In the next 3 decades, more than 6.5 billion people are expected to live in cities around the world – almost twice the population of cities today.  Rapid urbanization and innovation are a new reality that municipal leaders will need to address.  New approaches are needed to manage transportation, waste, water, utilities, and citizen programs in cities of the future that will see:

• Increased carbon emissions and consumption of natural resources,
• A balance between fiscal constraints and dealing with aging infrastructure,
• Complexity of regulatory policies that will need to change to enable innovation and economic recovery, and
• Higher expectations that citizens will have on how services should be delivered and managed – simply, digitally, and at their convenience.

 

At Microsoft, our Vision is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.  As local governments continue to look for new ways to invest in smart and sustainable solutions, we are helping to build new strengths in data, cloud and artificial intelligence that will set the foundation for the cities of tomorrow.

 

The Challenge: Building for Sustainability

In 2018, Canada was ranked the 10^th largest country for carbon emissions globally, and the government have acknowledged our responsibility to reduce our national carbon footprint.  Canada has made a commitment to net-zero for carbon by 2050, which supports the Paris Agreement to see a 30% reduction in global emissions by 2030. 

Building for a sustainable Canadian future, however, is complex and requires innovative technology solutions and approaches to ensure that our ambitious commitments can be met, with strong partnerships between governments and businesses.  The world is changing, and the right blend of technology can help play a leading role in achieving sustainability targets.  It is estimated that 70% of new value created over the next decade will be based on digitally enabled platforms, many of which are available to municipalities today:

• Chatbots – which run over two-thirds of first contacts for governments and organizations across the world,
• Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things – sensors built into almost anything to deliver intelligence and control that will drive efficiency, lower cost, and an optimized citizen experience,
• Zettabytes of information and data that can be accessed safely, securely and with a focus on privacy, to help understand the environmental targets that governments and businesses could, should and will achieve.
• Opportunity to add Cloud for Sustainability platform here – partner to extend the value and insights for Canada?

Do you have a creative idea for a digital product that would leverage the Microsoft platform to revolutionize Canada’s approach to carbon emissions?  How could your product substantially contribute to cutting our carbon emissions and meeting global and/or national targets?  How would that benefit your clients, be they government departments, businesses, or individuals?  What technical or policy constraints would you need to address for your product to be successful?

Over the past 2 years, cities around the world have experienced unprecedented economic impacts in responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic.  At the same time, governments have invested in technology solutions to support their citizens, workforce and local businesses and through an accelerated digital transformation that has created new ways of delivering services and programs.

 

At Microsoft, our Vision is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more – and that has never been truer than the efforts we are putting forward to help governments deliver innovative, trustworthy, and standards-based digital programs and services for all that will help cities recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19.

 

The Challenge: Post Pandemic Economic Recovery

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many small business-owners are unsure of what the future holds, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industries. In the coming months, national and provincial support programs will end for small businesses without a clear end in sight for pandemic restrictions. While these funding programs will end, capacity reductions, client hesitancy, and ongoing outbreaks still present challenges for local businesses in Ontario to maintain profit margins.

Cities rely on the hospitality industry, tourism, and local retail to drive economic prosperity; local businesses are desperate to find ways to drive costs down while bringing customers back into stores and restaurants.  While local governments continue to safely relax restrictions, small business needs better ways of understanding the rapid changes to policies, and their responsibilities in keeping consumers and staff safe while managing their own risk and liability.    The role of the employee has changed overnight, and businesses need help in equipping their workforce with the skills and supports they need in order to adapt their roles to this new digital norm.

 

Do you have a creative idea for a digital product that leverages the Microsoft platform and would revolutionize the post-pandemic landscape? How could your product contribute to economic recovery for small businesses particularly in hard-hit industries in Ontario? How would the product benefit your client specifically, be it a government, business, or individual consumer?  Does your solution support exceptionally impacted or underrepresented groups and sectors (such as the not-for profit or arts and culture industries)?  Are there technical or policy constraints would you need to address for your product to be successful?