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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOR-19-017 - Digital Kitchener - 2019 UpdateREPORT TO:Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING:April 15, 2019 SUBMITTED BY:Dan Murray, Director of Technology Innovation and Services, 519-741- 2200 x7825 PREPARED BY:Dan Murray, Director of Technology Innovation and Services Sarah-Beth Bianchi, Manager of Digital Transformation and Strategy WARD (S) INVOLVED:All th DATE OF REPORT:March 29, 2019 REPORT NO.:COR-19-017 SUBJECT:Digital Kitchener -2019 Update ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: THAT staff be directed to begin work on the proposed opportunities for Digital Kitchener in 2019, as outlined in this report. BACKGROUND: by Council in January 2017. Digital Kitchener is a visionary strategy that guidesour path to be a smart city and approach the application of technology in interesting and creative ways. Digital Kitchener was developed with a significantstakeholder engagement plan far surpassing theand expanded the mandate of the Technology Innovation and Services division beyond an internal service provideras it had been previously been defined.Digital Kitchener includedsuch engagement efforts as: Reaching approximately150 staff from operations through workshops, questionnaires and in-person interviews Engaging nearly 100 citizens through seven of Ctees Hostingsessions with local postsecondary students Soliciting ideas fromlocal tech leadership and other community visionaries through the Reaching over 800 online users through two social media campaigns Co-developing a questionnaire with a local non-profit that generated 440responses *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 4 - 1 The result of these efforts was anew, multi-year vision for the use of information and technology that focused on four strategic themes: Connected, Innovative, On-Demand and Inclusive.These themes are further defined below in the report. In recognition that this strategy would run much broader than the traditional deployment of technology solutionsand that technology development moves at a brisk pace, staff have utilized a flexible approach to implementation through annual work planningfor Digital Kitchener.By selecting five to six focused opportunities on a yearly basis,Digital Kitchener hasbeen able to exercise greater flexibility in pursuingthe best opportunitiesrather than be tied to a static,tactical work plan. It also generated more opportunities for the City to create excitement around Digital Kitchener as a distinct body of work. This report provides an update to council on the previous planto dateand its proposed work for 2019. REPORT: Digital Kitchener anticipated a 4-yearvision which puts us at the halfway pointof the planned lifespan of the strategy. The following outlines the accomplishments of Digital Kitchener under each strategic objective since Council approved the vision inJanuary 2017. Connected:building smarter infrastructure to become a more competitive, more productive and more attractive place to live and work. With a lack of reliable data to determine overall internet performance and usage information, Kitchener participated in apilot project with the Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA) to deploy anInternet speedtest. Since deploying, nearly 10,380tests have been run by Kitchener residents and businessesproviding local Internet performance data. The insights from the CIRAspeed test later became an asset in working with the Region of Waterloo to support joining the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) fibre network project. We have been working with local stakeholders and SWIFT representatives to understand how SWIFT is currently waiting for funding agreements to be finalized in light of the change in provincial government in 2018.In late 2018, the SWIFT project released more data to the public that more clearly outlines the availability of what the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) defines a basic Internet service of 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload speed. In late 2017, the City finished the deployment of our narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) mesh network across the City. This deployment was completed as part of 4 - 2 retrofit of street lights to LED. Dimming schedules were implemented to the new LED streetlights maximizing the energy savings while meeting require illumination levels. th In 2018 we set out to better understand the driving investment factors for 5generation telecommunications networks (known as 5G)toguidethe development of proactive processes and establishing master agreements to allow access to city assets.This work led to the City approving the first telecommunications tower lease on City land which will improve cellular service to the Huron area and generate income from the land lease. Working proactively with service providers will ensure the City has more influence over the esthetics and locations of tower proposals and will signal to the service providers that we are preparedto work with them to deploy next generation communications infrastructure. Innovative:inspiring a community of creative mindsto drive change that has meaningful impact. In 2017, weset out toadopt start-up behaviors to better challenge our status quo.A primary outcome of this was to establish the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab at Communitech.The Lab was officially launched on November 28, 2017and welcomed its first co-op students in January 2018.The Lab has allowed us to develop a working relationship with Communitech and its many tenants including other enterprise labs located therewhile we are exploring IoT technologies that can transform our city services. Once the lab was established and operational in 2018, staff collaborated with various divisions to understand what business problems that could be solved leveraging IoT solutions and to build capacity for IoT at the City. The following are some of the accomplishments through that workby the lab and TIS staffin 2018: o Development of CLARA, an IoT data and analysis platform built using cloud technologies. This platform will facilitate the collection of data collected throughout many of our pilot projects and we hope to add some Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence capabilities over the course of time. o The Lab developed a low cost IoT data collector based on Arduino circuit boards and a Raspberry Pi computer. We continue to explore low cost sensor offerings and their applicationsas these will be helpful in future pilots. o We piloted garbage bin monitors in the downtown Molok receptacles. Unfortunately, this particular application did not work out due to the shape and size of bins but the technology itself may be useful in other applications. o Working with our Transportation planning staff, we have developed a Smart Parking pilot that will be trialed in 2019. o We are working with a local IoT firm to develop an IoT asset tracking device that will leverage our narrowband IoT network and allow the City to keep tabs on our many smaller assets such as park benches and picnic tables. o We are piloting pedestrian counting and bicyclecounting solutions to help better understand the usage of our trail networks. 4 - 3 o Working with the local IoT firm Eleven-X, we have developed a solution that will provide near real time collection of stormwaterflowdata that was previously manually collected. o We are very eager to work on the development of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) for water and gas services pending the certification of the meter equipment by Measurement Canada.Work has begun to consider aspects of a pilot deployment and we hope to movethis work forward as the equipment is made available to us. Kitchener also collaborated with the Open Data Exchange (ODX) on the Civic Challenge program. Two unique opportunities wereidentifiedand problem statements were defined with stakeholders. While the Civic Challenge program itself was unable to be completed due to project constraints and staff vacancies, both the problem statementsidentified in the process arebeingaddressed internallythrough staff collaborations and applying innovative thinking and technologies. In 2018, we restructured Technology Innovation and Services to include a Digital with City staff to help them transform their services and workflows leveraging technology. The results have been impressive to date and the demand for their services continues to grow. City staff have actively participatedin thedevelopment of the regional application for the . In June 2018, theSmart Waterloo Regionapplication for the Smart Cities Challenge was shortlisted as one of five finalists. ment has ensured Digital themesare representedin the submission.City staff remain engaged in this work and look forward to the federal government announcing the outcome in the next 3 months. In 2018, staff set out to consider more functional, collaborative work spacesat Kitchener facilities for staff. Staff looked at workplace trends being implemented at leading local companies known for their collaborative spaces and considered how these could be implemented in our common spaces. Subsequently, agroup of staff workedtogetherto th transform the 10floor common area to make it more usable for staff looking to work as teams in a more flexible space.New projection and display equipment was also deployedin meeting rooms at the Kitchener Operations Facility to allow staff to use mobile technology to collaborate more effectively. On Demand:enhancingaccess to open data and online services. In 2017, weset out to make our data more meaningful by putting it in the hands of more people. This work was achieved through a number of online service projects that aligned with this commitment, including: 4 - 4 Launching anewfederated open data websitewith a consistent look and feel with other municipalities within Waterloo region. This new site also enables visualizations of data and allows developers using open data to connect to live city data through Application Programming Interfaces (API) The City launched theTax and Utility Billing Portalallowing residents and businesses self-serve access to their billing information and utility usage. Throughout 2018, staff in Corporate Customer Service,Communications,and Technology Innovation and Services (TIS) have been working collaboratively on the development of newonline customer service and web experience that will consolidate relevant information in a personalized manner for each web visitor.This work will continue through 2019. Staff have been working collaboratively with stakeholders on privacy and security aspects in preparation for the wider adoptionof available cloud-basedtechnologies. Significant preparation work was completed in 2018 for an Office365 pilot. Throughout 2018, TIS staff deployed the latest Microsoft operating system, Windows 10,to over 1200 computers across the organization. Windows 10 offers many features to increase staff mobility, collaboration,productivityand overall network security. Inclusive:improving digital literacy and access so that Kitchener can be a community where no citizen is left behind. Working with stakeholders across the City and other agencies that offer digital inclusion programs such as KPL, we have been working to develop a morecomprehensive approach to City-facilitated inclusion programs. Recommendations for Council consideration are forthcomingthat will shapethe delivery of public access computers and free public Wi-Fi in our facilities. This work includes the development of a measurement framework for our offerings that is unique in the municipal space. TIS staff continue to improve our free public Wi-Fi in our facilities as new requirements are being surfaced by facility staff. A number of our community centres have requested expanded Wi-Fi coverage to meet the growing use of Wi-Fiin our facilities and to meet programming needs.We are working proactively to identify new opportunities to expand public Wi-Fi as facilities and public spaces are constructed or renovated. 4 - 5 Digital Kitchener Initiatives Proposed for2019 While initiativespursued in the last two yearswill continue, staff have also been assessing further opportunitiesthat align with the Digital Kitchener vision. Initiatives recommendedfor 2019 include: ThemeOpportunity Development of a 5G Readiness Plan based on 2018 work (Communicationtowerplacement, Small cells, and Municipalaccess agreementswith providers.) Wi-Fi installation in the downtown with Small Cell provisions using existing Cityplacedconduit. IoT pilot projects implemented Connected narrowband network including: Smart Parking Asset Tracking Pedestrian and Bike Counters AMR for Water and Gas (pending certification of devices by Measurement Canada) Ongoing and continued support of SmartWR Smart Cities Challenge proposal and resulting initiatives.Should the $50M grantnot be awarded to SmartWR, the City of Kitchener will collaborate with ourmunicipal partners to determine what initiatives we can help move forward in Innovative the absence of the prize funding. LeverageDesign Thinkingapproaches forexploring new opportunities and buildingfacilitation capacity among staff. Continued development of new customer service and web experience with personalized content for web visitors. Development of a corporate approach and decision On Demand framework for use of digitalformsto reduce paper and enable digital approval workflows. Microsoft Office 365 pilot deployment. Implementation of the Public Access to Technology program and related measurement framework (pending Council approval.) Inclusive Ongoing development and support of SmartWRpublic access initiatives for the Smart Cities Challenge proposal. 4 - 6 th These proposed areas of opportunity in 2019will be presented at committee on April 15. As with the work of Digital Kitchener in previous years,any actions from these initiatives requiring budget or resource consideration will be brought backto council for further consideration in the form of a staff report. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Strategic Priority:Effective and Efficient City Services Strategy:5.2Improve the design and delivery of city services so that provide what citizens want in the most reliable, convenient and cost efficient way. Strategic Action:#68 Corporate Technology Strategic Plan and Digital Kitchener FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: No financial implications at this time. Any initiatives resulting from Digital Kitchener with budget implications will be brought forward to council for consideration. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM th the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT The Digital Kitchener Strategy was approved in January 2017 after extensive consultation with stakeholders. COLLABORATE oration with various internal and external partners. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services 4 - 7