This is not a new idea but it is one we generally don’t see the potential for. It is also a more medium to long term idea. 

Data is routinely collected by a variety of Departments within Government for various reasons, such as statistics for the population. However, it tends to take a long time to collect and store or may happen every few years and so on. 

I am suggesting that in the development of a SMART island (and not a SMART City), you can collect data in real time, such as traffic data, which allows you to do a number of things. For example:

1. Real time analysis of areas of interest such as traffic flow, which would provide information to citizens of Barbados to help them in their daily routines, business etc. 

2. Enable Government Departments to make faster decisions. Provide needed data for long term decision making. 

3. Improves data collection and management techniques. 

4. Government can earn revenue by enabling access to selective parts of the data for a fee. For example, Software Developers can be charged a data usage fee for building apps such as an app to monitor traffic congestion in real time. 

For this to work, development of Data Privacy and Usage laws will have to take place. I would strongly recommend that all persons paying to use the data be required to make it accessible to the disabled. The latter point is important since persons with disabilities make heavy usage of mobile devices and the associated apps. 

In terms of collecting information in real time, one could use the Internet of Things, WiFi, input via the  population using mobile apps and so on. 

Finally, the reason I stated a SMART island versus a SMART City, is that our cities are too small to generate any useful data, in this context. However, the island or at least the parishes surrounding the city would be more useful in this exercise. 

Regards,

Colin Depradine