Mayor of London launches Smarter London Together roadmap

12 Jun 2018 03:46 PM

techUK welcomes roadmap that puts collaboration, the user, data and skills at the heart of the London becoming a leading world smart city

Following a series of Listening Exercises, which included a session with techUK members, today the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and London’s Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell launched ‘Smarter London Together.’ Smarter London Together’ sets out Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ambition to make London the smartest city in the world. It addresses the Mayor’s commitment to better digital services, open data, connectivity, digital inclusion, cyber-security, innovation, and City Hall’s plan for the growth of our city to more than 11 million residents by 2050. The plan includes a detailed roadmap, including 20 initiatives, on how London will achieve it’s digital ambition. It calls for the city's 33 local authorities and public services to work and collaborate better with data and digital technologies, and helps to realise the seven statutory Mayoral strategies.

The roadmap broadly focuses its initiatives into five key missions:

  1. Developing more user-designed services by promoting more diversity in tech to address inequality; championing the adoption of common standards and launching a Civic Innovation Challenge to spur innovation from the tech sector; establishing London as a test-bed for technological innovation, as well as supporting the development of smart infrastructure and attracting investment in dynamic new businesses. It will match tech startups with leading companies and public bodies to tackle some of London’s most pressing problems, including inequality, climate change and London’s ageing population.
  2. Strike a new deal for city data through the launch of the London Office for Data Analytics (LODA) programme to increase data sharing and collaboration for the benefit of Londoners; develop a city-wide cyber security strategy to coordinate responses to cyber-threats to businesses, public services and citizens; and support an open ecosystem to increase transparency and innovation.
  3. World-class connectivity and smarter streets through launching a new Connected London programme to coordinate connectivity and 5G projects; enhance public wifi in streets and public buildings to assist those who live, work and visit London; support a new generation of smart infrastructure through major combined procurements; and promote common standards with smart tech to maximise benefits.
  4. Enhance digital leadership and skills by developing workforce digital capability through the Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Strategy; and support computing skills and the digital talent pipeline from early years onwards.
  5. Improve city-wide collaboration through a London Office of Technology & Innovation (LOTI) to support common capabilities and standards for future innovation; promote MedTech innovation in the NHS and social care to improve treatment; explore new partnerships with the tech sector and business models; and collaborate with other cities in the UK and globally to adopt and share what works.

Theo Blackwell will be sharing further details of the plan at ‘Powering London: how technology and data move our city,’ event which he will be chairing tonight and techUK’s Head of Cloud, Data Analytics and AI Sue Daley will also be speaking.

Responding to the Smarter London Together roadmap, techUK CEO Julian David commented:

“The Mayor and London CDO Theo Blackwell should be commended on this comprehensive plan.  Theo Blackwell has clearly taken the time to gather the views of the breadth of the community from public servants to industry, to develop a roadmap that puts collaboration, the user and data at the heart of our smart city.”

“We welcome the challenge put forward and look forward to working with the Greater London Authority to build the environment where innovation and emerging technologies can flourish, whilst also harnessing digital technology to solve local challenges and create a smart London where citizens and businesses can thrive.”