The city of Edinburgh in Scotland has launched a three-year digital strategy – The Digital and Smart City strategy – with the aim of providing a framework for how future technology services will be designed, sourced, and delivered to the community.
“We will maximise the potential of digital technologies to improve outcomes and services for all our citizens, councillors, colleagues, visitors and businesses,” the strategy states.
The city’s plan to become a smart city has the stated aim of making the city more “livable, workable and sustainable” by:
- ensuring world-class connectivity – implementing 5G and FTTP, sensor technology, internet of things (IoT), and the use of artificial intelligence (AI);
- citizen-centric services – such as smart parking, smart public transport, and electric vehicle charging; and,
- continuous reinvention and transformation – leading to smart citizens and greater citizen engagement.
The strategy sets out a new approach for using data and cloud-based technology to provide more accessible, secure, and efficient services for residents. It focuses on re-using, recycling, and paperless technologies – with the aim of saving money while also reducing carbon emissions. The council is currently preparing an implementation plan to support the strategy, which will be reviewed every quarter to ensure targets are being met.
“At home and at work, we’re all increasing our use of technology to make our day-to-day lives simpler, greener and more connected,” said Cammy Day, the council’s deputy leader and smart cities lead. “Likewise, digital is playing a major role in the way we operate as a council and we need to keep refreshing our approach so that we stay on top. We know that smarter technology helps us to provide even more user-friendly council services and better value for residents. This strategy will help us to keep advancing so that we can continue to meet the demands of a growing capital city like Edinburgh.”