Smart city transformation doesn’t just affect the infrastructure and operations of a community; it enables purposeful, data-driven decision making that enhances the quality of life for citizens. A true smart city is made up of an ecosystem where all participants – from private and public sectors to non-governmental organizations to citizens – benefit and gain value from investments.
Collaboration is the key to unlocking smart city potential, and new, modern collaboration technologies like HxGN® Connect, our new cloud-native, SaaS collaborative workspace, make smart city transformation more achievable.
Below are the top five benefits of collaboration technologies for smart city operations.
Secure data sharing
Historically, data sharing initiatives have been one-way streets with a central entity capturing most of the value or limited to a specific type of data or workflow. There are also a host of liability and security concerns, which lead to siloed workflows where only a select few are privy to vital information, causing organizations to worry about uncontrolled access and data being copied or used out of context.
HxGN Connect gives you the power to own and manage your own data by serving as a neutral facilitator. You create your own rules of engagement, while we provide you with the workspace to operate. Data owners make decisions about what they share, setting and maintaining their own privacy standards in the workspace. HxGN Connect does not store sourced data or grant administrative rights to control the collaborative space. Instead of publishing or allowing others to download datasets, HxGN Connect users access information from the source.
Seamless data integration
Intra- and inter-agency collaboration projects rarely succeed due to the seemingly overwhelming task of data system integration. Organizations need a way to intuitively integrate data systems to get collaboration projects off the ground, and they need the option to own their interface and data integration to eliminate reliance on vendors and cut costs of building interfaces externally.
HxGN Connect eliminates data silos by leveraging Hexagon’s Xalt | Integration, specifically focused on integrating different devices, systems and applications to easily deliver data. Its data integration platform and prebuilt interfaces are capable of interfacing to diverse data types and message formats across public safety, government and other domains.
Responsive, ad hoc capabilities
Organizations could spend millions of dollars and hundreds of hours setting up a data sharing system with rules for every perceived scenario, but they will always need to make changes as situations arise or shift. When this happens, ad-hoc changes need to be made quickly and without formal IT requests or reaching out to a vendor.
With HxGN Connect, you can make ad-hoc changes instantly. You can set up new layouts, change data sharing rules, scale to the scope of an event and form collaboration channels as new situations arise. HxGN Connect also provides temporary guest licenses for collaboration on spontaneous events with individuals or agencies without a subscription.
Intuitive user experience
Traditional GIS and ERP systems often lack the ability to offer flexible data integration with an organization’s core system, only connecting with other systems within the organization and with users performing similar roles between organizations. They don’t link diverse roles, organizations, sectors and geographic areas. This type of system is typically owned by another department in the organization and has numerous stakeholders who rely on a select few to make changes without disrupting its core function and user base.
HxGN Connect is designed with the user in mind. The UX adjusts to fit organizations with different operating styles, cultures, data and workflows and is not limited or constrained by an underlying business system. Users can create ad-hoc layouts in seconds using an aesthetically pleasing, customizable user interface.
Collaboration in the cloud
Deploying a multi-department, multi-organizational or multi-jurisdictional collaborative system can take years and cost millions. Many organizations resort to traditional forms of communication to save time and money, which leads to siloed data, misinformation and slower response times. This can lead to loss of revenue, property and life, depending on the scenario. Organizations need a way to set up a system quickly without spending millions for new IT infrastructure and ongoing maintenance costs.
HxGN Connect is a cloud-native system requiring no on-premises infrastructure. All you need is a subscription to participate in the network without the hassle of 6–12-month integration cycles. You can set HxGN Connect up in a matter of days and weeks, as opposed to years and months. And because it operates in the cloud, you save thousands of dollars by eliminating expensive, point-to-point interfaces with other agencies.
Learn more
Are you ready to reimagine collaboration? Find out more about HxGN Connect.
Enjoy this post? Subscribe to our blog and have industry insights delivered right to your inbox each week. Subscribe now.
