The city of Greater Geelong is Australia has come up with a four-year plan to harness emerging technology to improve liveability.

The smart-city strategic framework outlines activities and targets to achieve the objectives of the framework.

The draft framework and action plan provide the community the opportunity to give feedback and help refine the documents.

Seven principles form the foundation of the framework and will be used to guide the council’s decision making and city operations and programmes. The seven principles were shaped by the community engagement process and are designed to remain stable in the face of changing and advancing technologies. The principles are:

• People first
• Inclusive and accessible
• Evidence-based
• Connection and value
• Co-design and collaboration
• Innovation and creativity
• Trust and transparency

The framework emphasises how the council can capitalise on emerging technology, data and innovation to improve community life as well as manage sustainable growth and development in the region.

This includes a plan to refine and enhance the award-winning Geelong Data Exchange initiative with a focus on developing the 3D city model. This digital twin of the city is being used to design and visualise new development spatially, as well as giving the community an opportunity to be more involved in planning and urban design.

The IoT network will also expand to enable better management of assets and resources. Pedestrian sensors will help the council understand foot traffic and the use of public spaces, soil sensors will enable better water management, climate sensors will provide localised weather data, and parking sensors will provide a detailed picture of parking behaviour and requirements.

Work to lessen the digital divide will continue, including a plan to expand the free public wifi network and a fast broadband trial with the roll-out of an additional 49 smart nodes.

Ensuring all community members have the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to access and use digital services and tools will also be prioritised.

“The framework provides a safe and transparent decision-making protocol for the city’s use of modern technology and data,” said councillor Stephanie Asher, the city’s mayor. “Having this framework in place helps us to keep a balance between adopting progressive technology to improve our services while also ensuring the community feels totally safe and supported. The adoption of this framework marks a major step towards achieving our community’s 30-year clever and creative vision.”

Councillor Peter Murrihy, chair of the city’s innovations portfolio, added: “Thank you to the community for contributing to the development of the framework and action plan. The community input has been invaluable and has helped us to deliver a framework that genuinely responds to community visions and expectations. The smart city framework paves the way for council to implement technology, data and innovation to meaningfully improve the day-to-day lives of everyone in our community.”