Ramona Adams
A new survey from nonprofit technology association CompTIA says almost 75 percent of government officials are optimistic about the development of smart city technologies.
The “Building Smarter Cities and Communities” report includes responses from 350 government personnel about their views regarding smart cities, CompTIA said Thursday.
Respondents indicated expected benefits from smart city platforms such as operational efficiencies, optimized use of resources, better government services for citizens, availability of data for decision-making and the potential to attract “tech-savvy” workers and companies.
Funding and cybersecurity, including access to cyber workers, are the top smart city-related concerns of government officials and citizens, the report found.
It also revealed that 40 percent of surveyed government employees cited the lack of skills and required expertise as a potential hindrance to the expansion of smart city projects, while 70 percent of municipalities with initiatives underway said they had to update their telecommunications infrastructure beforehand.
“Bridge” technologies to increase understanding of smart city concepts, a multi-pronged transition from digital to smart, shared responsibilities for cybersecurity as well as critical data are the key factors that will help shape smart city strategies, CompTIA said.
