Seattle has grown by 70,000 people in the past five years and will grow by 120,000 more by 2035 – a 31 percent population increase. Our city government staff will likely not increase at a similar rate, although the city’s needs will continue to grow. This includes everything from sustainability and energy use to safety and effective service delivery.

Data has the potential to drive innovation, improving both the quality of life and economic productivity. Technology creates new opportunities to use data to help reduce traffic congestion, fight crime, foster economic development, reduce greenhouse gases, and make local governments more open, responsive, and efficient.

Around the world, cities harness the power of sensors, engage citizens equipped with smartphones, cloud computing, high-speed networks, and data analytics. In Seattle, Mayor Murray has challenged departments to use data to make informed decisions, focus on performance management, and to become “Open by Preference” – making data publicly available to encourage development of innovative solutions that improve our quality of life.

Unlocking the promise of a smart, data-driven city requires a focus on data governance, consistent tools that facilitate cross-department collaboration, and educating the public on how to leverage the City’s resources.

MetroLab Network

In 2015, the University of Washington and City of Seattle joined a national network of university-city partnerships that will work on “smart city” solutions as part of a new White House Smart Cities Initiative.

The Metrolab Network consists of partnerships between research universities with expertise in engineering, robotics and computer science and cities looking to be test beds for 21st century solutions. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and UW President Ana Mari Cauce were one of 21 initial city-university teams to sign onto the collaboration.

Read more: http://metrolab.uw.edu/