New smart cities group established at Taipei summit

The Global Organization of Smart Cities (GO SMART), initiated by the Taipei City Government, was yesterday established in the capital and held its first meeting in the afternoon.

The launch event was held at the Smart City Summit and Expo at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and attended by more than 100 city and industry representatives yesterday morning.

Su Liang (蘇亮), head of the GO SMART preparatory advisory committee, said the organization was prelaunched in March last year and has been founded to create a global platform for the exchange of smart city information, experiences, and associated problems and solutions.

So far, 130 members, including 92 cities, have joined the organization, he said.

“Taipei’s vision is to become a livable city, providing its citizens with lifestyles that are sustainable, high quality and continuously improving,” Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) said. “To achieve these ends, Taipei takes advantage of smart technology to meet its residents’ needs.”

The Taipei Smart City Office was established in March 2016, and it has facilitated more than 160 proof-of-concept projects through public-private partnerships, Teng said.

The Taipei Computer Association said that the nation has developed great skill sets in terms of flexibility, speed and cost efficiency in the information and communication technology industry, bringing great advantages for developing smart cities, and that it has the potential to become a key contributor to smart cites.

GO SMART also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Local Government Association of Queensland on cooperation.

Queensland Government Trade and Investment Commissioner for Taiwan Patrick Hafens said that every city in Queensland has membership, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of smart city solutions.

(source from: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/03/28/2003712327)