Survey
Reinforces the Significance of Public Safety Initiatives in Smart City Planning Across Asia Pacific
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd has revealed the results of a public safety survey conducted in May 2015 at the second annual Safe Cities Asia Summit in Singapore. With recent reports predicting that the Asia Pacific region will see the largest growth in smart city initiatives over the next 10 years, many have focused on the cost saving benefits and efficiencies that technology can deliver. However, the survey revealed that making municipalities safer for people to live and work in is the primary concern of those involved in smart city planning. 44% of those surveyed expect their countries to invest more than US$100 million in public safety initiatives over the next two years. Of those investments, 24 percent are expected to be allocated toward surveillance technology, with 19 percent earmarked for big data analytics, and another 19 percent for mobile and network technology.
Public and community safety ranked as respondents’ top priority, followed by transportation and urban infrastructure, and the advancement of Internet or IT capabilities. Crime investigation, transportation and traffic services, and cyber security were the top three public safety issues that respondents felt their countries had struggled with. A lack of alignment between government agencies was selected as the top factor that was holding back the implementation of public safety projects.
Safe Cities Asia is a leading event for the Asia Pacific region’s national security community. The annual summit focuses on key city planning initiatives that are supported through the provisioning of disruptive technology for government and industry leaders. Of the conference attendees participating in the survey, more than a quarter had a background in technology, with the remainder ranging from city mayors and corporate CEOs, to military, emergency services and infrastructure providers.
Tony Field, senior director of Hitachi Data Systems’ Social Innovation Business Unit for Asia Pacific, commented, “The survey results highlight that many Asia Pacific countries are looking to implement technology solutions that can have a meaningful, measurable impact on public safety. While a willingness to invest in such solutions is apparent among respondents, the main barrier appears to be a failure to adopt an aligned and integrated approach to safety initiatives, which would allow cities to create a single holistic view of crime in their cities.”
A new whitepaper from Hitachi Data Systems offers in-depth analysis of the survey findings, and focuses on adoption barriers that prevent full implementation of public safety initiatives and real-world solutions that are helping to create smarter and safer cities. The paper can be downloaded for free here.
Learn More. Join the Conversation.
About Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., builds information management and Social Innovation solutions that help businesses succeed and societies be safer, healthier and smarter. We focus on big data that offers real value – what we call the Internet of Things that matter. Our IT infrastructure, analytics, content and cloud solutions and services drive strategic management and analysis of the world’s data. Only Hitachi Data Systems integrates the best information technology and operational technology from across the Hitachi family of companies to deliver the exceptional insight that business and society need to transform and thrive. Visit us at HDS.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society’s challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totalled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.
© Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2015. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks and company names are properties of their respective owners.
