Why Smart Cities Are Safer Cities Thanks to Real-Time Data and AI

By Sandeep Sinha, SLED Marketing Leader for Digital Innovation, Insight

A full version of this article appears in the Summer 2021 issue of Insight’s Tech Journal.

Reimagining public safety as a proactive effort to create healthier, stronger communities requires technologies and processes that enable flexibility. That flexibility is supported by faster, more accurate data analysis and artificial intelligence. However, realizing the full safety potential of smart cities requires innovative, scalable tools, but more importantly, it requires a community-first philosophy.

Here are three fundamental outcomes to keep in mind:

1. Intelligence

Modern data solutions offer the capacity to collect large volumes of information from disparate sources in real time. From cameras to sensors to citizen reports, smart technology pulls in signals from a wide array of sources, located across cities that are growing in both spatial footprint and population size.

But, in order to create a truly intelligent system, local agencies need the ability to transform this new wealth of data into actionable insights. AI accelerates the journey from information to action, equipping those who serve the public with the knowledge they need to understand the community’s most urgent challenges, and react to them swiftly and appropriately. By not only accelerating response times but also ensuring that responses align to citizens’ needs, smart cities make it easier to protect neighborhoods and the people who live within them.

2. Transparency

While implementing the right technologies is key to creating safe, smart cities, ensuring the success of data and AI systems requires community trust. People often feel apprehensive about tools such as cameras and sensors being installed in their neighborhoods. However, communications about what types of data local agencies plan to collect, what practices they’ll use to collect it and how that information will drive decision-making provide a clear, open response to those concerns.

That means that agencies must have robust data policies and procedures in place before smart city technologies go live. Such protocols create a clear baseline that both agencies and citizens can operate from as they learn to engage with smart solutions. And, that fundamental transparency paves the way for improved communication down the line, especially as communities see the safety impact of these technologies.

3. Collaboration

Public safety isn’t a top-down hierarchy; it’s a collective effort that prioritizes the needs of the community and depends on strong relationships. Smart technology supports those relationships by offering a fuller picture of the issues citizens face and the changes they’d like to see in their neighborhoods.

Deeper, richer visibility provides unexpected insights that can provide a starting point for communities and law enforcement agencies to collaborate on creating successful enrichment efforts, such as outreach programs. It also simplifies collaboration between law enforcement and other areas of city government, including public health agencies, social services and school districts.

What’s next for smart cities?

The role of law enforcement is shifting, and innovative technology helps make transformation possible through better data and streamlined processes. In the next several years, public safety technology in the United States is poised to make the largest seismic change since the adoption of 911 in 1968 — and those changes will spark an evolution in the way that public safety agencies serve and protect the public.

But, innovative technology will only go so far without a community-first philosophy. Technology adoption is important not for the sake of innovation, but because it allows agencies to meet citizens where they are in an increasingly digital world. By centering intelligence, transparency and collaboration in digital transformation efforts, local governments can create smart cities that are also safe cities, built on a foundation of trust and flexibility.

Sandeep Sinha leads Digital Innovation strategy for Insight Public Sector, Insight Enterprises’ division serving the needs of federal, state, local and education government agencies. Sandeep focuses on driving cloud, data and Artificial Intelligence adoption while delivering business outcomes for Insight’s SLED clients. He has worked with large companies and startups, with prior experience working at Microsoft, Yahoo!, Motorola and Trustonic. He holds an MS in computer science from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MBA from the University of Chicago.