Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC), is one of 15 institutional partners that have launched a new partnership to advance the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.
The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance will create global norms and policy standards for the use of connected devices in public spaces. It is the largest and most ambitious undertaking to advance the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies on a global level.
“Open & Agile Smart Cities is proud to be a founding partner of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance,” said Martin Brynskov, Chair of Open & Agile Smart Cities. “A global framework based on common, open, and minimal mechanisms is needed to de-risk investment and scale up smart city solutions that help tackle the challenges cities are facing in the 21st century – on the individual city’s terms and conditions.”
As the world urbanises, sustainable development and economic growth depend increasingly on the successful management of urban growth. With the right technology — and the know-how to govern it — cities can lead the way in solving problems in energy, transportation, healthcare, education and natural disaster response, while making their communities more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
Currently, there is no global framework or set of rules in place for how (Internet of Things) sensor data collected in public spaces is used. The Alliance, coordinated by the World Economic Forum, aims to change this:
“Our cities stand at a crossroads. Rapid urbanisation – if not effectively managed – threatens to paralyse local economies and undermine recent advances in the quality of life,” said Jeff Merritt, Head of IoT, Robotics and Smart Cities at the World Economic Forum. “Smart city technologies offer huge promise, but they can be a Pandora’s box. The announcement is a critical first step to accelerate global best practices, mitigate risks, and foster greater openness and public trust regarding the collection of data in public spaces.”
Working together with municipal, regional and national governments, private-sector partners and cities’ residents, the Alliance has committed to co-design and roll out a first-of-its-kind global policy framework on smart city technologies in advance of the 2020 G20 Summit in Riyadh.
Further partner institutions include the Connected Places Catapult, an OASC founding member. Nicola Yates, CEO of the Catapult, said: “Our message has always been that one city is not a market. If we want a scalable, global market for Smart Cities, this can only happen when people come together to agree common ways of working, to build scalable, interoperable solutions centred around human needs.”
Global Smart Cities Alliance – Institutional Partners
For more information please visit: https://globalsmartcitiesalliance.org/