FIGURE 1
IDC PlanScape: Executive Summary of the Essential Elements for IoT Investment
for Cities and States
The Internet of Things is an important part of the development of Smart Cities. In this study, IDC
explains the role of the IoT in Smart Cities and provides a planning framework that enables state and
city organizations to prepare for, and respond to, the fast pace of technology transformation around the
3rd Platform (cloud, mobile, social networks, and big data and analytics).
This IDC PlanScape document offers practical guidance to help IT and non-IT leaders in government
justify investment in IoT solutions. This guidance includes answers to the following:
Why is the IoT important for consideration for investment by state and city government?
What are IoT solutions and key use cases?
Who are the key stakeholders that should be involved in IoT initiatives? What are their roles
and responsibilities for promoting successful IoT projects?
How can IT and non-IT leaders help accelerate investment in the IoT for their organization?
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Access to new information: Devices, whether intelligent devices with embedded analytics or
"dumb" IP-enabled devices that merely transmit information, can provide departments with
new information. Some of this information will be new by virtue of the type of device. For
example, strategically placed acoustic sensors that pick up gunshots have shown that
previous assumptions on the level of gun activity in certain neighborhoods were wrong. Police
departments (PDs) operated on the assumption that when shots were fired, 80% of the time
someone called 911. In fact, this percentage could be as low as 20% of the time, a fact that
was revealed when these sensors were able to pick up actual gunshots, providing local PDs
with new information and insight.
Some of this information may already be collected by people, but because of resource
constraints, it cannot be collected as often or as detailed as needed. For example, inspectors
collect data on the structural integrity of bridges and other infrastructure, but there are rarely
enough inspectors to regularly and thoroughly inspect all the bridges that need it. Sensors on
bridges can provide information on the structural integrity of the bridge at regular intervals,
alerting inspectors when there are potential problems that need to be addressed.
FIGURE 2
n = 359
Base = U.S. state and local government respondents
Note: Data is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = do not agree and 5 = completely agree.
The premise of IoT solutions is that they provide a significant return on investment (ROI) from this
improved access to information. There will be a financial return from efficiencies and cost savings but
also a social and environmental return by enabling departments and agencies to meet specific targets,
outcomes, and policy goals. The IoT can help state and local governments reduce traffic congestion,
respond more quickly to emergencies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and serve the citizen more
effectively.
Without a doubt, all IoT solutions require intelligent systems. Devices or things in the IoT are managed
by these intelligent systems, defined as securely managed electronic systems that run a high-level
operating system (HLOS) and autonomously connect to the Internet, execute native or cloud-based
applications, and facilitate data analysis. Research indicates that traditional embedded systems are
also being enhanced to function like intelligent systems in IoT solutions in some cases. IDC's current
definition of the Internet of Things has evolved to underscore the requirement that the IoT system is
defined precisely as an intelligent system or enhanced traditional embedded system that must have IP
connectivity.
When we think of the IoT, our mind typically begins with the endpoints themselves — the vast types of
sensors, wearable devices, and surveillance cameras. However, the IoT is a solution that covers the
entire technology stack as well as the associated services to integrate, deploy, and support solutions
and the security required at every level, as shown in Figure 3.
FIGURE 3
To deploy an effective IoT solution, all elements of the technology stack must be mature and in place.
Of course, there must be intelligent devices and systems capturing data; the communications network
must be in place, whether it is fiber, wireless broadband, and/or sensor networks to transmit the data;
To further understand what the IoT is, let's look at some specific use cases under way right now in the
world (see Table 1).
TABLE 1
Transportation Public transportation — sensors Capture real-time traffic conditions, improved Singapore
on buses prediction of best routes and scheduling for
greater fuel efficiency, improved communication
with passengers
Transportation Smart parking — parking Navigate drivers directly to open spots for Santander, Spain
sensors greater convenience, increased turnover in
central business districts, reduced congestion
and emissions, improved fee
collection/violations tracking emissions
Public safety Acoustic sensors for gunshot Response possible for every shooting incident, Multiple U.S. cities
detection faster response times, better scheduling of (Chicago,
patrols in high-violence areas Oakland)
Public safety Situational awareness — Real-time situational awareness and recording Many
wearable cameras of actions, potential to modify officer behavior
Connected IP enabled and sensors LED Cost savings and reduced energy consumption; Copenhagen,
lighting lighting on street lamps lights dim and brighten depending on Denmark
surrounding activity; faster response times by
work crews to issues
Public works Citizens as "things" using Reduced costs to find, repair, and schedule Boston,
smartphone sensors for repairs, work crews, and work orders; engages Massachusetts
automatic pothole reporting citizens
As solutions, particularly emerging technology solutions that rely heavily on data, there are risk and
challenges to deployment. Key challenges and risk factors include:
Security: Besides public safety, much of the data being sent across networks for IoT use
cases will not be heavily sensitive, but that does not mean that it wouldn't cause significant
disruption if the systems were hacked. For public safety, the fact the much of the information
that may relate directly to a police officer is geolocation-specific could present a threat to the
safety of officers in the field. Real-time transmission of this data and its security is a serious
consideration. In other cases, endpoint devices as data collectors, in some cases conducting
some data analysis at the edge, and providing information that is geolocation specific, may not
be the security issue — the data may already be open and accessible to the public as part of
Open Data initiatives. But the systems themselves (i.e., a connected lighting system), if
disrupted, could provide significant hazards to citizens.
Privacy: Much of the talk about the IoT is its Big Brother aspect. While citizens may want the
convenience of a multispot parking system that relies on a license plate reader to track their
location, this is certainly giving up some privacy, which could have ramifications later on. At
times, this can be addressed by having opt-in services so that those concerned about privacy
can choose not to access services. But not all services can be opt-out. In the case of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that offers a parking system based on license plate numbers, there
may not be options for parking without giving up this information. The will, over time and with
the increase of IoT solutions, be an increasing tension between convenience and privacy and
accessing government services and privacy. Privacy could be retained by disassociating data
from its owner — that is, the license plate is used for parking payments but not linked to other
systems related to the citizen; however, this reduces the value of the data for state and local
governments that are seeking to get a more cross-departmental, cross-services, holistic view
of citizens.
Required changes in work processes or standard operating procedures: New information,
coming in real time, is going to change the way workers need to work. This requires changes
in operating procedures and work processes. These changes may need to be documented
and approved if there are changes in policies (and could involve unions in some cases) and
require training and change management strategies for dealing with resistance to change from
workers. For example, acoustic sensors that detect gunshots have provided real-time access
to this information but no other details that might be collected from a 911 call, such as the
number of people in the area. A responding officer may actually have little information about
the scene unless there is also a corresponding video information or a 911 call. This means
that officers do not know what standard operating procedures to follow.
Lack of standards and integration: The value of IoT data increases exponentially when it is
integrated with other data sets and into existing operation center systems (the previously
mentioned example with acoustic sensors is a great example of this — video, 911, and acoustic
data should all be integrated into the dispatch systems). This presents a challenge in that
there is little standardization of chips and devices for device enablement solutions offerings.
While standards are emerging, there are complications by multiple standards bodies
determining multiple standards. Part of this is the immaturity of solutions from vendors; many
are working to be able to integrate with other systems and work within a partnership
THE APPROACH
TABLE 2
CIO Leader Innovator and change agent, set strategic direction, align and motivate
people
Department head Leader Find budget, align internal department resources, motivate people
(i.e., chief of police)
Functional IT director Manager Project management and execution, responsible for accountability,
(i.e., patrol unit/traffic designing and meeting KPIs and metrics
investigations)
IT department Open Stakeholder Identify issues, moderate project impact, ensure timely feedback
Data lead
Citizen/business/ Beneficiary Provide feedback and input on usability of systems and areas of concern
community groups around privacy or other issues, determine measurements of success
The Internet of Things will grow in importance and influence, especially in urban environments, in the
next two to three years. The IoT will become an essential component to deliver on key policies like
CO2 emissions and climate preparedness as well on quality-of-life issues like traffic congestion and
public safety. Several predications from IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Smart Cities 2015 Predictions
(IDC #253164, December 2014) highlight the direction of the future IoT:
Citizens will be connected "things." One of IDC's IoT decision imperatives for 2015 is that
within the next five years, 40% of wearables will have evolved into a viable consumer mass-
market alternatives to smartphones. While initially citizens will use both smartphones and
wearable computing devices, eventually wearable devices will mature into full-fledged
standalone devices with a broad range of functions and associated applications. These
devices will create data and connect with apps and systems autonomously, and just as with
mobile apps on smartphones, citizens will expect to access government services via these
devices as well as be part of the IoT ecosystem that provides information to government.
Investment will grow relatively rapidly. IDC predicts that by 2018, competing to build innovative
and sustainable Smart Cities, cities and metropolitan areas will represent at least 25% of
government spending on deploying, managing, and realizing the business value of the Internet
of Things. At this point, mostly large cities are deploying point IoT solutions, but this will
change as midsize cities realize benefits.
Climate change will be a driver. By 2018, concerns about severe weather and changes in sea
and water levels will drive collaboration between public safety, emergency response, and
sustainability programs for climate preparedness and a 30% increase in investment in
predictive IT solutions using the IoT, big data, and social networks to mitigate damage to
property and people.
There is risk in doing nothing and risk in moving ahead without proper strategic planning. In
2015, 70% of local government CIOs will lack an appropriate information architecture strategy
to cope with the increasing use of cloud, data analytics, and connected devices, leaving many
states/provinces and cities open to security risks as well as limited in the ability to manage,
validate, and use data assets.
To learn more about these future predictions, refer to IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Smart Cities 2015
Predictions (IDC #253164, December 2014).
ESSENTIAL GUIDANCE
Actions to Consider
How Can My Organization Take Advantage of the IoT?
There are a few main issues facing state and local government today around IoT initiatives, and they
are not solely related to budget limitations for these projects. The main challenge is around education
and awareness. Many department leaders may have specific problems they would like to solve that
would be a great fit for an IoT solution, but they are not clear on what the term IoT means, what are
Figure 4 provides more detail around how to garner support for additional research and investment in
the IoT.
FIGURE 4
LEARN MORE
Related Research
IDC MaturityScape Benchmark: Smart Cities — An Assessment of U.S. Cities and States (IDC
Government Insights #GI253314, forthcoming)
IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Smart Cities 2015 Predictions (IDC #253164, December 2014)
IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Government 2015 Predictions (IDC #252588, December 2014)
IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Internet of Things 2015 Predictions (IDC #252872, December
2014)
IDC's Use Case Taxonomy, 2014: Making the Case (IDC #252064, October 2014)
Synopsis
This IDC PlanScape study offers practical guidance to help IT and non-IT leaders in government to
justify consideration for investment in IoT solutions. This guidance includes answers to the following:
Why is the IoT important for consideration for investment by state and city government?
What are IoT solutions and key use cases?
Who are the key stakeholders that should be involved in IoT initiatives? What are their roles
and responsibilities for promoting successful IoT projects?
How can IT and non-IT leaders help accelerate investment in the IoT for their organization?
"The Internet of Things is an emerging reality, and U.S. cities and states cannot avoid the ramifications
of new IP-enabled and connected devices and their potential impact on the delivery of government
services and on the quality of life of citizens," states Ruthbea Yesner Clarke, director, Smart Cities
Strategies program. "This document will help government decision makers understand the benefits of
IoT use cases and help justify further research into investment."
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