IoT and the Government

Development of new technology especially the Internet of Things has integrated itself into different fields, sectors and businesses. Very importantly, governments all over the world are investing in this area, be it the network of sensors — array of things in Chicago, tracking of your water usage in East Bay Municipality District in California or in areas of waste removal or smart electric meters in San Diego that reduces electric consumption. What does these new changes mean for the government in the immediate future and what role does it play.

In this article, it has been mentioned that there are three imperative aspects to keep in mind. The very first is the relevance for a good quality communications. It can be the internet or the LoRaWan developed in Amsterdam or any other medium that is steady, fast, reasonable and accessible to individuals, business and public sector. This requires constant government support and investment. Second is how this era of open data makes the government more accountable. The designing of different applications through IoT which was made possible because of release of data by government for example 311 data or the crime statistics data in NYC.

“Digital governance is no longer about one-way communication, but about collaborative exchanges built upon feedback loops.”

Problem-solving has become collaborative and has led to more participation in city decision making. There are new solutions developed every day! The third is the concern of the citizens of their privacy. These IoT based applications are fed real time data from the sensors which are tracking everything including you as you pass by it. This is what causes uncertainty and apprehension among residents which would need to be addressed by government by balancing the benefits that accrue to both sides. There would be a need to come up with new industry standards.

It is predicted that by 2020, more than 30 billion devices would be connected to the internet. This age of Iot will bring unprecedented opportunities and governments will be struggling with other sectors to integrate it into everything and keep up with it!

Sources:

http://www.publicceo.com/2016/03/what-the-internet-of-things-means-for-local-governments/