*Per Gustavo Jota
Population concentration in urban areas is not a new phenomenon in Brazil. Since the 1970s, with the migration from rural areas, cities have become large conglomerates of people – and also of problems. The technology applied to the public service generates a set of opportunities for managers to improve the service provided and the infrastructure of the population in cities. The possibility of digitizing processes, services, information and providing tools that increase the productivity of public servants, in addition to guaranteeing accurate and reliable indicators about life in cities, supporting decision-making, is the background of what the City is agreed upon. Intelligent.
Around the world, the Smart City concept or vision may, at first, seem very comprehensive, giving rise to multiple interpretations and, perhaps, wrong investments, that is, that do not translate into improvement in urban life. There is, however, an international regulation that equates this view, and Brazil has already adapted the ISO standard to its reality. Around here, this concept is defined by the ABNT NBR ISO 37120, 37122 and 37123 standards, allowing through standardized and consistent indicators that government leaders can pursue and guarantee quality of life, sustainability, safety, health, education and other state programs . Two municipalities in the country fully meet the requirements described in the standards – Campinas and São José dos Campos, in the interior of São Paulo, which are officially smart cities, since they were certified based on these standards.
In parallel with standardization, ABNT rules act as guiding principles that can help municipalities in the search for the smart concept, ensuring that the investment reverts to the improvement of services for the population. From my experience, I see that there is still a gap between large and small municipalities, whether in the approach to the Smart City or even its need for prioritization. While large cities need to monitor, respond and provide services in large volumes without losing quality in emergency, security, health and education, smaller ones need to start a journey of automating customer service and services with the best response time and quality. However, for both, it is necessary to consider that investments in automation of service and response to emergencies or health, education, public safety and even services related to the infrastructure of the most critical concessionaires (energy, water, sewage, gas and transport), guarantee direct gains for the population and even positively affect more than 15% of the indicators of the ABNT norms that homologate a city. That's just technology.
When thinking about the future of a city, it is common for mayors and councilors to discuss the Master Plan for Urban Planning. My experience of years serving the public sector and developing solutions for the public and private sector in Brazil and abroad is that municipalities (and even states) need a similar instrument, a kind of Smart City Master Plan, which will serve as a guide to fulfill three fundamental purposes: 1-) guide the digitization of citizen services; 2-) guide digitization within the institutional including the various secretariats and municipal authorities and, finally; and 3-) allow coordination and cooperation in complex emergency and crisis response scenarios involving the government, concessionaires and perhaps private companies. In this regard, the norms are guides that guarantee the continuity of correct investment by the government, both for technology and for the physical world, that is, they direct the “roadmap” of technology acquisition and state policies for Smart Cities.
The population expects quality, safety, health and education services from the government. It is a fair return awaited by the citizen, who deposited his efforts, taxes and votes in the hope of better cities. In this sense, technology is a fundamental tool to help promote the development of municipalities.
Just as cities plan to ensure growth in the physical plane, they also need to prepare their future in the digital world. It is important to establish indicators and goals, As in Lord Kelvin's phrase, you cannot manage what you cannot measure. We have to design technological solutions to serve both small and large cities. It is not the size of the municipality that will limit management. And, as with all successful planning work, the future needs to start in the present.
*Gustavo Jota is Marketing Manager at Dígitro Tecnologia
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