Fast Growing Dutch City Applies IBM Analytics to Improve Services to Citizens

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- During Smart City Expo and World Congress,  IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that the City of Almere, the seventh largest city in the Netherlands and part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, will use predictive analytics software from IBM to support improved service provision to its citizens. The City of Almere is the first local government organization in the Netherlands to infuse analytical insights based on existing, publicly available data into municipal operations to better manage resources.

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Almere was established as a new town in 1975 and has since then been one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Being the youngest city in the Netherlands with approximately 200,000 residents and 80,000 jobs, the city has been tasked by the central government to double in size by approximately 2030. To support this rapid growth, IBM analytics software will help the city make sense of the available data to make smarter decisions, quickly resolve problems and improve operational efficiency.

The City of Almere will use the analytics solution to improve the municipality's ability to provide services to citizens. By making it easier to import data and prepare and automate analysis and reporting, IBM SPSS predictive analytics software makes it possible to create an accurate data set using the city's available records to improve decision-making. This insight is used to help Almere improve the allocation and administration of citizen benefits, allowances and subsidies. By using IBM analytics software, the city is able to dramatically improve what used to be a tedious, largely manual process.

The city can now, for example, gain insight into the large volumes of public data, which helps it to more effectively define and identify which citizens are eligible for benefits. It can also better determine if current benefits are up to date and provided on the basis of correct data, or if further investigations are needed. Furthermore, the analytics software will be used to develop methods for predicting socio-economic anomalies in the city so that preventative measures can be taken.

"By identifying trends and patterns in data and helping to predict potential future outcomes, IBM analytics enables us to better understand challenges, allocate the resources we have available and optimize decision making," said Gerhard Dekker, head of research and statistics at the City of Almere. "The solution allows us to translate the insight into targeted actions, processing benefit applications much more quickly to provide the best service to our citizens. It helps us on the road to develop a smart society within a smarter city."

"Almere is becoming a global icon for socially and economically sustainable growth,"said Michael J Dixon, PhD, general manager, Smarter Cities, IBM. "City leaders are creating a dynamic environment where innovation is improving most every process that touches its citizens. We're pleased that the City of Almere is working with IBM in support of their Smarter City initiative."

IBM SPSS predictive analytics software supports monitoring of important indicators, going far beyond the possibilities of traditional spreadsheet software, and helps target weak spots as well as identify recommendations for action.

IBM is building on experience gained from Smarter Cities engagements around the world. Working with IBM, city leaders can now monitor, measure and manage a wide range of city services such as water management and intelligent transportation among others. Using advanced technologies, like analytics software, IBM is helping cities of all sizes apply intelligence to their city operations to deliver better services to their citizens.

IBM has also established the world's deepest portfolio of analytics solutions, growing its business and industry expertise to approximately 9,000 business analytics and optimization consultants and 400 researchers, and created global analytics solution centers in Berlin, Beijing, Dallas, London, New York, Tokyo, Washington and Zurich.  In addition, IBM has acquired more than 30 companies to build targeted analytics and information expertise and continues to expand its ecosystem, which today consists of more than 27,000 IBM business partners. IBM has also secured hundreds of patents a year in analytics. 

For more information on the City of Almere: http://english.almere.nl/

For more information on IBM Smarter Cities, visit www.ibm.com/press/smartercities.

For more information about IBM Business Analytics: www.ibm.com/software/nl/analytics.

CONTACT: Holli Haswell, +1-512-680-0593, [email protected]

SOURCE IBM