According to Ms Singh, Mission Convergence is already triggering some noticeable shifts in the way welfare programmes have been run First, it has shifted responsibility from the beneficiary to the departmental employee Now that employees have a detailed list of who they should serve, they are under constant departmental pressure to show results, in contrast to the previous practice of waiting for beneficiaries to walk in and apply This is also breaking the traditional hold of municipal councilors and elected representatives in pressuring welfare departments to authorize entitlements to vote banks, even if not deserving Mission Convergence devotes considerable energy to advocacy, communications and training, since resistant attitudes and lack of capacity have been major challenges in its effective implementation Most important, though, is to build “buy in” from beneficiaries themselves, by offering them concrete services and continually incorporating feedback, Ms Singh says Incorporating ICT into Delhi’s social welfare planning significantly raises the probability that “taking benefits to the doorstep” of the city’s many needy residents will be a success Smart cards, database tracking, and real-time monitoring and information sharing across welfare departments will all help ensure that the needs of the poorest can be addressed proactively and effectively, a meaningful improvement to poverty reduction in a city that badly needs it 1) Participating departments are i) Health and family welfare; ii) Education; iii) Women and child development; iv) Social welfare; v) Food and supplies; vi) Welfare department; vii) Urban development; viii) Revenue; and ix) Scheduled/backward classes and minority welfare The IT department, overseeing the establishment of the IT back-end and database, is a key stakeholder 2) Earlier poverty estimation methodologies have relied merely on income as the key parameter Mission Convergence includes other parameters, including where an individual lives, what public services he/she has access to, how steadily he/ she is employed, whether he is from a caste that is subject to discrimination, and so on Dubai: Saving Time, Saving Money A s oil reserves dwindle for some countries in the Gulf region, their governments have been pushing through efforts to diversify away from dependence on hydrocarbon revenues These efforts have been marked by bold reforms aimed at liberalizing the economy, encouraging investment, and fostering growth in the private sector Highest profile among these, perhaps, is Dubai, whose ambitions to create a service based economy—including positioning itself as the regional trade hub of the Middle East region—have led to a boom over the past decade in financial services, construction, real estate, tourism and other sectors City profile (Abu Dhabi) Population 2007 (million) a 1.8 Forecast population 2025 (million) b 2.1 Increase in population 2007-25 (%) 17 Area (km2) c 4,114 Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) d 24.3% ICT profile 2010 (United Arab Emirates) e Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 27.7 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 191.9 Internet penetration (per 100 people) Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) No of PCs (per 100 people) 78 14.1 40.9 IT services spend (US$ m) 1,041 Total IT spend (US$ m) 4,271 Notes and sources: a EIU estimate; estimates of population vary due to large number of migrant workers b Derived from UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009; assumes Abu Dhabi increase equal to Dubai’s forecast increase over the same period c Excludes sea area administered by city government d Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 e EIU estimates, “UAE Technology Report”, December 2009 Dubai’s efforts to enhance its economic competitiveness include a sharp focus on ICT In the INSEAD/World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report 2009–2010, the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, ranked highest among all countries of the Middle East, in terms of network readiness Here, the report praised the UAE’s strong and consistent government focus on ICT Today, Dubai can be considered the most wired state in the Gulf Both the public and the private sector in Dubai have demonstrated early adoption of ICT Consider Dubai’s e-government programme, started in 2001 Today, all municipal services are accessible via the Internet; indeed, many routine procedures, such as requests for planning permission, are only available online Against a backdrop of strong growth in demand for ICT products and services, private sector firms operating in the sector have flourished, too At the same time, pools of talent around Dubai’s ICT clusters—particularly the Dubai Internet City—have attracted further operators from the sector, such as British Telecom and Google The concerted effort to put government services online has paid dividends, according to Yaacoub Daniel, principal e-transformation specialist in the IT department at Dubai Municipality (DM) “Introducing this online technology to customers is adding value to Dubai,” Mr Daniel says “More than 60% of DM’s e-services are free for customers The cost that customers used to pay in transport, coming to Dubai Municipality and applying and wasting time You can transfer those savings [to] the company.” AbdulMajeed Malik, head of the e-transformation section at Dubai Municipality IT department, cites numerous examples of e-government transforming routine—and formerly tedious—procedures, for citizens as well as businesses Planning applications is one such task that has been streamlined “When [consultants and contractors] come to apply to build a new building or a house, they used to bring the drawings with them Now selected consultants can upload these documents, which are hundreds of megs, and get the approval online.” When the system was launched earlier in the decade there was some trepidation, Mr Malik says, “maybe because of the literacy level for some of the users who were mainly contractors, and people who had never used the Internet before But once they noticed the benefits—that their people did not need to come to Dubai Municipality and drive through the traffic, and that they could get their reply within two or three days and save money—that helped in speeding up the usage of the e-services.” Dubai’s progress has been far from smooth, however Businesses in the city still identify a lack of efficiency and accountability in government, and complex and overlapping regulations, as the biggest constraints on competitiveness—just the sort of issues that ICT solutions might be expected to solve Mr Daniel admits that there have been challenges in co-ordinating government agencies, citing as an example the problems with getting approvals for food imports “We had to link three government departments and it was very hard because of different technologies.” Recognizing this sort of challenge, the government is determined to unify its disparate entities into a “one-stop shop” for users of all e-government services But the timing of this is uncertain “We slowed down a little bit because of the (economic) situation now,” Mr Daniel concedes “But [ICT] is part of our strategy, it’s part of our livelihood.” ICT for City Management 57 Case Studies Istanbul: Safer Streets Through Technology I City profile (Istanbul) Population 2010 (million) a 10.5 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 12.1 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) 15 Area (km ) b 1,831 Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 18.4% ICT profile 2010 (Turkey) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 22.5 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 94.8 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 48.8 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 10.6 No of PCs (per 100 people) 27.8 IT services spend (US$ m) 805 Total IT spend (US$ m) stanbul is among Europe’s safest cities— indeed, it is safer than much smaller cities such as Copenhagen, Brussels, Stockholm and Zurich, according to the latest available comparative data.3 Given its 12m inhabitants, huge population of migrants and large gap between rich and poor, this is no small accomplishment In recent years the city’s police department has begun employing technology to help keep crime at low levels Its Mobile Electronic Systems Integration (MOBESE) project, which is intended to help the police monitor the city and respond faster to incidents, was launched in 2005 and involves the following elements: Command and control centre As part of the MOBESE program a new command and control centre was installed at Istanbul police headquarters The hi-tech centre includes 2m-wide screens which display satellite maps of Istanbul, track the location of police vehicles, and beam images from cameras located around the city CCTV cameras There are 700 surveillance cameras, at 300 points across Istanbul Using an intelligent networking system, images from these high-resolution cameras are automatically categorized and routed to the command and control centre The cameras allow identification and detection of illegal demonstrations, motoring offences, and petty crimes Police officials at the command and control centre can manually operate the cameras License-plate recognition system Vehicle theft is one of the major crimes con- fronting relatively safe Istanbul, and the city is also an important transit route for stolen vehicles The MOBESE project includes around 200 automatic vehicle number plate recognition cameras, positioned on all major bridges and highways in and out of Istanbul The system transmits captured images to the command and control centre, and searches for matches against a database of suspicious license plates The system alerts police to stolen vehicles two seconds after the camera has captured the number plate Vehicle tracking system Using geographical information systems, including digital maps, 3,500 police department vehicles can be tracked and directed by colleagues back at police headquarters Hardware is mounted in each car, based on GPRS technology The vehicle tracking system enables improvements in the time needed for police to respond to incidents and to intervene The MOBESE project appears to be delivering results According to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, general crime rates in the city have fallen 21% since 2007; murders have dropped 38%; and pick-pocketing has declined 59% Buoyed by this success, Istanbul’s municipality now plans to roll out the MOBESE system to include other municipal institutions, such as the fire service With the greater deployment of ICT services through the city, citizens of Istanbul can look forward to greater levels of public service, delivered faster, which everyone can welcome, even in a safe city 7,218 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “Turkey Technology Report”, March 2010 58 ICT for City Management 3) 2005 data from the European Crime and Safety Survey, International Crime Survey in the EU Consortium (http://www.europeansafetyobservatory.eu/) London: Adaptive Signaling G City profile (London) Population 2010 (million) a 8.6 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 8.8 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km 2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 659 25.9% iven the volume of cars passing through its often-narrow streets, the challenge in London is to keep the traffic moving Part of this has been achieved through the introduction of congestion charging However, in addition, deployment of information technology around the city is helping monitor and improve the flow of motorised vehicles In this endeavour, a critical strategy for Transport for London (TFL), the local government body responsible for most of the transport system in the Greater London area, has been the use of adaptive signal control schemes, which allow TFL to modify traffic control tools such as traffic lights to rapidly changing conditions “It’s about having the technology in the road to gather that information,” says Alan Bristow, director of traffic operations at Transport for London Throughout the city, he says, about 1,400 cameras on the street help build up a picture of what is happening on the road network This information is posted on the TFL website, given out through third parties such as the BBC’s local radio stations, and broadcast by the Highways Agency via a digital radio station, while 150 of these “JamCams” can be viewed by the public One of the most important of London’s adaptive control tools is SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) The system uses road sensors, which are positioned at all angles on the approach to a junction, to monitor the traffic and set an appropriate length of the green light depending on the traffic volume “This feeds in data on an hour-by-hour, second-by-second basis,” says Mr Bristow “And from that we build up a picture of what is happening on the road network.” And knowledge is power—Mr Bristow says that being able to monitor junctions and set the green time on the traffic light accordingly can result in a 12% delay reduction “The value of a system like SCOOT, where we have the ability to react to incidences as they occur, is that we can enable the traffic to run more smoothly,” he says Since it is hard for staff in the traffic control centre to monitor all cameras all the time, 20 cameras are equipped with a video analytics system known as IRID (image recognition and instant detection) that automatically spots congestion “We can catch problems earlier and deal with them much more quickly,” Mr Bristow explains “As opposed to waiting for someone to ring in when it’s a huge problem.” ICT profile 2010 (UK) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 34.7 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 130.4 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 74.4 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 34.3 No of PCs (per 100 people) 82.2 IT services spend (US$ bn) Total IT spend (US$ bn) 47 85.9 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “UK Technology Report”, November 2009 ICT for City Management 59 Case Studies Madrid’s Modern Metro W ith the world’s fourth-largest public transport system—and one that is used by almost 50% of its citizens4 — it’s hardly surprising that Madrid Metro is known for its innovative use of technology And with other systems looking to expand or upgrade, Madrid is even exporting its knowledge and experience elsewhere Metro Madrid is also one of the world’s fastest expanding commuter rail networks When it embarked on its expansion plan in 1995, the system was 120km in length By 2007, some 128 new stations and another 164km had been added to the network At the same time, Metro Madrid has been constantly looking around for new ways to use technology to enhance the efficiency and usability of the system City profile (Madrid) Population 2010 (million) a 5.8 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 6.4 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 10 607 15.9% ICT profile 2010 (Spain) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 36.7 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 123.2 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 70.8 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 24.9 No of PCs (per 100 people) 41.6 IT services spend (US$ m) 14,513 Total IT spend (US$ m) 28,820 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “Spain Technology Report”, January 2010 60 ICT for City Management A variety of cutting-edge technological innovations have been implemented These include contact ticketing systems, advanced signalling and radio-frequency identification (RFID), which generates accurate location and positioning, something that is needed to ensure trains stop at precise points along the platforms Many of the IT systems are used to achieve safety and operational efficiency In 2008, for example, Metro Madrid implemented a state-of-the-art signalling system on lines and 6, allowing it safely to increase capacity The Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) allows operators to safely reduce the distance between trains and to increase the number of trains that can run on each line at the same time This has raised the number of passengers that can be carried by more than 50% and improved train frequency at peak times.5 A Centre of Operations for Maintenance and Monitoring of Installations and Telecommunications (COMMIT) has also been able to manage and co-ordinate maintenance across the system, aided by systems such as automatic procurement and realtime monitoring of field data The centre can remotely manage and resolve incidents in the network “Technology is a clear ally in this respect, making it possible to improve reliability, reduce response times in case of failures and, at the same time, to cut operating costs,” says Juan Pablo Alonso, technical director of Metro Madrid Given its size and staffing levels, management of the network would be impossible without these kinds of technologies, Mr Alonso says Other technological innovations are more visible to passengers Also in 2008, Metro Madrid introduced contact-free cards for passengers to smooth the process of buying and using tickets New software systems allow the cards, which can be used on all modes of transport, to be recharged easily The investments have paid off The system has increased its capacity, decreased costs and can operate more safely However, the other return on the investment in technology has been citizen approval In a 2009 survey, the 7.5 out of 10 approval score was the highest since the study was first conducted in 2003.6 Other cities have taken note of the improvements Madrid has made through ICT Looking with envy at Madrid’s system and its awards for technological innovation, cities such as Quito and Santo Domingo have sought Metro Madrid’s advice as they plan to expand and modernise their networks 4) “Madrid’s Model of Infrastructure Project Creation”, Madrid Network, December 2009 5) Metro Madrid press release, July 2008 6) Metro Madrid press release, January 2010 Mumbai’s Citizen Services Portal: Power to the People Reduction in delivery time of key citizen services Services Delivery time Before CSP After CSP Issuing new license 18 days days Renewal of licenses 15 days Immediate Bill payment hour 10 minutes Source: User feedback survey conducted by MCGM City profile (Mumbai) Population 2010 (million) a 20 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 25.8 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) 29 Area (km ) b 603 Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 6.2% ICT profile 2010 (India) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 7.4 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 53.5 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 12.9 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) No of PCs (per 100 people) 5.9 IT services spend (US$ m) 6,788 Total IT spend (US$ m) 23,367 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “India Technology Report”, November 2009 M unicipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the largest municipal corporation in the country, catering to over 12.5m citizens with the help of a complex, multi-departmental set-up and a network of 24 ward offices To streamline its vast operations, improve efficiencies and enhance customer service, MCGM launched Citizen Services Portal (CSP) in April 2007 The main objective of CSP was to “provide convenience to citizens and businesses, while improving MCGM’s administrative operations and reducing cost,” according to Shree Kant Singh, deputy chairman of Mumbai Port Trust in the national government’s Ministry of Shipping, who led the implementation of CSP as the chairman of its project management task force A first of its kind initiative by any urban municipal body in the country, CSP has transformed the way MCGM works and delivers services to its citizens The portal has three main components: Citizen portal ward management module, which enables online delivery of over 100 citizen services, such as registration of births and deaths, issuance of licenses and permits, etc Aqua, through which citizens can make online payment of water bills (which was awarded 1st prize in National Urban Water Awards 2009 for “Innovative Use of IT in citizen service delivery”) P-Tax, which enables citizens to pay property tax online The portal also allows citizens to register and track their complaints and grievances With over three million transactions every year, the portal is being used by citizens primarily for availing municipal services and for paying water bills 7) These include finance and accounts, material management, human resources, fleet and workshop management, citizens’ portal and ward management, project systems and real estate Behind the scenes, MCGM undertook reengineering and integration of its operations across functions7 and locations with the help of an enterprise resource planning solution Information from all offices was consolidated, computerized and stored at a single information repository, which can now be easily accessed by all ward and zonal offices and citizen facilitation centers (CFCs) by lease lines CSP has made a tangible, positive difference to both citizens and MCGM For citizens, IT-enabled services—delivered through CSP, CFCs and Internet kiosks— have resulted in speed, flexibility and convenience According to Mr Singh, the delivery time of services has fallen dramatically after the introduction of CSP For MCGM, the key outcomes have been greater operational efficiency, improved effectiveness and better supervisory control enabled by fast and real time access to accurate information The portal has also resulted in greater efficiency in the recovery of water user charges Further, eprocurement services offered by CSP have helped both buyers and suppliers reduce transaction time and unnecessary paperwork while improving transparency The key enabling factors for the successful implementation of CSP have been MCGM’s autonomy in decision making, support of the elected council and partnership with experienced private partners (for domain expertise, ICT solutions and products) One of the main challenges faced was the resistance and lack of capacity among municipal staff which was overcome through communication and training inputs Mr Singh says that more than 2,500 employees of MCGM have been trained on different software applications ICT for City Management 61 Case Studies Munich: Efficiency Through E-Government T City profile (Munich) Population 2010 (million) a 1.3 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 1.4 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 310 2.2% ICT profile 2010 (Germany) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 41.3 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 135 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 78.2 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 31.4 No of PCs (per 100 people) 74.6 IT services spend (US$ m) 38,904 Total IT spend (US$ m) 84,244 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “Germany Technology Report”, March 2010 62 ICT for City Management o boost the city’s competitiveness as a business destination, increase its appeal as a livable urban location, and modernize city management, Munich city officials have been building up the administration’s e-government capabilities For a start, thousands of municipal employees are now equipped with PCs In addition, they can access intranets and ecalendars, log working hours electronically and contribute to internal “wikis”, or group knowledge databases Meanwhile, the city has been building an electronic document management system as well as technology facilitating online payments The idea behind the investments made in recent years has been to increase efficiency and lower the costs associated with the management of municipal services— partly by reducing the amount of paperbased communications—and to provide the kind of digital tools needed for municipal employees to communicate with each other In order to co-ordinate activities across a diverse set of departments and individuals, a specific unit was established to develop the system and ensure the right departments were working together as the different stages of the program were implemented At the same time, since 2004, the Bavarian state capital has been migrating all its desktop computers and PCs to the Linux open-source operating system, after hav- ing chosen this over proprietary systems such as Microsoft’s Among other things, the technology allows agencies to change web-based applications and the design of citizen-facing web pages swiftly and without having to restart servers However, as well as enhancing the efficiency of internal government activities, the investments made in technology in recent years have been designed to improve the delivery of services to citizens and the business community via its Internet portal Among the services offered by the portal are online registrations and payments, email connections to city departments as well as the opportunity to receive automatic updates on things such as public transport schedules and real-time traffic conditions Much of the emphasis has been on rolling out information for businesses and individuals—and the city has even included children in these efforts An interactive portal called Pomki allows children to participate online as well as proving information on things such as details of museums of interest While choosing the right providers and training municipal staff in how to use technological tools has been important, experts stress that much of the success of Munich’s e-government project has been having support from the top, with the mayor playing a particularly prominent role, and defining the responsibilities of politicians, administrators and technicians New York: Dial 311 in a Non-Emergency T hough ICT has the potential to improve the speed and ease with which citizens can interact with their governments, many consumers still profess a preference for direct interaction, if not face-to-face then at least via e-mail New York City has taken an approach that caters to this preference while harnessing the efficiencies of technology City profile (New York) Population 2010 (million) a 19.4 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 20.6 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km ) b Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 319 10.0% ICT profile 2010 (US) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 33.3 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 94.8 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 83.9 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 27 No of PCs (per 100 people) 93.1 IT services spend (US$ bn) 218 Total IT spend (US$ bn) 506 What began as an initiative to ease the volume of calls to New York City’s 911 emergency service has become a comprehensive response service that allows the city not only to interact more efficiently with citizens but also to base policy decisions and infrastructure investment on more accurate data Launched in 2003, the 311 service has given New Yorkers a single number through which they can everything from pay city taxes to sign up for job training or find the right agency to handle a problem Callers to 311 are connected with a 24-hour call centre where staff conduct online searches to identify the information requested or to connect callers to the appropriate city office The service is also available online through 311 Online and the service has its own Facebook page and Twitter account through which it updates customers Since the service launched, the volume of calls received has increased rapidly, from 10m in 2004 to 18.7m in 2009 Call numbers rise sharply during major city incidents or unplanned events Last year there were some 75,000 calls related to H1N1 or swine flu, with about half of those occurring during the two weeks after the World Health Organization identified the virus The service is also being deployed to address long-term health issues For example, the city is using 311 to provide free nicotine patch kits to those trying to quit smoking “We’ve significantly expanded the depth of human services we provide through 311,” says Keir Buckhurst, the 311 project lead for Accenture, the consultancy that is helping the city develop the service The service is even able to address corruption In the construction industry, for example, firms request appointments with buildings inspectors to examine and approve work using an automatic scheduling tool run through 311 An unexpected benefit has been the wealth of data that can be captured by the system Soon after it went live, for example, the Department of Transportation was able to prioritize the fixing of potholes based on which were generating the most complaints Based on complaints about noise, the city was able to revamp the noise code, setting decibel levels for car alarms and changing permitted working hours for construction companies “And it turned out few people liked the ice-cream truck jingle,” says Mr Buckhurst “So they changed the regulations for how long they could play it for.” According to a study conducted by an outside firm in 2008, the system appears to have had a positive effect on citizens’ attitudes towards government “They got satisfaction results higher than federal and state governments but also a number of retail organizations as well.” While the system was originally set up simply to alleviate the number of calls being made to the emergency response number, the city and its residents appear to have gained a whole lot more Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “US Technology Report”, February 2010 ICT for City Management 63 Case Studies Shanghai: Smart City, Smarter Transport S hanghai, host of the 2010 World Expo, is making a concerted effort to harness ICT in the management of city services, and in particular to co-ordinate information collected to improve efficiency Indeed, it has a bureau dedicated to this purpose, within the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization According to the Commission, one of its near-term priorities is to establish a “grid-style public management information system” that integrates information across various city departments—including land and housing development, environmental protection, and public safety agencies (for example in the reporting and handling of criminal cases and residents’ complaints) City profile (Shanghai) Population 2010 (million) a 16.6 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 20.3 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 22 6,340 2.9% ICT profile 2010 (China) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 17.6 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 63.5 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 29.2 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 9.3 No of PCs (per 100 people) 22.3 IT services spend (US$ bn) 12.4 Total IT spend (US$ bn) 83.6 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “China Technology Report”, January 2010 64 ICT for City Management Another key focus for the city is to manage data connected to the city transport network, which will come under severe scrutiny during the Expo Shanghai’s proposed Twelfth Five Year Plan (12FYP, 201115) has a whole section dedicated to “Smart Comprehensive Transportation” Currently this is based around three major projects: Electronic ID management system One major headache for public transportation management in Shanghai (as with other major cities in China) has been the rampant spread of unlicensed transport vehicles (most often taxicabs) that often look exactly the same as the licensed variety To combat this, and to keep track of public transport, the city has issued smart ID license tags and cards to most of the city’s 180,000 public transportation vehicles, 48,000 taxis and 180,000 transport workers The license cards contain information like the model of car, the license plate number and the operating company With all major transport stations and vehicles also equipped with smart card readers, the idea is to prevent the forgery of transport licenses and the operation of unlicensed vehicles, by verifying the information on the cards with a central database Public transport smart cards Smart integrated circuit cards (IC cards) have long been in use by the public in Shanghai, for use on public transport and also some retail stores Known as gong jiao IC cards, the system is managed by a subsidiary of the Shanghai Urban Construction and Communication Commission The city plans to use the data captured by usage of gong jiao cards more efficiently to improve the collection of passenger flow information This will be achieved by integrating gong jiao IC card readers with GPS tracking, so that city transportation office can understand the pattern of passenger flow Still in the testing stage, the system is currently in place only in a couple of places in Qingpu district, but the plan is to install it citywide in the 12FYP period Bus smart information system Started in 2005, this RMB300m (US$44m) project is a major initiative of the Shanghai Urban Transportation Management Bureau and another key focus of the 12FYP Under this system, Shanghai’s city buses have devices on them that allow real-time communication between the vehicles, operators and bus stops This enables the operator to monitor usage and vehicle position as well as passenger flow and other data such as fuel consumption GPS data for each bus is fed to the operator’s information system and disseminated by an exclusive digital broadcasting signal—until recently operated by Shanghai Media Group (SMG) Information screens on the buses and at bus-stop signs relay scheduling news, predicting how long a wait before the next bus arrives (and serving as a media outlet for broadcasters and advertisers) The system has not been without problems Oversaturation with advertisements and poor management of the broadcast system led to the end of SMG’s involvement in the project (a new partner has yet to be selected) One problem was that the data system for monitoring bus usage was not actively updated or managed, according to city officials The problem of underutilization of technology is of course not unique to Shanghai The mere existence of an ICT solution does not guarantee it will be used effectively Singapore: Smarter Grids, Cleaner City? S ome authorities are embarking on citywide schemes to deploy ICT in energy efficiency Among the most ambitious are initiatives to apply smart grids to the power supply Smart grids carrying data and communications use digital technology to manage energy use and facilitate energy flows both to and from the grid The idea is that with smart meters installed in their homes, citizens will eventually be able to see how much electricity they are using at any given time and, following price signals from utilities, moderate that use and even control individual devices remotely from PCs or mobile devices Businesses and homes using renewable energy sources will also be able to send surplus energy back into the grid, earning energy credits City profile (Singapore) Population 2010 (million) a 4.8 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 5.4 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) 13 Area (km ) b Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) c 710 100.0% ICT profile 2010 (Singapore) d Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 36.1 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 138.4 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 79.3 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 29.8 No of PCs (per 100 people) 62.6 IT services spend (US$ m) 2,488 Total IT spend (US$ m) 6,426 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Excludes sea area administered by city government c Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 d EIU estimates, “Singapore Technology Report”, February 2010 In 2009 Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA), initiated a pilot project to test new technologies for an “Intelligent Energy System”, or a smart grid The EMA is confident of its benefits “We envisage that smart grid technologies would allow consumers, be it businesses or households, to better manage and optimize their electricity usage, thereby improving energy efficiency for Singapore as a whole,” says an EMA spokesperson Indeed, smart grids promise to deliver greater efficiency in power generation, cost-savings to consumers, reductions in carbon emissions8 and the ability to incorporate diverse sources of energy—such as wind and solar—into the grid Because they use communications technology to enable a two-way flow of information between energy providers and consumers, smart grids represent a significant upgrade to existing power grids, which only communicate in one direction—outbound For consumers—even in Singapore, where limited communications technologies are already in place to detect outages— this has meant forgoing access to detailed information about their day-to-day electricity usage and the ability to efficiently regulate their consumption “Today’s electricity grid focuses largely on the passive transmission of electricity from the power plant to the consumer,” said Lawrence Wong, CEO of EMA at the Smart Grids Conference in Singapore in November 2009 “Most consumers not know much electricity they are using or how much they are spending until they receive a bill at the end of the month.”9 Under the Intelligent Energy System (IES) pilot program, 4,000 smart meters—a key component of smart grid technology— will provide consumers with real-time information about variable energy prices, giving them the choice to consume energy at lower-cost times of day In an earlier trial, installing smart meters in two local housing estates in Singapore and implementing time-differentiated electricity prices resulted in these households shifting 10% of their usual electrical load from peak periods to off-peak periods,10 a result that suggests that consumers would change their energy consumption if given better access to information about their usage levels The IES program is also testing demand management systems, which can be connected to appliances, homes or office buildings to manage automatically their energy consumption according to changes in price, both saving consumers money and allowing energy providers to better manage grid load planning “For example,” an EMA spokesperson says, “building owners can install automation systems that monitor and control the building’s lighting and mechanical systems These systems would be wired to communicate with the grid, so that the building owners and occupants can participate in demand response and energy efficiency programs offered by the utility companies.” The IES program will also evaluate systems that integrate small and variable sources of power into the grid, including allowing Electric Vehicle owners to sell energy back to the grid (Singapore is also examining the benefits of adopting EVs.) According to Mr Wong, “a smarter grid will enable us to make better decisions about energy usage and enhance efficiency in the power system as a whole.”11 8) “Intelligent Energy System Pilot Project”, Singapore Energy Market Authority, http://www.ema.gov.sg/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=135&%20Itemid=165 9) “Opening address by Mr Lawrence Wong” Smart Grids Conference, Singapore, November 2009 Available at http://www.ema.gov.sg/index php?option=com_news&task=article&cid[]=144 10) Ibid 11) Ibid ICT for City Management 65 Case Studies Vienna: Public Transport Information on the Move A ustrians are the heaviest users of public transport in the European Union, with average journeys of 3,362km per person annually—versus 2,012km in the EU bloc of 25 countries, and just 1,192km in Germany and 1,706km in the Netherlands Austria’s capital, Vienna, leads the way Of all weekday journeys in the city, 35% are by public transport—second only to Zurich in Europe, which racks up 37% No point in the city is more than 15 minutes’ walk from a bus, tram, or subway stop City profile (Vienna) Population 2010 (million) a 1.7 Forecast population 2025 (million) a 1.8 Increase in population 2010-25 (%) Area (km2) Proportion of national GDP 2008 (%) b 415 38.6% ICT profile 2010 (Austria) c Telephone main lines (per 100 people) 23.4 Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people) 132.8 Internet penetration (per 100 people) 64.3 Broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) 25.6 No of PCs (per 100 people) 72.2 IT services spend (US$ m) 4,335 Total IT spend (US$ m) 9,063 Notes and sources: a UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2009 revision b Estimates in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms Proportional figure calculated from World Bank PPP estimate of national GDP in 2008 c EIU estimates, “Austria Technology Report”, December 2009 66 ICT for City Management To ensure it stays that way, Vienna Lines, the city’s leading public transport operator, together with the Transport Association of the Eastern Region of Austria, and Fluidtime Data Services, a Vienna design and software firm, launched Qando, a new mobile telephone application, in May 2009 Its aim: To provide real-time travel information to travelers’ mobile telephones The system includes GPS-based route planning—meaning users can be directed from their current locations to their destination Users can stand at a bus or tram stop, and see clearly when the next bus or tram will come—even at those stops that not have electronic count-down displays installed For those with wheelchairs or prams, the next low-loading trams are also marked Qando also provides real-time information on any disruptions or delays to the transport service The information is provided in German or in English Qando provides users with timetables of all the public transport services in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland Using this timetable information, Qando can calculate the route and the traveling time for any trip on public transport in these areas, between two points of interest, or addresses Users can also buy tickets for their journey by SMS—a few clicks away from their calculated journey And when users store regular journey legs under “favorites”, Qando sends regular updates of service interruptions to the user Besides these functions, users can also access location-based services using Qando, including information on events in the vicinity, such as exhibitions and concerts, as well as restaurant tips, and out-ofhours chemists in the vicinity of the user The Qando application is free, and already, more than 200,000 users of public transport have downloaded it In January this year, the operators won an award for Qando, granted by the city of Vienna It was honored with the ebiz egovernment award as Best IT Project 2009 by a special jury of parliamentarians and the Digital Austria platform Despite these successes, the operators of Qando are not stopping there Next, they plan to extend its scope beyond the limits of the city of Vienna itself, to the entire Eastern region of Austria An expansion to include Vienna’s subway may also be on the cards In time, it is possible that further developments may include route calculations that take into account cost, time, and congestion of various different modes of transport Encouraging such third-party innovation is a key focus of the public authorities’ ICT strategy Barbara Novak, member of the Vienna City Council and spokeswoman for information and communication technology (Austria), describes Vienna’s aspirations in ICT as resting on three bases: “A technologically developed infrastructure; equally, the development of new [public] content and in new e-government services; and incentives to develop such ideas and applications in the private sector.” Qando is evidence that at least one aspect of this strategy is paying off Publisher: Siemens AG SIS Global Center of Competence for City Management The Siemens Center 60 MacPherson Road Singapore 348615 For the publisher: Klaus Heidinger, klaus.heidinger@siemens.com Project coordination: Julian Goh, julian.goh@siemens.com Research & Editorial: David Line, Economist Intelligence Unit (Hong Kong) Creative & Layout: Lancer Design (Singapore) Printed in Singapore Reproduction of articles in whole or in part requires the permission from the publisher This also applies to storage in electronic databases, on the Internet and reproduction on CD-ROM This report contains copyright protected materials, all rights reserved Whilst every effort has been taken to verify the accuracy of this information, neither Economist Intelligence Unit nor Siemens AG nor its affiliates can accept any responsibility or liability by any person on this information © 2010 by Siemens AG All rights reserved Order number: L2-Z501-x-7600 www.siemens.com/city-of-the-future [...]... sensing devices to gather and report data on issues such as building management and traffic flow The Commission keeps a central database that can be shared among the city s various departments—including the transportation, housing and land development, and environmental protection agencies The goal is to integrate publicspace-related information both for day-today management purposes and to inform policymakers’... use of information to make the infrastructure more efficient,” says Mitchell Moss of ICT for City Management 23 Managing Physical Infrastructure New York University “In Western countries we’re going to be relying more and more on information technology to manage existing infrastructure—especially if we can’t afford to build new systems.” London, for example, has deployed various ICT systems to optimize... not have much con- ICT for City Management 15 Enhancing Competitiveness trol, often dictate core workforce skills And budgetary limitations often hinder the extent to which ICT can be used in education, training and development But municipal authorities nonetheless need to ensure that the workforce is trained in using ICT effectively Businesses feel that government inefficiency and opacity are among the... buildings and public spaces (as well as transport systems) The municipal government has a bureau dedicated to collecting, collating and using this data, part of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization According to the Commission, its priority is a “grid-style public management information system” that integrates information across various city departments—including land and housing... by giving them greater access to information Some 74% of citizens globally claim that they would be likely to change their energy and water consumption if their access to relevant information improved Some 61% of businesses say the same (Figure 9) Promises to act are encouraging and suggest that ICT solutions that provide such information to stakeholders might be expected to have a significant impact... that while ICT has the power to address the four city governance challenges described in each chapter and thereby improve quality of life for city residents—the successful use of ICT is about far more than merely investing in hardware and software City officials must understand the needs of citizens and businesses to ensure they are effectively meeting them They must educate and inform stakeholders. .. by giving them more information about their usage of resources such as energy and water Some 74% of citizens globally claim that they would be likely to change their energy and water consumption if their access to information about their own usage improved Some 61% of businesses say the same ICT technologies that provide such information therefore have the potential to help city stakeholders moderate... taken to do this from seven working days to an overnight service (See the case study on Dubai on page 57.) Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the city council is making efforts to streamline government -to- business procedures Pilar Conesa, chief information officer and e-government director of the Barcelona City Council, explains that the goal is to make governmentto-business transactions far quicker and simpler For. .. richer countries ICT for City Management 27 Protecting the Natural Environment 03 Key findings Citizens feel that ICT can influence behavior towards environmental conservation by giving them more information about their use of natural resources such as energy and water Citizens are increasingly engaged in environmental initiatives via ICT, particularly those in emerging cities 28 ICT for City Management. .. mentioning in their top two most sought-after improvements ICT for City Management 17 Enhancing Competitiveness and permits by 70% and reduce the need for businesses to travel into city offices The time taken to obtain public road occupancy permits (used by companies such as construction firms) should fall from 35 days to 15 days Businesses feel that public sector officials are still averse to electronic ... their top two most sought-after improvements ICT for City Management 17 Enhancing Competitiveness and permits by 70% and reduce the need for businesses to travel into city offices The time taken to. .. important for city authorities to share information with other stakeholders to educate them about “topdown” technologies like congestion charging or CCTV But it is equally important to 40 ICT for City. .. organizational and human changes that citizens have come to expect from interconnected cities ICT for City Management 41 Conclusions 42 ICT for City Management Conclusions I CT is a new and indispensible tool