Smart Government

Smart government means that government and administrative processes are handled with the help of intelligently networked information and communication technologies. Smart, i.e. intelligently networked objects and cyber-physical systems are used to fulfil public tasks efficiently and effectively. This contributes to sustainable governance and administration in the age of the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services.

At its core, it is about the intelligent networking of existing objects and networks, which are embedded in IT systems with extended functionality and are thus given a virtual identity with which they can communicate. Smart objects are extended everyday objects that are additionally equipped with sensors, actuators and a communication unit. They can be clearly addressed via a virtual representation on the internet. These things can be embedded and controlled in so-called cyber-physical systems. Systems consisting of intelligently networked real and virtual objects thus become self-controlling ecosystems that not only support people with information and analyses, but also take over automation and control independently. For example, a network of many distributed smart buoys in the sea can not only recognise emerging tsunami waves, but can also warn the population in the target area of the monster waves via emergency text messages using a control system and thus save lives via smartphone. A small technical enhancement unleashes such enormous potential for change.

Smart objects and cyber-physical systems can be used at all levels and therefore in the entire public sector, including in the legislature (smart parliament), the executive (smart nation, smart city, smart administration, smart police, smart military) and the judiciary (smart judiciary) as well as in public companies (smart public utilities, smart infrastructure, smart lighting, smart meters). Intelligent objects such as smartphones, smart glasses, smart televisions, interactive screens and networked clothing can be used in very different ways in ministries, authorities, decision-making processes and procedures. However, the greatest potential for change does not lie in smart paper with sensors, but in its transformation into new, intelligent, electronic formats or artefacts that can act on their own and trigger further processes. In terms of digital policy, the question arises as to how the state and administration want to use the possibilities of smart objects and cyber-physical systems to fulfil public tasks and where there is a need for regulation. The use of digital twins in conjunction with artificial intelligence, for example, opens up numerous options here, not only as a representative, simulator or monitor for monitoring and visualising real objects, but above all in the long term for controlling real objects remotely and in real time.

From a technical perspective, smart objects and cyber-physical systems represent the entry into the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services. The Internet of Things uses Internet protocols to ensure that objects and systems can be uniquely identified, addressed, used and, if necessary, controlled by people, programmes, services and data packets via an IP address. The Internet of Things thus stands for the global electronic networking of everyday objects and the direct mutual exchange of information between objects without human intervention in the sense of genuine machine-to-machine communication. In the Internet of Services, services and functionalities are mapped as fine-grained software components and made available by providers on request via the Internet. Web services, cloud computing and standardised interfaces make this possible. The close integration of the Internet of Services with the Internet of Things is based on the fact that a number of real things, such as paper, can also be converted into virtual things and web-based services with at least equivalent functionality and can be expanded to include additional sophisticated functions.

Smart government opens up a number of opportunities, but the state is treading a fine line in technical, economic and social terms when it comes to information and analysis as well as automation and control. Based on sensor data, the behaviour of people, things, services or data can be tracked worldwide through space and time. The movements of smart products and their interactions can be analysed at any time. This allows conclusions to be drawn about people and their behaviour. The visual evaluation of available sensor data on a display or smart glasses improves the physical perception of the environment and situation in real time. Easy-to-understand presentations and visualisations make decisions easier, sometimes without the need for reflection. This opens up potential for in-depth computer and sensor-driven decision analyses in difficult planning and decision-making situations. There is concern if decision-makers then permanently neglect their own thinking.

The data collected by smart government can also be used for automation and control. Based on current sensor data and user input, processes in closed systems can be optimised and controlled by actuators and feedback mechanisms. This opens up potential savings in terms of consumption, energy costs and necessary interventions. Taken further, this leads to complex autonomous systems that are used in open environments with a high degree of uncertainty, in which immediate and robust decisions by automated systems are required. It can be assumed that autonomous cars, buses and trains will redefine local public transport and public mobility. Future fleets of such self-driving taxis have the potential to make professional groups such as taxi drivers and bus drivers unemployed in the medium to long term.

Comparability with analogue phenomena

Systems for remote monitoring of public spaces or road traffic using binoculars or analogue TV cameras can be used for comparisons. Smart approaches are characterised by networking, constant operational capability, speed, digital data and automation. In the analogue world, warnings or interventions by government agencies are often difficult because they are labour-intensive and require qualified personnel. With the help of digital sensors(AI-based video surveillance), actuators (digital screens, light signals, SMS messages) and networking, monitoring and warnings can be automated. Significantly fewer personnel are required for digital analyses. Emergency and repair personnel are only dispatched when necessary. Communication about undesirable behaviour can take place digitally via smartphones. However, particular sensitivity is required in the public sector. Citizens and employees have numerous rights that must be observed in a state governed by the rule of law. Permanent surveillance of people, public exposure or even suppression through smart surveillance systems are not acceptable. Information, analysis, automation and control via the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services must be limited within the state and administration where they disproportionately restrict the desired living environments, working environments and freedoms of citizens, companies, civil servants, police officers, judges, defendants and other affected parties, violate data protection regulations or could even do worse. However, there are some countries around the world that use or interpret the potential of smart technologies in an unauthorised manner.

Social relevance

Smart government and administration approaches open up new opportunities for the state and administration. At the same time, they open up new opportunities for information and analysis as well as automation and control, some of which are viewed positively and some negatively. People decide how they deal with these technologies. Smart technologies are also being continuously developed, improved and made accessible to the market by science and industry worldwide outside of government and administrative applications. Smart objects and cyber-physical systems will be used wherever they lead to innovations, create added value, increase efficiency or reduce costs. Smartphones, for example, have already become established worldwide over the past 20 years. Smartwatches, smart glasses and drones are expected to have similar potential for widespread use. However, intelligently networked solutions can lead to disruptive changes in government, administration and the military. This is particularly true if the new solutions and value creation networks are superior to the way tasks have been performed to date. To date, many of these possibilities and the associated changes are barely known or recognised in their full breadth and depth. A constructive dialogue between politics, administration, science, business and civil society can help to ensure that smart government complies with the law and data protection regulations.

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