During 2016-2017, I worked with the City of Atlanta in the Information Technology (IT) department as the Senior Program Manager of the "SmartATL" Smart Cities Program, which has involved:
- Conceptual Structure - Established the structure of the program including the communications base (fiber and cellular connectivity), assets layer (moveable and fixed assets), information layer (data resulting from assets), and derived benefits pinnacle (clear technology value to City departments).
- Asset Inventory - Each department in the City has dedicated assets, both moveable and fixed, such as video cameras, sensor arrays, vehicle fleets, equipment, etc. By bringing these geographic data into one GIS map, all City assets can be shown and work strategized based on existing and planned assets.
- Projects - Projects in need of creation and resources have been identified to achieve high priority derived benefits. For instance, while the City might plan to set up alerts of “near miss” pedestrian and vehicle collisions using available video feeds, a project may need to be created to establish software/algorithms for capturing that type of data.
- Derived Benefits - These initiatives were connected to the Outcome-Driven Technology initiative to gain clear value for each City focus department while establishing joint responsibilities across multiple departments
- Lessons Learned - Cities planning to establish a unified technology strategy or “smart city” initiative should begin with the following:
- Existing Assets - Inventory structural base elements (fiber/cellular communications and assets) across all City departments and external partners, as appropriate
- Champions - Pinpoint most enthusiastic and capable departments to leverage their existing work or educate on technology-enabled benefits
- Priorities & Resources - Determine high, medium, and low priority projects, along with resulting benefits, beneficiaries, responsible parties, and resources needed to complete them
- Cornerstone Projects - Develop City-wide asset sharing, Enterprise Data Platforms, analytics, and Business Intelligence projects as program cornerstones
- Stakeholder Communication - Establish ongoing communication with stakeholders, strategically sharing benefits of shared assets, information, etc. for City-wide initiatives that must leverage all department resources for success
- Human & Financial Resources - Pinpoint human and financial resources including funding from individual department budgets, public private partnerships, and projects with revenue generation aspects
- Ecosystem Supply - Gain insight into existing products, companies, and their value proposition to develop Requests for Information (RFI), Requests for Proposals (RFP), and partnership agreements to supply an ecosystem around the program and oversee procurement processes
- Roadmap - Build out a clear, realistic, and phased roadmap to achieve specific outputs and outcomes over time