Staff Reports | Science & Technology
The city of Scottsdale took the top spot in the Center for Digital Government’s annual Digital Cities Survey, ranking No. 1 among cities with populations between 125,000 and 249,999, City Hall officials tell the Digital Free Press.
This national survey recognizes cities that excel at leveraging technology to enhance citizen services, privacy rights, transparency and cybersecurity.
Scottsdale is the only Arizona municipality to rank No. 1 in any category, officials at City Hall say.
“Scottsdale’s commitment to fostering innovation is at the heart of our success,” said Bianca Lochner, Scottsdale’s chief information officer. “One of our top accomplishments this past year has been the expansion of our AI governance and low-code platforms. Implementing a cutting-edge AI governance platform has empowered our teams to innovate with AI while ensuring ethical, transparent and compliant usage across all city systems.”
The Center for Digital Government said Scottsdale retained the top spot because of its digital transformation leadership and several recent achievements.
Here are just a few:
- Implementation of a new AI platform that scans city systems for use of AI, surveys employees and vendors on their AI practices, and aligns identified risks with the AI Risk Management Framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Participation in a pilot program with the AI solution Amazon Connect, in partnership with Amazon Web Services, in its citizen services call center.
- Launch of a comprehensive citywide data strategy to advance data collection, integration and analysis
- Investment in public safety with the city’s new real-time crime center
- Introduction of new resident engagement platforms like Speak Up Scottsdale
- Launch of a new city website that enhances the online experience through a mobile-responsive design, enhanced search functionality, action- and topic-oriented organization, an intent-based user interface and improved accessibility
