IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Microsoft’s Didier Ongena explains how generative AI, digital twins and the cloud are helping governments and city leaders to optimise operations and deliver better services to citizens

Every public sector employee in the UK spends more than eight hours per week managing data and performing routine administrative tasks, according to Microsoft’s 2024 Harnessing the Power of AI for the Public Sector report. The research shows that 45 per cent of respondents are “drowning in unnecessary administrative tasks”, with 55 per cent saying this workload negatively impacts their ability to get on with the day job, and nearly half indicating it compromises the quality of service they provide and limits how long they can spend directly interacting with the public.

The UK’s shortage of cyber security professionals dates back to the dot-com bubble, when industry growth across the IT sector opened up a wealth of new career opportunities.

Alongside the US, the UK had pioneered cyber security up to then and looked well placed to take advantage. However, the growth never materialised. A 2009 SANS Institute survey of cyber security professionals revealed 90 per cent had experienced difficulty recruiting. While industry need and raw talent have never decreased, the conveyer belt turning skilled amateurs into security professionals has stalled.

Study by Capterra emphasises the need for cities and organisations to leverage smart city technologies and integrate them with the latest urban developments.

Sharelines

• More than 80 per cent of people in the UK want to live in a smart city, according to research by Capterra UK
• Survey reveals the most common smart city service available to 72 per cent of UK residents is smart mobility

The majority of people in the UK (81 per cent) want to live in a smart city, according to research by software and services marketplace, Capterra UK.

According to a silicon.com reader poll, 71 per cent of the 141 respondents said they had noticed no new interaction from their local authority.

Only 21 per cent said they had seen changes in the council's online approach to the public while the remaining seven per cent said they were unsure.

The winners in the e-Government National Awards 2004 were presented with their Awards on the evening of 19th January, at a high level dinner attended by a who's who of senior UK e-Government leaders. The awards are a yardstick for UK excellence in e-Government and are supported by the Cabinet Office and Socitm.

Online service delivery reporting platform "My Smart City" has set its sights on expanding to Namibia and the UK, after seeing demand for its service locally.

Introduced by Acumen Software in 2021, "My Smart City" is a web and mobile app that enables residents to log calls relating to service delivery problems, including reporting potholes, monitoring power or water outages, communicating with local municipal officials and raising a petition.