Risk Management Report for Smart City OS - Hull's Journey to Becoming a Programmable City: Case Stud

Smart City OS - Hull’s journey to becoming a programmable city: Cas Study

Create a risk management report for the given case study.

In your report, include: 

1. Risk identification and impact assessment

• Identify possible risks for the case study and critically analyse the impact of these risks.

• Use a risk probability and impact matrix to rate and prioritise the risks.

• Develop appropriate response strategies to effectively manage identified risks.

• Complete a risk register for the case study.

• Identify and explain how stakeholders will be apprised of the project's ongoing risk management activities.

The fifth challenge paper, smart cities, urbanisation and connectivity from Projecting the Future explores major changes that will inevitably affect project management. Here’s how Hull is racing to become the UK’s first smart city.

For a city to become smart, it takes a combination of technologies and disciplines, seamlessly integrated, with an understanding of how a huge number of customers – the population of your city – with interact with it. In the UK, several cities are racing to become the nation’s smartest city, from London to Manchester to the country’s current leader, Bristol.

Against those larger cities, Hull might seem like the underdog, but it’s been making considerable in-roads over the past 12 months or so. In May last year, it was awarded £55,000 for smart solutions to reduce traffic congestion. Later in the year, it started a more ambitious project – to create a purpose-built, smart operating system (OS) for the city.

The project, Smart City OS is being delivered by Hull City Council, technology company Connexin and Cisco. Connexin has been working with cities such as Newcastle Upon Tyne to deliver smart city technologies, impacting on everything from lighting, mobility, security and waste.

“Developing Hull as a Smart City will give us the opportunity to work with public and private sector partners to deliver real benefits to communities, businesses and visitors to Hull,” says Councillor Daren Hale, Deputy Leader of Hull City Council.

Hull has been quietly upgrading itself over the past five years. Its small size – with a population of around 260,000 – has allowed it to make changes at a comparatively

quick pace. This has allowed Hull to become the UK’s first full-fibre city – it has the fastest broadband of anywhere in the UK, according to broadband choices.

Hull City Council had already worked with Connexin on a long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN), allowing for better business connectivity and the facility of Internet of Things devices. Creating its own OS seemed the next logical step.

The aim of the project is to increase and enhance data sharing and decision-making, allowing the Council to deliver more effective services across the board, from traffic management to health and social care.

“The system pulls together information that currently sits within separate council computer systems to enable city-wide management of the city’s public assets in real-time using state-of-the-art technology, says Hale. “Residents will receive better information to make choices about transport, traffic and parking. But this will be just the beginning of what is possible.”

Over the course of the project, it will drive new demand for a digitally skilled workforce, which will then boost Hull’s economy. The Council is investing in skills for its young people as a result.