Inefficient Governance | How can we save $3.5 trillion a year by improving government systems?
Powered by the newest technologies, OS City is transforming cities to be effectively run through digital services.
THE PROBLEM
The term “red tape” has been around since the 18th century, and it isn’t a commonly used idiom without reason. Few of us are strangers to excessive bureaucracy: the rules, formalities, and processes that one has to get through in order to get a simple task done when working with government agencies or large organizations. If it is frustrating for the common citizen, imagine the burden these inefficient processes put on the officials of these organizations.
Constituent satisfaction is at half compared to private services, and 87% of government workers have noted that the technology currently used does not meet their needs. These imbalances make it quite obvious that something isn’t working in the traditional city organization structures and systems. And while contentment and peace of mind are important, we all know that we need to put the money where our mouth is.
Approximately 20% of government revenues go missing each year, probably due to many factors ranging from disconnected organizations to full-scale corruption. The losses will certainly vary depending on what part of the world you are in, though corruption is rampant in even the most first of worlds. A study done by Transparency International shows that in the United States nearly 7 out of 10 people believe the government is failing to fight corruption.
More than half of today’s population lives in urban environments, and according to The World Bank that trend is expected to continue. By 2045, the world’s urban population will increase by 1.5 times, landing at 6 billion people residing in cities globally. With this type of rapid growth the need for transparency, infrastructure strengthening, basic data knowledge, establishment of updated regulations, corruption reduction and a slew of other new ideas will need to emerge in order to sustain this type of civic growth.
A SOLUTION
So how do we change cities that have been locked into certain patterns since their origination and are seriously lagging behind? How do we make sure our cities function in this new pattern of life we now follow? With the same thing that has shifted our patterns… technology.
OS City, a company that is dedicated to implementing technology in order to improve government efficiency through digitization, is bringing cities into the present by making them “Smart.” What is a Smart City? According to Wikipedia it is defined as “an urban area that uses different types of electronic Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to collect data and then use insights gained from that data to manage assets, resources and services efficiently.”
The OS City platform is one built to improve as your city does, with the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain the platform automatically improves its accuracy over time. The digital modules currently available for governments are The City Listener which connects data from city hotlines, social media and sensors to help you listen to your constituents; Trust & Transparency which helps improve accuracy and the reclamation of public trust; Open Urbanism which invites participation and inclusiveness in regards to city development; and Blockchain Certificates which allows for a city to secure, control and monitor critical data, permits, licenses and certificates transparently.
OS City has helped multiple cities in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina to start the fight against corruption, reduce red-tape, create more convenient public transportation, regain the trust of the public and the list goes on. While this company has Latin American roots, and tackles problems that are more common in that region of the world, this platform can be highly personalized and can be beneficial for absolutely any city in the world.
There is no question that our world is evolving faster than ever before and our governments are falling behind quickly, with companies like these, leading the movement toward modernization of systems and quickly improving data-driven intelligence we can rebuild our cities into sustainable and productive places for all of the globe’s inhabitants.
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