Smart City 3.0 for Hong Kong: Strategies and Prospects | 香港智慧城市3.0：策略與願景

Smart City 3.0 for Hong Kong: Strategies and Prospects

 

Imagine a city where public and business decisions are made instantly based on real-time big data analytics. Not only are citizens well-informed about city development, they are also smart enough to initiate businesses and social projects by means of crowdsourcing and crowdfunding. It is a city driven by the co-creation of citizens, academia, government and businesses, enabled by sophisticated analytics and underpinned by the Internet of things (IoT) sensors. Although this is a hypothetical scenario, some world-class smart cities like New York and Barcelona are not far away from realizing it. In contrast, we will have to ask ourselves how far is Hong Kong from achieving this vision and how could we all contribute to make Hong Kong a top-tier smart city?

 

Why smart city? 

 

Over the past 10 years, the discourse around smart city development has been increasingly popular around the globe. The smart city concept was first coined by IBM in 2008. Though the concept has been continually evolving, it can be generally defined as "a city that uses information & communication technologies (ICT) to improve the quality of life of citizens, optimize resource usage and maintain sustainable development". 

 

Smart cities are built to address urban issues like sustainability, traffic congestion and energy management. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world's population will live in cities, which means that cities will generate the largest amount of carbon emissions and consume most of the world's energy and natural resources. Therefore, the way to build and manage cities has become world leaders' focal point of interest. Smart cities provide a sustainable solution to maximize efficiency and the quality of welfare as well as services. It also enables new business models, promotes innovation and supports better decision-making because it facilitates the identification of citizens' needs and encourages innovative approaches for new solutions. All of these benefits have encouraged a rise in the number of smart cities around the world.

 

Hong Kong's advantages and challenges

 

Hong Kong is one of the pioneers of smart city development in Asia. Since 1998, the Hong Kong Government has adopted various ICT projects, with policies like the Digital 21 Strategy to more effectively serve the varied needs of the Government, businesses, and citizens through electronic channels. Over the decades, the Government has made considerable efforts in building Hong Kong into a smart city, as demonstrated in projects like Energizing Kowloon East, which is on its way to becoming a "Smart City district" and having recently launched a demonstration of a "Smart Parking" mobile app in July 2016. Hong Kong is a robust knowledge-based economy and has the full potential to be developed into a world-class smart city, with a professional and efficient workforce, enterprising entrepreneurs, a high-quality education system, sound legal and banking systems, and last but not least, a stable government capable of managing various infrastructure and development projects. 

 

Despite this, many research reports that evaluate smart city development have suggested that Hong Kong has not fully realized her potential. A notable example is the Smart City Development Index 2016, reviewed by International Data Corporation (IDC) , which clearly shows that Hong Kong is lagging behind. The report indicates that neighbouring cities including Taipei, Incheon, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing are outperforming Hong Kong in aspects like economic development and social services. 

 

Even Hong Kong citizens feel the pressure to catch up. In a survey titled "Would Smart Technologies Smarten up Hong Kong?"  conducted by the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) in July 2016, the responses reflected that the quality, breadth and depth of products and services in the following areas need substantial improvements: Smart Government (36.1%), Smart Living (21.3%), Smart Mobility (20.8%) and Smart Economy (16.8%). In short, professional bodies and the public have both expressed concerns that Hong Kong is falling behind in the smart city race. 

 

The Smart City 3.0 Vision

 

The Smart City Consortium (SCC) has striven to develop Hong Kong as the world's leading smart city 3.0. According to Dr. Boyd Cohen, an internationally renowned urban strategist, there are three phases in the evolution of smart city initiatives, beginning with company-driven technology (smart city 1.0), to a government-driven city (smart city 2.0) and finally to citizen-driven (smart city 3.0). Songdo in South Korea is an example of smart city 1.0 where technology companies lead the adoption of smart city projects, but these have limited impact on the quality of life as citizens may not understand the implication of these solutions. In a smart city 2.0, the initiative is led by city administrators instead of technology companies. One typical example is Barcelona, where the mayor has initiated over 100 smart projects to significantly improve the citizens' quality of life. However, the success of smart city 2.0 may not be sustainable because it depends very much on the administrators' vision. 

 

Hong Kong will benefit the most from the smart city 3.0 initiative because it will align with the interests of our citizens. It should be noted that many smart 3.0 examples, like Vienna, still remain active in the 2.0 model. Nevertheless, the 3.0 cities also emphasize citizen engagement and co-creation among different parties like the government, technology companies, community organizations and individuals, so as to maximize the impact on the quality of life of citizens. One successful case of a smart city 3.0 is Jakarta in Indonesia, where researchers have developed a real-time map of flooding by crowdsourcing citizens' Tweets in social media to monitor severe flooding during rainy seasons. The project is successful because it engages Jakarta citizens to solve real-life problems. This bottom-up approach is a good example for Hong Kong since it can foster a sense of belonging among citizens and cultivate their innovation through continuous collaboration, making smart city development a truly sustainable social project. 

 

On the other hand, the Hong Kong Government should take the lead and embark on smart city development by utilizing a comprehensive range of strategies. According to Cohen, a smart city is a multi-disciplinary initiative which comprises six components, namely: "smart government", "smart economy", "smart environment", "smart mobility" "smart people" and "smart living". All these components are vital to the overall success of building smart cities and they require detailed policy support. Although the Government has made huge efforts in realizing smart city initiatives, they need to act promptly in the following aspects. 

 

Smart government: enhancing public services with spatial data

 

Open data and availability of spatial data infrastructure (SDI) are prerequisites of well-developed information services. Real-time traffic conditions, building inspections and business statistics are examples of useful spatial data that can contribute to better urban management, including aspects such as energy consumption management, waste management and building maintenance. Although many government departments have developed geographic information systems (GISs), to analyse and manage spatial data, they do not make application programming interfaces (APIs) available to the public, thus it is difficult for application developers to integrate spatial data in creating further work and values that could benefit society. 

 

It is also the Government's role to initiate and facilitate the implementation of SDI. This can be achieved by collaborating with both public and commercial sectors to define the level of service and agree on a clear roadmap. Moreover, relevant laws and regulations should be reviewed, particularly on the protection of privacy and personal information. 

 

Smart economy: proactive decision-making in a changing economic landscape

 

The pace of FinTech development is accelerating and the Government must seize this development opportunity. With the number of Stored Value Facilities (SVF) licenses, which regulates service providers of prepaid payment systems, escalating from 5 in 2016 to 13 in the first quarter of 2017  in Hong Kong, there will soon be intense competition in the e-Wallet market. Furthermore, technical innovations, such as the Blockchain, have presented new business opportunities and scope for cost saving by the Government and private companies alike.

 

The Government should be proactive in establishing an institutional framework to encourage new technologies rather than maintaining a risk-averse approach to innovation. In particular, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) could take the first step by developing frameworks to lower the entry barrier for companies to start small projects or pilot tests. It should also be prepared to step in and mitigate the possible tensions between traditional licensed banking institutions and the new solution providers. 

 

Smart environment: green rejuvenation in old urban areas

 

Reducing electricity consumption is the top priority for the Government to achieve environmental sustainability. According to the Environment Bureau, electricity generation is the largest source of local greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong, accounting for about 68% of the total in 2012. In particular, the use of air conditioning in both the commercial and residential sectors is the single largest category of electricity consumption. Therefore, new technologies to retrofit buildings with more efficient air conditioning devices must be explored to reduce electricity consumption.

 

The adoption of BEAM+ (Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus) construction for new buildings, which is an internationally recognized suite of rating tools for green buildings, demonstrates the Government's commitment to energy reduction. Furthermore, it is important to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance of old buildings. According to the Buildings Department, over 85% of buildings in Hong Kong are 10 years or more, and require retrofitting technologies to help achieve energy saving objectives. Fortunately, some local companies have taken the lead to develop award-winning solutions, such as SmartAirCon, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The utility companies in Hong Kong can subsidize the installation of these smart IoT devices to reduce peak electricity demand and greenhouse gases emissions. 

 

Smart mobility: building a citywide IoT network

 

Hong Kong should also explore ways of constructing a citywide IoT sensor network to improve both public and commercial services. IoT sensors are application-specific devices which include CO2 sensors, humidity sensors, RFID sensors and high-definition cameras. Not only can they provide better environmental monitoring, they could potentially reduce urban traffic congestion by analyzing traffic flow automatically and on a real-time basis. 

 

The Government can adopt a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model to accelerate IoT network construction. The LinkNYC project in New York in 2015 is a good example of PPP, whereby corporations paid the cost of constructing Wi-Fi kiosks in exchange for commercial provision, like touch-screen vending machines and advertising panels. These kiosks quickly expanded their services to provide public information like location-based travel information and public transport information. The IoT kiosks soon covered the whole city and it has proven to be a success.  

 

Smart people: nurturing an ICT-literate generation

 

To foster a culture of creativity and innovation, the Government must endeavor to boost ICT education, improve job creation and business environment for startups and entrepreneurs. Nowadays students seem to lose interest and aspirations to become scientists due to a lack of systematic education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), all of which are vital to a technology-driven knowledge workforce. Apart from formulating a comprehensive ICT education policy, it is worth introducing a training scheme for engineering research students to jointly receive funding support from SMEs and the Government; this would aim to raise the industry standard. Lastly, the business environment will be greatly enhanced if the Government takes the lead to procure local IT products and support local companies in their adoption of the latest technologies. 

 

Smart living: 4P approaches for the Hong Kong health system

 

The aging problem in Hong Kong poses a formidable challenge to smart city development. Currently, there are an estimated 35,000 elderly citizens waiting for nursing homes. By 2040, one in every three citizens in Hong Kong will be over 65 years old, putting unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system. 

 

Using a "4Ps" Partnership approach to link up families and community organizations (People), caregivers and doctors (Private) and policy implementers in government (Public) with a holistic and pro-active smart health system can keep our citizens safe, healthy and productive. At the same time, smart technologies can alleviate the problem with the threefold “proactive”, “predictive” and “preventative” approaches. For instance, a proactive smart health monitoring system based on an IoT network to detect one's real-time health status is worthy of consideration. The system can also be integrated into smart home devices and linked up with a specific clinic and hospital, thus providing more comprehensive health data for medical treatments. 

 

Furthermore, the Government can consider establishing a big data analytic platform for medical professionals as a predictive tool for chronic diseases. By integrating raw data and digital health records, the system can identify correlations between environmental changes and health risks, which enables a more personalized treatment. This solution can be supplemented with a preventive community network; this would involve the Government emergency departments, medical professionals and community organizations, all of which would provide immediate support and emergency services.

 

The multi-disciplinary approach to smart city development represents a paradigm shift for economic regeneration, social cohesion and better city administration. These suggestions provide the foundation for ongoing discussion and the SCC is committed to establishing an open dialogue with the various stakeholders aiming to co-create a people-oriented smart city for our next generation. 

 

*The article is published in the Smart Vision on 29 May 2017. 

 

 

香港智慧城市3.0：策略與願景

 

未來的城市會是甚麼模樣？試想像一下：公共及商業決策由實時的大數據即時演算出來，市民不但會恆常參與社會事務，更會靈活地以眾包（crowdsourcing）及眾籌（crowdfunding）等方式，共同推動商業及社會創新。簡而言之，這將是一個由市民、學界、政府及商界共同協作，並建基於大數據及物聯網的智慧城市。雖然這情景尚未實現，但紐約及巴塞隆拿等世界級智慧城市，已逐步邁向這目標。那麼，香港與這個願景又有多遠？要成為首屈一指的智慧城市，我們又需要甚麼策略？

 

為甚麼要發展智慧城市？

 

過去10年，智慧城市的發展在世界各地愈來愈蓬勃。智慧城市這概念最初由微軟於2008年提出 ，雖然概念其後不斷演變，但離不開以下核心價值，即「以資訊及通訊科技（ICT）改善市民生活質素、優化資源運用，並建設可持續發展的城市。」 

 

建設智慧城市的目的，是為了處理形形色色的城市化問題，如可持續發展、交通擠塞和能源管理等。至2050年，世界上7成人口將在市區居住 ，令城市成為能源和自然資源消耗最大，以及碳排放最多的地方。因此各國政府都費盡心思，希望找到更有效建設及管理城市的方法。智慧城市不但能滿足可持續發展的期望，更可將服務效率和品質提升至最高水平。此外，智慧城市講究精準地辨識市民需要，同時鼓勵以創新方式解決問題，因此能孕育嶄新商業模式、推動創新發展和支援更好決策。這些好處推動智慧城市的數目不斷增長。

 

香港的優勢與挑戰

 

香港是亞洲智慧城市發展的先驅之一。早在1998年，香港政府已採用不同資訊及通訊技術，例如制訂數碼21資訊科技策略，以電子渠道更有效地滿足政府、企業及市民的需求。政府一直努力建設智慧城市，例如「起動九龍東」計劃便是香港智慧城市的試點，並在2016年7月於該處推出智慧泊車的手機應用程式。作為一個蓬勃的知識型經濟體系，香港擁有專業高效的人力資源、具冒險精神的企業家、高質素的教育制度、健全的法律和銀行體系，以及一個穩定及具備卓越管理經驗的政府。要擠身頂尖的智慧城市行列，理應是輕而易舉。

 

然而，不少智慧城市發展的研究報告都指出香港未有發揮其真正潛力。較為人熟知的是顧問機構國際數據資訊（IDC）的《智慧城市發展指數2016》報告 。報告明確表示香港的智慧城市發展落後，而台北、仁川、新加坡、上海及北京等鄰近城市，在經濟發展和社會服務等發展指標均比香港領先。

 

即使一般市民也認為香港要急起直追。香港互聯網註冊管理有限公司（HKIRC）於2016年7月進行的「智能科技能令香港更有智慧嗎？」調查 中，受訪市民反映以下範疇的產品和服務，不論是品質、廣度還是深度都有很大改善空間。認為需改善的範疇及百分比依次為：智慧政府（36.1％）、智慧生活（21.3％）、智慧運輸（20.8％）和智慧經濟（16.8％）。簡而言之，專業團體和市民都擔心香港會在智慧城市發展的競賽中持續落後。

 

邁向智慧城市3.0 

 

智慧城市聯盟（SCC）致力推動香港發展成領先全球的「智慧城市3.0」。此概念由國際著名城市發展學者博伊德‧科恩（Boyd Cohen）提出，他把智慧城市發展分為三階段，依次為：科技企業主導（智慧城市1.0）、市政府主導（智慧城市2.0）及市民主導（智慧城市3.0） 。韓國松島是智慧城市1.0的典型例子。在松島，科技企業主導了智慧城市項目的開發及應用。然而市民對於這些應用往往一知半解，因此對提升生活質素的效果有限。而在智慧城市2.0中，市政府取代了科技企業成為發展的火車頭。一個著名例子是巴塞隆拿，該地政府至今已經開展了超過100項智慧項目，大大改善了市民的生活質素。然而，智慧城市2.0非常依賴政府的願景，發展成果未必能持續。

 

反之，由大眾主導的智慧城市3.0最能照顧市民的實際需要，也對香港的發展最為有利。值得注意的是，智慧城市2.0及智慧城市3.0並非截然二分，在許多3.0城市如維也納等，政府依然扮演關鍵角色。然而，智慧城市3.0強調的是政府、科網企業、社區組織及市民等不同持份者的共同參與及創造，從而把提升市民生活質素的功效發揮到極致。智慧城市3.0的一個成功例子是印尼雅加達的洪水預警系統。該市長期受水患困擾，研究人員為此匯集市民在社交網絡的訊息（Tweet），製作實時的水災地圖。它的成功之處，在於能集結市民的智慧及力量，共同解決迫切的生活問題。這種由下而上的方式對香港來說是很好的參考，透過持續協作，市民的參與意識及創新精神不斷提高，令智慧城市成為真正可持續的社會工程。

 

另一方面，政府應該制訂完善策略，引領智慧城市發展。科恩指出智慧城市是一個跨領域的工程，當中包括「智慧政府」、「智慧經濟」、「智慧環境」、「智慧運輸」、「智慧市民」及「智慧生活」6個範疇 。這些範疇對智慧城市的成功非常重要，需要詳細政策支援。雖然香港政府已就智慧城市的推動及發展付出不少努力，但仍需盡快就以下幾個範疇作出回應。

 

智慧政府：善用空間數據 改善公共服務

 

完善的通訊服務系統，建基於空間數據基建（SDI）及開放數據。空間數據種類繁多，用途較廣的包括實時交通狀況、樓宇檢測數據及商業統計等。只要善加利用，這些數據可以推動更先進的城市管理，包括改善能源管理、廢物處理和樓宇維修等工作。許多政府部門雖已開發了地理資訊系統（GISs）來分析和管理空間數據，但他們並未開放應用編程介面（API）予公眾使用，因此開發商難以將數據與民間的應用程式結合，令社會未能受惠。

 

除了開放數據和API外，政府應透過與公私營機構共同釐定服務水平及制訂明確的路綫圖，來推動和落實建立SDI。另一方面，政府亦應檢視現行的相關法律，特別是關於私隱和個人資料的條文，以配合建立及推廣SDI。

 

智慧經濟：積極回應多變經濟格局

 

金融科技（FinTech）的發展步伐愈來愈快，政府必須更積極地把握機遇。現時政府以儲值支付工具（SVF）牌照規管支付工具營辦商如八達通等，隨著牌照數量由2016年的5個升至2017年第一季度的13個 ，香港電子錢包市場的競爭將日益激烈。此外，區塊鍊等技術創新也有助政府和企業節省成本及帶來新商機。

 

要發展創新經濟，政府必須一改規避風險的心態，主動地在制度上保障及鼓勵各種技術創新。金融管理局應先制訂框架，降低企業開展小型項目或新技術測試的門檻。此外，金管局亦應致力平衡傳統金融機構與新經營商之間的利益矛盾。

 

智慧環境：綠色工程活化舊區

 

要實現可持續環境發展，政府的首要任務是降低全港整體用電量。據環境局統計，發電是本地溫室氣體排放的最大源頭，2012年便佔總排放量約68% 。而在用電類別中，又以商用和住宅空調的耗電量最高。因此，研發綠色建築技術，以增加使用空調的效率及減少整體耗電量，可謂當務之急。

 

現時政府已經採用國際BEAM+ 環保建築標準來減少新建樓宇的用電量。另一方面，改善舊式樓宇的用電效率及環保效能也十分重要。據屋宇署的統計，香港超過85%建築物的樓齡在10年以上 ，它們都需要翻新改裝以達至節能效果。可幸的是，一些本地公司已率先研發出獲獎的技術方案如SmartAirCon，以減少舊式樓宇的溫室氣體排放。公用企業可資助用戶安裝這些物聯網設備，以減低高峰時期的電力消耗及温室氣體排放。

 

智慧運輸：構建全城物聯網

 

另一個香港應著力發展的方向是建立覆蓋全城的物聯網，以改善公共和商業服務。物聯網由無數感測器組成，如二氧化碳感測器、濕度感應器、無綫射頻識別系統感應器及高清攝錄裝置等，各自具備特定用途。這些感應器不但可以改善環境監測，還可透過實時及自動化的交通流量分析，紓緩交通擠塞問題。

 

政府可採用公私營合作模式，加快建設物聯網。紐約市在2015年開始的LinkNYC項目，便是這個模式的好例子。在項目中，供應商負責興建Wi-Fi亭的開支，換取在亭內提供各樣商業服務，如觸控式自動售賣機及廣告面板等。Wi-Fi亭的服務其後迅速擴展，例如提供旅遊導覧及公共交通資訊等。在政府與企業互動下，Wi-Fi亭覆蓋了整個紐約市，成為智慧城市發展的成功案例。

 

智慧市民：培養通訊科技新世代

 

要培育創意和創新文化，政府必須努力推廣資訊及通訊科技教育、創造相關就業機會，以及改善企業及初創企業的營商環境。STEM教育（包括科學、科技、工程及數學）對發展創新驅動的知識型經濟非常重要，然而香港缺乏系統性的STEM教育，令學生缺乏成為科學家的興趣及憧憬。除了制訂完善的ICT教育政策外，政府也可考慮引進工程科研學生培訓計劃，讓工科研究生可同時申請政府及企業資助，藉此推動企業引入前沿技術，提升行業標準。此外，政府應帶頭採購本地IT產品，以鼓勵本地公司的創新研發及改善創科環境。

 

智慧生活：多管齊下改革醫療系統

 

在智慧生活方面，人口老化是一個重大挑戰。據統計，目前約有35,000名長者輪候資助護理安老宿位。至2040年，香港將有三分之一人口年齡達65歲以上 ，屆時香港的醫療系統將承受前所未有的巨大壓力。

 

為了應對人口老化問題，我們可串連起鄰里（民）、醫生和照顧者（商）以及政府（官），合作組成一個完善的智能保健系統，使市民享有安全、健康而豐盛的生活。

 

同時，智慧科技可從「主動應對」、「預測」及「預防」三方面配合。在「主動應對」方面，當局可考慮建立一個連接物聯網的智能健康監測系統，主動偵測長者的健康狀況。系統還可進一步連接智能家居設備及指定的診所和醫院，為醫療人員提供更全面的健康數據。

 

在「預測」方面，政府可考慮為醫護人員設立大數據分析平台，以預測慢性疾病的發展趨勢。通過整合原始數據和電子醫療紀錄，系統可以偵測環境變化與健康風險之間的相關性，從而給患者更準確及個人化的治療。最後在「預防」方面，系統可與政府的緊急服務、醫護人員及社區組織連結成社區網絡，為長者提供緊急及即時支援。

 

智慧城市發展是一個跨領域的發展理念，它將為香港的經濟體系、社會融合及城市管理等層面帶來飛躍性的變革。上述的發展建議不只是智慧城市建設的第一步，也為市民主導的發展模式奠定基礎。智慧城市聯盟將繼續匯聚社會不同持份者，致力為下一代建設以人為本的智慧城市。

 

*原文刊於《Smart Vision 智城》 2017年5月29日。