The main theme of many Smart Cities conferences nowadays is people. The reason is that the millions of people who live in cities have different perspectives and priorities, meaning that offering new Smart City solutions to suit these diverse needs can be very tricky. A successful Smart City implementation in one country does not necessarily mean it can be easily replicated in another city.
One way of understanding the people’s needs is via an engagement platform: either physically in meetings, forums or discussions or in the cyber world through online mechanisms (portal or mobile apps.)
REDtone’s IOT solution is an app that enables citizens to engage with local authorities through crowdsourcing and crowdsensing – reporting on issues such as abandoned waste, roads in need of repair and faulty traffic lights. The app harnesses the power of IoT technology to keep track on developing situations and provide sustainable solutions. An example of a Smart City solution would be a Smart Waste Management solution that monitors sensor-equipped garbage trucks and waste bins, to address the issue of unattended garbage.
(1) Crowdsensing – provide tool to citizens and encourage them to participate
(2) Identify and Solve – City authorities need to respond and resolve the reported issues
(3) Livable Cities – citizens will be satisfied with the efficiency of the city authorities
(4) City Indicator – be more transparent by sharing their Key Performance Indicators
(6) Build next Smart City solutions – take the necessary action immediately.
Unfortunately, many citizen engagement mobile apps have failed in the past simply because they were unable to sustain popularity, usage, and continuous enhancement. REDtone’s solution is an app with a difference, successfully negotiating the pitfalls of disengagement, siloed working and lack of publicity. Below are some tips as to how city authorities could avoid problems like these:
For smart cities to be successful, the participation of both parties is required. If residents feel that their complaints will fall on deaf ears, no action will be taken. Meanwhile, the local authorities prefer citizens to channel their complaints into proper channels, where action can be taken, rather than on social media. However, in many cases, even after launching their own city’s citizen engagement mobile app, the take-up, and reports from the people are lukewarm. The problem is in part due to lack of publicity.
If you ask people on the streets whether they have heard of an app designed to report problems to local authorities, it is likely that the answer will be ‘no’. It’s easier to get the message across using social media. It’s also the fault of local councils who use only their official website portal to announce or publicize the citizen engagement mobile app. After such a big hype during the launch of the service, continuous effort must be made to educate the public.
What type of individuals are concerned about the cleanliness or safety of their surroundings? Sometimes, those most likely to make a complaint on social media are least likely to use an official reporting tool.
