By Adam Beck, Executive Director at Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand

Here we go again. If you think the smart cities agenda, digital transformation and the Internet of Things (IoT) are unique propositions, they're not. We've been here before – kind of. Let me explain.

One of the most successful modern day movements, the green building movement, provides us with a frame of reference for what we are about to encounter with smart cities. Let's unpack this a little.

It was a bold vision to transform the property sector. Every building was to become a green building. But what is a green building? Before Green Star, it was sort-of anything. But Green Star changed that. And now, every green building has a necessary 'common code' behind it and clear performance specifications. You know exactly what's 'inside the pack'. Asset owners, investors, agents, and tenants know exactly what they get, and it's verified. This standard – Green Star – has allowed the green building movement to thrive. It united the ad-hockery and put everyone on the same page; the type of fundamental first step a movement needs.

But early on the barriers were immense. It was too hard, too expensive. An additional layer, an extra task. A lack of capacity and understanding. It was a battle, with challenges at every turn, whether regulatory, financial, governance, or political.

There was no demand – who was willing to pay? On paper, it made perfect sense. It would reduce environmental impact, improve operational performance, and save you money in the long run. Oh, and it would enhance the productivity of building occupants, increase economic output, and so on.

Fifteen years on, the global green building movement has stayed the course – full-on and thriving. It overcame the hard knocks, pushed through the barriers, and totally transformed the property sector across the world. There's a lot more to do, of course, but it has hit critical mass.

With the smart cities movement tipped to be as transformational as the green building movement, standards will be critical to its success. Advisory firm KPMG has one of the largest IoT consulting businesses in Australia, and their research shows the market for IoT alone is somewhere north of $6 trillion. So ready or not, the internet of 'everything' is imminent. 

In 2016, the Smart Cities Council collaborated with the International City/County Management Association to survey local and county government, to gather intelligence on their smart cities views. This piece of work would present findings that resembled those of the early green building movement days. This included issues around budget limitations, lack of internal capacity and awareness, and the need for supporting infrastructure.

So, where are we at with smart cities standards, and their role in the making of the smart cities movement?

With such a diverse agenda – from stakeholder engagement, to waste and energy, built environment, and health and mobility – what do you put in your smart cities strategy? Are you referencing PD 8100, PAS 182, or another from the BSI? Or maybe you have embraced ISO 37120:2014?

If everything is soon to be connected to everything, how do we make sure all the parts connect properly and talk the same language? I see you Hypercat.

And with our design and construction processes rapidly transforming, as part of a digital built environment revolution, is it that we just BIM-it-all up in managing our cities? I am sure the National BIM Initiative identified these necessary connecting dots across the smart cities landscape...no?

And then we need to talk about data – both big and small – and ask ourselves, which data, and for what purpose? Because after all, data is tipped to be the currency of the future.

Smart cities standards are going to be fundamental if our movement is to unleash the sustainable transformation our cities need. And we need to talk about this, now.

Smart CitiesCouncil ANZ has identified smart cities standards as a core agenda for its 2017 program of activities and will be working with many industry partners such as the Internet of Things Alliance Australia. This is also a reason we partnered with IPWEA for the recent 3rd International Street Lighting and Smart Controls Conference, where another step was taken to advance the SLSC Program Roadmap that has been developed for the region.

Join us in helping build the smart cities movement, and accelerate the digital transformation of our cities.