IET says it's "time to involve the people"
Research undertaken by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) – one of our partners – has found that, despite considerable investment by the UK government, local authorities and businesses, there is a basic lack of awareness among the British public about what a smart city is, does, and its potential to improve citizens' quality of life.
My Smarter Essex aims to fix that, by implementing the three objectives defined in the IET Smart Cities report.
These objectives are as follows:
- A UK-wide public engagement programme about the positive role technology can play in helping to improve UK cities and communities.
- The need for all those involved in developing and delivering technology-enabled cities to fully engage with citizens and communities.
- Explore the changes required in the delivery, measurement and operation of new smart city services.
My Smarter Essex events bring together secondary school students and their teachers, local engineering industries (large and small), local authorities and our regional academic institution, Anglia Ruskin University. The wider My Smarter Essex project will include citizens of all ages through a programme of related events and by capturing input on our website.
Through My Smarter Essex, CSES will enable Essex County Council, Anglia Ruskin University and industry partners to work together to tackle the big issues that we face as we move towards a smarter Essex, as raised and prioritised by the public. The work will be steered by the questions, comments and other input received from Essex citizens, enabling the partner organisations to inform their policy, strategy and business/research priorities with the goal of delivering a smarter Essex that is focused on the citizen.
The ultimate goal is the delivery of smarter services by the local authorities, enabled by academia and industry, informed by the public. CSES intends to make this possible.
We believe that this directly addresses the objectives set out in the IET report, and intend to work closely with the IET on the theme of smart cities.