A talk given to an Open Data forum in Toronto. The emphasis is on Smart Communities and their need for Open Data.

1. i CANADA AMCTO Notes Nov 3 14
Smart Communities
and the Strategic Use of Open Data

2. Two Levels of Open Data
• Tactical: service delivery, cost savings
– (UK) National Health Service started publishing all of its prescription
data as open data –the name of the drug, the cost, the timing and the
region of the country. And they identified a potential $322m saving by
switching from one class drugs to another, or generics, with no clinical
difference.
– The public sees this kind of Open Data as very valuable, but I’m not
sure they identify it as a class called “Open Data”…probably vague.
• Strategic: positioning the City as a best-investment opportunity
– This is what the Smart Community is most interested in.
– Eg – real estate selection information for incoming investors: lease
sites, rates, comparative tax in various regions…Viewpoint.ca
– Executives are fully behind this. Obama issued an executive order that
all federal data should be open and machine readable. What was the
likelihood of seeing the words “machine readable” in an executive
order from a President?
– His CIO spoke at our conference and said that not moving to Open
Data was “treason against the Republic”

3. Why a Smart Community?
• Highest wages, best living standards, growth, education,
sustainability.
• Challenges of infrastructure deficit, falling competitiveness, falling
broadband speed, aging population
AND
• The ONLY way to deal with today’s central trend – the move into
cities
– India: 30 people leave rural India for urban centres every minute;
needs 500 new cities in next 2 decades
– Globally, 1-million people move each week
• Can’t handle inflow with traditional solutions
– Not more roads, but smarter traffic
• Rewards:
– Join top 750 cities that will have two-thirds of global GDP by 2030

4. What is it about? A Smart/Intelligent Community’s Broad
INNOVATION
SOCIAL
ENVIRONMENT
ECONOMIC
Goals

5. Some Specific Measures
Innovation
ENVIRONMENT
• Stimulate New
Technologies and
Products
• Demonstrate
Acceptance of New
Standards
• Uptake of new
measuring Services
• District Energy
Initiatives
• Increased
Construction Industry
Engagement
• New Community Social
Services
• Increased University
Tech Transfer
• Enhanced Digital
Diversity
• New Collaborative
Learning
• Increased Jobs in the
Knowledge Sector
• Growth of New
Innovative Companies
• Growth in
Entrepreneurs
• Growth of High Tech
Companies
• New Global Partners
• New Foreign Direct
Investment
• Faster Company Formation
and Growth
• Successful Exit Financing
• Global Partnering
• National Network of
Incubators
ECONOMIC
SOCIAL

6. What is a Smart Community?
• A Smart Community -- large or small, rural or
urban -- in one where a critical mass of citizens
use applications and Information Technology to
work towards common goals, such as business
excellence, social cohesion and quality of
learning, working, playing and living, so that all
may enjoy the economic development, job
growth and social prosperity
• 10% technology, 90% social adoption and use

7. Canada: per capita world leader
• Toronto, Calgary, Waterloo – Named as
world’s “Most Intelligent Communities”
• Ottawa, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Moncton,
Sherbrooke, Kingston, Windsor… all in Top 21
• Now creating international success: Astana is
a client; in less than a year has been named a
Top21
• Alliances with U.K. for global marketing

8. It’s about alignment, not technology

9. From my point of view, the Best Use of Open
Data for Smart Communities is to…
• Bring together the community in a strategic way
– Investment
– Connections between social and business groups
• Eg: (Lou) Open Data webinar with U.K. colleagues
– Use of Open Data for investment attraction, job
creation, health care, transportation
• Innovative projects from leading cities
• Real benefits
• Examination of barriers, plans and actions

10. UK Open Data Webinar
• Goal: Partner for the $1-trillion Smart Cities
market
• People
- Lan Nguyen, Deputy CIO, Toronto:
- commercialization
- Tim Anderson, CAO, Waterloo:
- government engagement
- Allan Mayo, Smart Cities, London:
- Transportation (investment)
- Lola Fernandez-Redoondo, Greenwich:
- Job creation