Introduction
We are in a period of flux when it comes to the role of data within our cities.
As we move towards urban spaces being fully enabled by sensing, automating, and intelligent technologies, data becomes ever more valuable and central to the way we operate and govern our municipalities. Cities are facing choices that will determine our direction of travel within the ‘data economy’ for some time to come.
We are still experiencing the biggest global challenge since the 1940s in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact will be felt for years to come, but it has also given cities a taste of the future: of a time when frequent rolling crises are the new normal.
So, what can our experience of the pandemic tell us and how can we better prepare?
COVID-19: the key lessons
The pandemic has taken a significant toll on communities, the economy and the way in which our cities work. Yet, in the face of catastrophe, we discovered that we can be more resilient, work at greater pace, and achieve the extraordinary with the innovative use of data when an existential threat afflicts our communities.
The urban response to the pandemic highlighted the need for data to support rapid action across the board. It is data that has helped track the progress of the disease and informed whether - and in which circumstances - defensive measures have been effective.
Much of the information so crucial to our new pandemic armoury did not originate within pre-existing data streams. Instead, an army of tech applications was freshly developed at lightning speed over the course of the emergency, and within a tech and data ecosystem that found its training wheels in the blink of an eye.
The pandemic has taught us that, not only do we need to be able to access more high-quality data in general, but that our capacity as cities to respond must always be agile - pivoting where necessary to new and emerging priorities with relative ease.
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