Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur Highlights Citizen Participation Through Open Data

Kuala Lumpur, September 2025 (VoM): The Smart City Expo Kuala Lumpur showcased innovative approaches to building more inclusive, sustainable, and citizen-driven cities, with a strong focus on open data and community engag

During one of the key sessions, experts highlighted how open data platforms can transform urban planning and management. The City of Melbourne’s Pedestrian Counting System was presented as a leading example of how technology can support true smart citizen participation.

The system collects and visualizes pedestrian movement data through a user-friendly dashboard, enabling city authorities, businesses, and citizens to:

Inform decisions about urban planning and management.

Identify opportunities to improve city walkability and transport.

Measure the impacts of events and marketing campaigns on pedestrian activity. Monitor retail activity in real time.

Assist the business community in developing effective marketing strategies and resource planning.

The discussion also emphasized the importance of combining top-down and bottom-up approaches, such as digital twins integrated with citizen science. Furthermore, the promotion of open-source platforms, data commons, and global learning networks was identified as essential to empowering citizens in shaping the future of their cities.

Technology tools like OpenStreetMap, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, and OpenAerialMap Foundation were cited as key enablers of smarter, more participatory urban ecosystems. As cities worldwide grapple with challenges of rapid urbanization, the session underlined that citizen participation, supported by accessible data and technology, remains a cornerstone of building resilient and inclusive smart cities.