The power of smart solutions: Knowledge, citizenship and the datafication of Bangalore’s water supply
Taylor,Linnet Richter,Christine
Taylor,Linnet
Richter,Christine
Abstract
While plans to develop “smart cities” are gathering pace across the world, we know little about the ways in which the discourses of datafication, smartness, and big data play out in material contexts of urban development, including utility and resource management. In this paper, we explore this intersection in the case of Bangalore’s water supply, where IBM in alliance with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is implementing a water-flow sensor network and geographic database system under the label of “big data for water supply.” We illustrate how the BWSSBIBM approach narrows down the complex field of water provision to a question of water in- and out-flow measurements and the monitoring of BWSSB ground personnel. In theoretical terms, we discuss the ways in which these processes constitute both particular claims to knowledge, and the redefinition of citizenship as consumption.
Description
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Keywords
big data, water governance, india, Development, Citizenship, SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Citation
Taylor, L & Richter, C 2017, 'The power of smart solutions : Knowledge, citizenship and the datafication of Bangalore’s water supply', Television and New Media, vol. 18, no. 8, pp. 721-733. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476417690028