Presented by Dr Jonathan Reichental, Author, Founder and CEO of Human Future

How can data, crowd sourcing, cloud computing and artificial intelligence help our cities prosper and increase quality of life for people?

This topic was explored by author and award-winning technologist, Dr Jonathan Reichental, as he explained the increasingly critical role of data in building smarter and more sustainable communities.

Over half of the planet lives in cities today, forecast to increase upwards of 70% by the end of this century. Worldwide there are more than 25 ‘mega cities’ with populations over 10 million and in these, as in most other cities, infrastructure is too old and ill-equipped for modern day demands.

Drawing on case studies from the Haiti earthquake in 2010 to street surveys in Palo Alto, the birthplace of Silicon Valley, Reichental delivers a progressive look at how, if we use data in different and smarter ways, we can get different results.

He notes that city life is about constraints – too many projects and not enough money – but every city, community and government agency collect an abundance of data within its core services that has enormous potential and commercial value.

Although, Reichental notes, with data comes responsibility and initiatives need governance to ensure it is regulated, ethical, law abiding and appropriate.

Data is the key to smarter urban futures. Within the community, this means predictive policing, emergency response, infrastructure planning and tackling climate change. Furthermore, companies can harness the data to create commercial applications and derivative solutions that generate jobs, spending in the community and economic prosperity.

Reichental tells of the importance of telling compelling stories of these opportunities and issues to ensure that organisations and communities are engaged and on side.

While data in a table can seem abstract and hard to process, people can be moved to action by compelling stories of what others are doing, where the challenges lie, what is working, where is prospering, how money is being spent and the impact on jobs, education and city life.

The future of cities is founded on data. From the wealth-generating opportunities of commercial applications, to using data to tell stories that create an emotional connection and communicate transparently amongst citizens and communities, this exciting data-driven journey is one that is just beginning.