ICMA has recently published “A Guide for Smart Communities: Using GIS Technology for Local Government Management.” The new guide shows how to create new efficiencies, generate cost savings, demonstrate return on investment, and engage everyone using GIS.
The Smart Cities movement has garnered tremendous attention from local government leaders over the past five years, but what do we mean by a “smart city” or a “smart community”? For some communities, becoming a smart city is all about technology and integrating it into the daily operations of local government departments. It’s having access to real-time data for work crews in the field. For others, it’s about automating systems, enabling residents to make service requests from their smartphone or on the government’s website. Or perhaps it’s becoming the “paperless office” that we’ve all heard about for the past two decades.