The term «Smart City» may have become an umbrella term when speaking about Smart City Infrastructure. “Smart Infrastructure” represents a great opportunity for cities to improve the quality of life for their residents. To seize this opportunity, as Smart City PR, we analyzed 6 six key factors that can help drive the success of a city’s digital transformation. 

_{1. Start with Results} 

Cities should first identify the goals and outcomes of smart infrastructure initiatives. These goals should be in the form of measurable public outcomes aligned with local and regional government priorities. A good source of sample indicators is the United Nations Economic Commission on Smart and Sustainable Cities. Once your goals are clear, you need precision on how to achieve the results you get from your smart infrastructure insights.

_{2. Design for security, privacy}

Cybersecurity and privacy are not additional safeguards for digital transformation initiatives. These should be the core principles built into every solution from the start. As governments begin to collect data from thousands of previously disconnected infrastructures, how that data is collected, transmitted, stored and used, and how that data powers public activities that require privacy, you need to understand and protect the security of how your data reflects.

_{3. Right thing, right time}

Urban infrastructure is constantly changing in most developing urban centers. Simultaneously modernizing complex systems such as local sewage networks and public power grids as system needs and applications change is challenging. Microsoft recognizes that in order for government customers to effectively manage their digital transformation plans, they need to incorporate tools such as digital twins and geospatial maps into their digital transformation plans.

Tel Aviv, Israel, for example, wanted to offer its citizens a smart city with his services and integrated everything into the government’s geolocation system. Each service therefore exists in a specific place and a citizen who interacts with the city through his mobile application sees them from that perspective. This allows the system to intelligently understand transport requests and report infrastructure problems based on location. 

_{Lean More}

Microsoft has been serving government customers for over four decades and has technology, partner solutions, and consulting services aligned to government public works and infrastructure management.  You can also download this e-book, which dives deeper into these six key elements of smart infrastructure.