Fostering Innovation with NYC’s IoT Strategy
New York is among a small group of leading world cities that has published a comprehensive vision and set of initiatives for deploying digital technologies at the municipal level. Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the digital technologies that is integral to a smart city’s infrastructure. To date, IoT has been used across the city to monitor air control, temperature and weather data; analyze traffic patterns and count cyclists; assess energy usage, track city-owned vehicles, and more. IoT also supports a number of consumer and business solutions like wearables and smart home products to industrial and agricultural management systems. As the technology becomes more ubiquitous, cities have an opportunity to use IoT to support planning, improve sustainability, reduce costs and respond to community needs.
Just recently, New York City released a Internet of Things (IoT) strategy that was prepared and published by the Mayor’s office of the Chief Technology officer. The overarching goal of the strategy is to promote a “healthy IoT ecosystem” in New York that brings opportunities to build capacity within the City government, local economies and communities. Fostering innovation, promotion of data sharing and transparency, governance and coordination improvement, derived value from cross-sector partnerships, industry engagement and community advocacy were the five guiding principles for the IoT strategy in NYC.
Innovation is perhaps the most crucial guiding principle of smart cities because without it cities will not keep pace with the growing complexity of our world, which is why in 2021–2022, New York will continue to test new technologies, approaches, and infrastructure through pilot or challenge-based programs like the Tech Forward Program. The city also seeks to establish a “testbed” or “innovation zone” to quickly and efficiently pilot new technologies in real-world conditions. By prioritizing relationship building, within city government and externally with partners in academia, industry and community-based organization, the city stands a good chance at addressing urban inequality across NYC neighborhoods.
Sources:
M. (2021, March). The New York City Internet of Things Strategy. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/cto/downloads/iot-strategy/nyc_iot_strategy.pdf
Wray, S. (2021, March 09). New York gears up for IoT growth with new strategy. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://cities-today.com/new-york-gears-up-for-iot-growth-with-new-strategy/
