10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge

By Doug Henschen 11/27/2012 IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge helps 100 cities around the globe improve education, infrastructure, public safety and economic development. Look how 10 winning cities are tackling tough problems.

Cautions On Smart City Methodologies

The road to building a smart city has speed bumps and potholes, cautions Sarah Wartell (inset photo), president of the Urban Institute. First, it's easy to get too smart about solving problems. "It's very cool and sexy to have computational scientists and researchers figuring how much data they can gather, but you want to make sure you're not overlooking much simpler solutions to problems," she warns.

Second, partnerships with the private sector are often touted, but Wartell said government agencies have to learn how to innovate and develop the capacity to sustain programs on their own after private entities have moved on.

Finally, the big data drive has cities looking for any and all sources of information to fuel data-driven decisions, but it's essential for cities to make sure they have comprehensive information. "Some data sets don't do a good job of measuring all citizens, and the people most in need often get missed," she says. "You want to make sure your data perspective is inclusive and fair."

RECOMMENDED READING

Analytics Gets More Accurate, More Accessible

Small Data Beat Big Data In Election 2012

Time To Deliver On Federal IT Reform

More NY Subway Stations Will Get Wi-Fi, Cell Service

Hurricane Sandy: Big Data Predicted Big Power Outages

Hurricane Sandy: Government Data Tools Assist

Best 3G & 4G Cities In America

9 Startups That Caught IBM's Eye

IBM Watson Finally Graduates Medical School

Research: 2013 Analytics & Info Management Trends