Q1) How do you define a smart city? A city is smart when it (i) uses its tacit (intrinsic) knowledge and interlinks knowledge of all relevant sectors to cope with challenges of all kinds (not merely technical), (ii) seeks for integrated and robust programs, plans and solutions, i.e. those which are based on intersectoral knowledge and remain reversible, or at least correctable, and (iii) applies data and tailor made new appliances (smart technologies) in line with the application abilities of users, financial potentials and life cycle costs.

Q1) How do you define a smart city? A smart city uses modern technology for the good of the community and the citizens. All data is open to everybody.

Q1) What does “Smart City” mean to you? Smart City can be summarised to three keywords: “responsive”, “data-oriented” and “trusted”. Future smart cities should provide personalised services to its citizens to ensure it is resolving civic problems and enhancing individual’s experiences with public and private service providers. The use of Big Data and Small Data is instrumental to reach such objectives. I believe that a Smart City should develop its own innovative solutions and technologies to resolve its civic problems and support its individual citizens, rather than being a mere consumer of solutions and technologies developed by vendors or other countries. In other words, a Smart City should be a true contributor to global knowledge.

Q1) What does “Smart City” mean to you? A Smart City uses technology to improve service delivery to its constituents. However, the temptation is to focus on IoT technology as Smart traditionally relates to sensing, control and actuation. In my opinion, the industry is shifting towards a broader definition of Smart that could be better called Digital Cities, that looks to blend IoT with core operational IT, Big Data, Analytics and mobile development. The other big change is the increasing focus on Human Centred design. The traditional model of IT solution development as an engineering heavy discipline has be preceded with a strong discovery and design phase that looks to fundamentally examine how technology can facilitate the delivery of services in a way that is meaningful to constituents and has tangible impact.