Data, and the technology used to collect it and turn it into insights, are a means to an end: to better serve residents. Cloud technology allows city leaders to focus on serving residents by offering a reliable and secure infrastructure to administer services. The cloud ensures data privacy and allows leaders to focus their time and resources on innovating for their residents. And while cloud technology helps optimize resource allocation and improve decision making, the process of transforming cities requires the leadership and active participation of citizens.
This paper examines how cities are using cloud technology to address public challenges, using the framework of the global coalition, Smart Cities Council. This framework promotes three core values for smart cities: livability, providing clean, healthy living conditions without pollution and congestion; workability, providing an enabling infrastructure (energy, transportation, internet connectivity) and high-quality jobs; and sustainability, doing so at no cost to future generations, as the Council puts it. This paper proposes a fourth core value, inclusivity: provisioning services to all city residents regardless of their background.
