IN a recent speech to the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Tony Moretta, chief executive of Digital Jersey, emphasised the “urgent need” for Jersey to embrace its potential as a smart island.
But what is a smart island and why should Jersey become one? In 2022, IDC (one of the world’s leading market intelligence agencies) released a briefing on smart islands. It defined a smart island as one that harnessed technology and data to drive better social, environmental and economic outcomes for citizens, businesses and visitors.
The IDC briefing outlined six guiding principles for creating a smart and sustainable island strategy. They were:
- Leadership, vision and user focus.
- Organisation and governance.
- Skills and technological foundations.
- Partner ecosystem.
- Measuring impact.
- Funding.
Jersey, said Mr Moretta, could be a real exemplar of what a smart island looks like, as it is, in the words of a director from Google, “a great ecosystem for innovation” because it has all the elements of a large country while being much more accessible.
WHY BECOME A SMART ISLAND?
There are, said Mr Moretta, four key reasons for taking this step.
Economic growth and sustainability: By leveraging data and technology, we can foster innovation, attract new businesses and revitalise existing sectors, propelling Jersey’s economy forward.
Data-driven decision-making: Informed decision-making across various sectors – from infrastructure development to healthcare – becomes the norm, leading to improved efficiency and better outcomes.
Enhanced efficiency and resource management: Smart solutions can optimise resource utilisation, leading to cost savings and a more sustainable future for Jersey.
Citizen engagement and wellbeing: Technology can streamline processes, improve access to services and enhance the overall quality of life for residents. However, he cautioned that there were challenges that the Island would need to overcome if it was going to achieve smart-island status. These, he said, included:
- Data silos and lack of comprehensive data collection.
- Limited investment in digital skills development.
- A hesitation to adopt new technologies and embrace cultural change.
WHAT WOULD BEING A SMART ISLAND LOOK AND FEEL LIKE?
Mr Moretta said that a smart island would be a place where data drove decision-making and public communication and that projects such as selecting a hospital site were undertaken not on anecdotes but on clear data.
He argued that Jersey’s digital evolution had been slow, citing the fact that the Island still gathers census data every ten years, has low voter engagement and an insufficient online electoral roll. He said that health data connectivity was lagging, and that the Digital Health strategy remained largely unexecuted.
“As the government can’t always see citizen data in a joined-up way, we are finding out the hard way what happens when we don’t connect our data to an increasingly digital world, for example when we can’t get credit cards as credit reference agencies can’t access electoral data or our postcodes don’t work in Apple or Google Maps,” he said.
“The Covid pandemic was a testament to what we can achieve when technology and data are put to good use. From educating our children remotely to managing border controls via digital platforms, we demonstrated exceptional adaptability and innovation. It’s this same spirit that we need to harness as we continue on our path to becoming a smart island.”
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO GET GOING ON OUR SMART-ISLAND JOURNEY?
At Digital Jersey’s Annual Review, a partner in law firm Pinsent Masons said that a place needed three components to be “genuinely smart”. These were:
- A digital twin.
- A data trust.
- A data platform and exchange.
“We already have a digital twin – quite a decent one, built and managed by specialists in Norway, containing government data, co-funded by JT, Sure, the States of Jersey Development Company, Ports of Jersey and operated by Digital Jersey,” said Mr Moretta. “We also have a data trust, which we set up in Lifecycle, using cycling data to plan safer cycling infrastructure.
“With one and two already in place, what about three? We intend to work with local and off-island partners, including the likes of Google, to build a Jersey Data Exchange. We are aiming at a pioneering approach to the collection, sharing and utilisation of data across Jersey, aiming to unlock unprecedented opportunities for data-driven decisionmaking and innovation.
“We will build an ecosystem that will bring together the three critical elements: an advanced data exchange platform, a robust legal structure and a suite of datavisualisation tools to provide users with insights and information previously inaccessible.”
Mr Moretta argued that, with the “right support”, such an ecosystem could “transform the Island’s data landscape” by:
- Unlocking new revenue streams for data providers through secure and trusted data sharing.
- Enabling access to a rich pool of data for innovators and decision-makers, thereby driving economic growth and societal development.
- Fostering transparency and collaboration among stakeholders through responsible data-sharing practices.
- Catalysing data-driven innovation and enhancing public services through improved decision-making capabilities.
“Established and operated by Digital Jersey, with our proven expertise and trusted by both industry and government, this ecosystem I hope will be an enabler of digital transformation for the whole Island,” he added. “By inviting participation from all stakeholders, the Jersey Data Exchange Ecosystem is set to build a stronger, more connected and innovative Jersey. With its strategic framework and forward-looking vision, it will be a significant leap towards realising the full potential of Jersey’s data assets for the benefit of all.”
