LAUNCESTON: big enough to matter, small enough to manage

Smart city The Launceston region is the ninth largest non-capital city region in Australia. Launceston region is now Australia's most digitally connected area. Launceston is the site of the northern Point of Interconnect (POI), which covers from the east coast to the west coast, embracing over half the population of Tasmania. Launceston is attracting many new start-up businesses based on high standards of connectivity.

We’ve got it all The success factors for fast city growth are: large population good connectivity high skill levels; good infrastructure (including housing) strong higher education institutions empowered local leadership

That’s approximately $46,300 per small business. The bottom line PWC estimates that Bass's small businesses can unlock an additional $143 million of private sector output over the next ten years from better use of internet and mobile technology That’s approximately $46,300 per small business. Key industries that stand to gain the most from better use of internet technology: Information Media and Telecommunications; Education and Training; Financial and Insurance Services; Health Care and Social Assistance; Manufacturing.

Best bangs for bucks Agribusiness Education e-Health Digital inclusion Data consolidation – government and private info New applications - oysters Collaboration - value chain monitoring Inform policy development – river flow modelling Education Educational delivery can be transformed at the tertiary, vocational and school levels bringing the world to the region and offering new paradigms of education. Launceston can be a place to test disruptive education models. The move of the UTAS campus to Inveresk offers a game changing opportunity for the region. E-Health The Ageing, Disability and Health care sector can use information and communications technologies to deliver health services and transmit health information over both long and short distances. It is about transmitting voice, data, images and information rather than moving care recipients, health professionals or educators. Digital Inclusion Disadvantaged groups and communities can be better connected and achieve better outcomes. Creating a sustainable, economically healthy city is dependent on the engagement of all citizens. Smart services that target disadvantaged groups can make expensive social aid programs better and cheaper. Smart city authorities should make it a focus to improve quality of life and service delivery for all layers of society, and should use technological innovations to increase the accessibility of services to disadvantaged groups in society.

Important lessons Opt in to smart Roll our own networks Build a web, not an operating system Extend public ownership Model transparently Build locally, trade globally Cross-train designers

Wait … there’s more Think long-term in real time Crowdsource with care Connect everyone Do sound urban science Fail gracefully ‘Slow Data’- identifying the missing bits, and understanding unintended consequences

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