What are the “Top Digital Cities of 2017” – and Why?

Technology use in “smart cities” is a progressively popular topic. It seems the government is finally getting the memo

Government Technology published a list a list of the top digital U.S. cities in 2017, as compiled by the Center for Digital Government (CDG). The CDG ranked them based on which cities deployed technology where it impacted their citizens the most. Los Angeles, Virginia Beach, and Cape Coral are on the list. Surprisingly, most of the major tech hubs near Silicon Valley didn’t make the cut except for San Jose.

Just some of the ways these leading cities were moving forward?

• In Cape Coral, FL, they added greater security to ward off digital threats, while increasing transparency to make important information more accessible to citizens.
• Charlotte, NC has teamed up with the University of North Carolina to analyze five years’ worth of Twitter data to determine how social media data might be better used in the future to respond to events that cause a spike in 311 calls.
• Tamarac, FL replaced a vintage 1997 ERP system with new network infrastructure, new phones and new mobile devices to optimize its new enterprise resource planning system.

What set the leaders apart, according to Government Technology?

Across the winning cities, IT leaders are looking at ways to make government more efficient, more effective and more responsive to citizen needs. They pursue technology not as an end in itself but as a means to an end.

L.A. is leading the way

Los Angeles is a city that’s blazing ahead with some key updates to its technology. For instance? It launched the Data Science Federation, which leveraged the knowledge and research of several universities to help with facing the ever-growing issue of homelessness. Among other technologies, it’s been using chatbots to engage its citizens.

“They want the government to deliver good services and to be open and trustworthy. Technology is the enabler of more democracy, more efficiency, and better service.”
Eric Garcetti - Mayor of Los Angeles

We’re pretty impressed with some of the innovative ways these cities were pushing forward. It’s a sign of how more communities are recognizing how digital transformation helps them deliver on their most important responsibility: making citizens happier, safer and more empowered.

That’s why we’re always striving to play a more helpful role in updating government technology, and we’re extremely excited to see what 2018 brings for the “smart cities” movement.

To read more about the cities that made the cut, take a look at the complete article on their website.