NSW Regional Tech Expo pitches citizen safety as benefit

Stuart Coggins, from computer software company Oracle, told students how surveillance was among the 'smart technology' increasingly being adopted by councils.

Mr Coggins said while smart cameras on police officers and closed-circuit television was being rolled out 'everywhere' to keep citizens safe, it would be up to young people to design the rules around what authorities could do with the data.

Councils looking to modernise their city using smart technology have considered software which allows drivers to book car parks using an app, as well as technology which detects when bins need emptying or street lights need changing.

Smart city technology also includes the use of cameras to detect potholes and damage to public property.

Mr Coggins said hospitals have successfully trialed automatic food carts which steer themselves through the halls and smart officers have introduced automated lighting and temperature control.

He said Singapore was a global leader for how a smart city operated and pointed to Newcastle's 2017-2021 smart city proposal as one of the most progressive he'd seen locally.

Mr Coggins said while the economic, safety and sustainability benefits of a smart city was clear, breaking down people's concern of data collection was a barrier.

"Cyber security is the biggest hurdle to smart town development," Mr Coggins said.

"We need to give people the confidence that data is being used for the greater good and on the whole it is."