The topic of Smart City has become the main conference topic last year. Recently, there is an interesting debate going on regarding the monetization of smart city’s data. Data ownership is clear if the whole implementation is being initiated and paid by the Government. Smart Cities deployment requires the aggregation of many sources of data – structured or unstructured. When combined, more meaningful insights will be discovered. However, as we moved forward with new business models, smart city implementations can be deployed by private companies.

These raised a number of issues.

• How do we share the data?
• If infrastructure is being paid by the Councils or the States, it belongs to the citizens and should be given free or made open
• How do we monetise the smart cities data when its should be made “free”
• Some countries stated that even a 1% investment from the Public in any PPP (Public Private Partnership) project has to be considered as Public data
• What’s the best business model in smart cities when the government are not willing or can’t afford to implement such solutions?

What’re your thoughts regarding this?

The idea of IoT solutions to solve your companies’ problems are great! IoT promises to deliver higher productivity, cost efficiency and better customer service – and if you ask any company, they will say that these are their top priorities especially in the world where competition is the only game. As mentioned in my earlier article – “IOT – Four Compelling Reasons Not to be Left Behind” – the remote monitoring and control solution will definitely saves tremendous cost. The ability to optimise the usage of our equipments and assets by understanding the operational insights can be done continuously and with better accuracy. Business operations will now be operated in autonomous fashion and thus ends the slow, tedious and manual process. It also ends the so-called “middle-man” or “delivery man” that simply mark-up the actual costs without adding any value to the service.

Two Choices – Stop or Help

“With technology racing ahead and leaving some people behind, we have two choices: either to try and stop progress, or to figure out what we need to do to help those who are being displaced.” – Andrew MacAfee

Even though I don’t quite agree with the numbers of jobs (2 Billion) that’s going to be disappeared by 2030 as stated by the Futurist Thomas Frey, I do agree that these jobs will be substituted with new ones.

When we implement IoT solutions, several jobs might be likely to disappear – for example:

1. Utility meter reader
2. Parking or Toll teller
3. Cashier
4. Clerks
5. Traffic policemen
6. Patrol security
7. Enforcement officers
8. Customs Officers
9. Immigration Officers
10. ….

And new jobs might appear, such as:

1. IoT engineers
2. New business process consultants
3. Big Data Scientists
4. New designers
5. New course designers/coachers/trainers
6. New software programmers
7. Chief IOT Officers (CIOT)
8. IoT service providers
9. IoT System Integrators
10. ….

Are we seeing more of the white-collar jobs being created compared to the blue-collar workers jobs? If they are being displace from their current jobs, where will they fit in the society? Can we re-train them? What role can the blue-collar worker play in the IoT era?

What do you think? Share your thoughts.