A group of public authorities in London have drawn up a draft declaration for generating and using data from internet of things (IoT) sensors.
The Greater London Authority (GLA), the London Office for Technology and Innovation (LOTI) and a number of local authorities have been involved in developing the Draft London IoT Declaration.
David Grasty, head of the digital strategy and portfolio for the London boroughs of Kingston upon Thames and Sutton, said on LinkedIn that the move is aimed at creating a common approach towards IoT data and creating the conditions for more collaboration between London’s public bodies.
“This means sharing experiences and agreeing on common minimum requirements for procurement, data standards, and implementation approaches that respect privacy and security,” he said.
The document is currently in draft version for feedback.
It involves six principles for the use of IoT data:
- citizen control over the use of personal data;
- transparency around the type of data being collected, why and how it will be used, to build public trust;
- that public authorities should own the data, not technology suppliers;
- that IoT solutions should be flexible and able to integrate effectively, using modular building blocks and infrastructure, with open standards to unify the data;
- operating on an open data basis for non-personal data to promote information sharing;
- and high levels of security.
The GLA and LOTI plan to take the lead in advocating the approach and to provide a home for the data, standards and relevant documents.
As part of the declaration, they urge local authorities to share their learnings, share potential uses of data, help to create standard requirements for IoT procurements and make use of frameworks to speed up procurements.
They are also encouraged to get involved in the information governance effort.
LOTI has been active in promoting the use of IoT sensors by London boroughs, having recently launched a project to explore the use of the technology in dealing with damp and mould in people’s homes.
