ARTICLE | Data Governance
Using technology to combat COVID-19
Technology adoption across cities has been key to providing better service delivery to citizens and enhancing the quality of life. The smart infrastructure and solutions adopted by smart cities facilitated their response to the COVID-19 pandemic using data analytics for evidence-based decision-making, including predictive modeling Radhika Matta | Editorial Assistant
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s part of the Smart City Mission pandemic response strategy, many Indian smart cities effectively used the Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCCs), which are the ‘brain and nerve centre’ of the smart cities. Most Indian cities are using their ICCCs as ‘COVID-19 War Rooms’ to effectively coordinate and monitor activities of various state and city agencies. Using them, cities brought together civil society organisations, local businesses
38 July 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in
and others on a single platform through their websites and mobile applications to collaborate with the city administration. To leverage city data for the envisaged benefits in planning and governance, institutions across the world have stressed upon the necessity of evolving a culture of data usage in governance machinery. The quick adoption of technology solutions by Indian smart cities was facilitated by specific measures instituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) of the Government of India.
COVID-19 response by Indian Smart Cities
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) used the technological expertise and capabilities of its residents to combat the pandemic. With the support of city-based IT organizations, BBMP adopted several technology solutions to set up a COVID-19 War Room, dashboards and mobile applications for contact tracing and various other services. In March 2020, this 24x7 command-andcontrol centre helped to map each COVID positive case in the city using Geographical Information System, track healthcare workers using the Global Positioning System, and draw up containment plans using heatmapping technologies. With the pandemic affecting industries and residents, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), with support from the Surat Smart City Development Limited (SSCDL), has
