Page 20 - Are You Future Ready?

to do so. The book challenges us to consider ‘are we
ready?’ here in Hong Kong. A characteristic of the smart
cities identified above is that they spend wildly more on
research and development than does Hong Kong. Devoting
only about 0.8% of GDP to R&D (compared to 2-3% in our

competitors) is a conscious choice. We need to ponder as
a community why we do not value R&D. Only by investing
substantially more than we do today can Hong Kong hope
to achieve its smart city potential.

Chapter 3 focuses on how geospatial data and location
018 technology transform our world and urban management.

Consider Hong Kong’s future as a completely driverless
city, a future that is certain to come although exactly when
we cannot say. GIS and similar technologies will enable
us to realise the efficiencies of this change. We will know
where public transport is and when we can expect it to
arrive. Completely driverless and shared transportation
will improve productivity, safety, and the experience of
moving around our city. To maximise the benefits of these
developments we need open data and legislating on this

is the role of government. Many of the cities discussed
in Chapter 2 are making huge strides in this area. Are we
prepared for this?