Answer to Question #191925 in Management for Vishal D Thawani

Question

The city of Leh is the joint capital & the largest town of the union territory of Ladakh in India. Leh is at an altitude of 3,524 metres (11,562 ft), and is connected via National Highway 1 to Srinagar in the southwest and to Manali in the south via the Leh-Manali Highway. You have been invited as an external IT consultant by Government of India with a mandate to convert Leh into a “Smart City”

a. Which “Smart” city in the world will you choose as a benchmark to emulate some of the best practices of that city into Leh? Provide atleast 3 reasons with brief descriptions behind your choice of choosing that particular city as a benchmark?

b. Suggest & describe atleast 2 innovative technology enabled services that you will introduce into Leh so that it can be called as a “Smart city”?

Answer 1

Benchmarking is the process of obtaining measurements and discovering the best performance being achieved. The information gained can be used in identifying gaps in the industry for competitive advantage. For instance, when there is a need to improve Leh city to Smart City, Singapore would be the best city for benchmarking for the improvement.

The first reason to prefer benchmarking in Singapore is that the city is considered the smartest city. Benchmarking in the best city would help get the best results in improving Leh city, consequently making Leh the best if Singapore's information is well analyzed and implemented.

Secondly, proximity would be a factor in choosing Singapore for benchmarking. Singapore and Leh are on the same continent, making the distance close. Therefore, it would be easy and less costly to travel during the course.

Also, Singapore would be a priority for benchmarking because the city is much populated Leh city. Singapore, a country on its own, has a larger population than Leh, just a district. Therefore, any technology or development involving people and has succeeded in Singapore will work even much better in a less populated city like Leh.

Introducing digital data collection using sensors would make Leh a smart city. Digital information collection throughout the city using sensors linked to aggregation boxes would ensure data collected is enormous and is sent to appropriate agencies for analysis and action in delivering services.

Also, digitalizing services would be vital in making Leh a smart city. For example, introducing a monitoring system for bus drivers using artificial intelligence will help reduce traffic accidents caused by fatigue. Besides, such an innovative technology reduces paperwork and makes service delivery efficient.

Benchmarking is fundamental in setting the foundation for improvement intended in any industry. Proper use of the obtained information from the benchmarking course brings better results in any intended improvement.