Queensland councils have joined an international initiative connecting smart cities all over the world.
City of Gold Coast, Brisbane City Council and Greater Springfield (represented by the Springfield Land Corporation) are the newest members of the Open and Agile Smart Cities (OASC) Initiative, which could be a potential game changer for the local technology industry.
The OASC Initiative, which was announced in March, enables the development of smart city applications and solutions to reach many cities at once. Fundamental to its success is the agreement to use freely available, open source software and data models as well as the willingness to share experiences.
This will dramatically increase the market for local developers who will now have access to comparable data from around the world.
The international initiative is sponsored by the Connected Smart Cities Network, which was founded in Europe five years ago to establish a mechanism through which a network of smart cities could engage in long-term collaboration.
City of Gold Coast Acting Mayor, Donna Gates, said more than 60 cities across the world, including recognised Smart Cities such as Helsinki, Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam were now committed to the initiative.
“This is an exciting project to be involved in and I see that it has enormous potential to transform us into a smart city.
“To have easy access to what is happening in Lisbon, Glasgow or Dublin will be a tremendous stimulus to our local plans. I am also excited that this will lay a foundation for collaboration across South East Queensland, positioning the region well for future economic growth.
“Understanding other cities’ experiences and sharing best practices provides us with an opportunity to create a globally competitive environment; embracing technological innovation to enhance the experiences of our residents, businesses and visitors.”
Professor Michael Blumenstein, Head of the ICT School at Griffith University and Chair of the IT Forum Gold Coast said that this initiative could lead to tremendous advances in the Information Technology sector on the Gold Coast.
“This project opens the door to significant opportunities for fostering innovation in the City and across Queensland.
“The City is uniquely positioned to become the most innovative technology hub in Australia, and the Gold Coast’s alignment with the OASC initiative will only enhance its trajectory towards achieving this important goal.”
