Introduction
The Greater London Authority (GLA), the London Office for Technology and Innovation (LOTI), and a collection of London Boroughs are working together to create a common approach to using and generating data from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
Why We Need a Pan-London Approach
- Ensure interoperability – so boroughs can easily share data for Pan-London projects.
- Avoid data silos.
- Reduce the need to repeat pilots.
- Simplify the information governance process.
- Speed up the procurement process.
- Shape the market – providing suppliers with clarity on what London boroughs’ expectations and requirements are.
The aim is to create conditions for collaboration across London’s public bodies so that local authorities can more rapidly procure, deploy and start generating insights from IoT systems.
What is the IoT Declaration?
The London IoT Declaration is a commitment by London Boroughs and the organisations they collaborate with to work together to protect Londoners’ privacy and security. It is also a commitment to design IoT services in such a way that data can be shared across London for the better delivery of services to residents and to support innovation.
The declaration aims to challenge the technology market to offer the flexible tools and services needed and provide consistency of requirements to suppliers to reduce their costs of bidding into London.
It also aims to deliver better value for money by ensuring that experience and knowledge are shared between boroughs to reduce rework.
The declaration is a response to the unique characteristics and challenges of IoT data. IoT data is generated by a wide variety of devices, each with its own set of sensors and data formats, rather than human sources. It is often generated in real-time or near real-time and has a high volume and velocity.
There is a greater possibility that IoT data from different organisations will be difficult to combine and gain insight from. This prevents a wider opportunity to explore the generation of new insights previously unobtainable.
The Opportunity
The cost of IoT devices has now dropped to a level where they offer a real opportunity for public bodies to redesign their services around actual real-world data either to inform strategic decisions or operational ones in real-time.
This is an opportunity not only for individual public organisations but also at a pan-London level, if the data can be aggregated and shared.
Great work has already been done to transform public services using digital tools and technology, but there is an opportunity to do more with IoT devices and data sharing.
Call to Action
If you represent a London borough, a sub-regional partnership, London public body or a supplier, you are invited to join this collaborative effort by signing the London IoT Declaration. Your participation will contribute to the unified effort to improve public services and innovation across London.
The organisations that have signed the IoT Declaration are shown below.