SmartView

Puts real-time city information in people's pocket.

SmartView has been developed with the goal of becoming the go-to digital destination for Christchurch visitors and residents; a first step into creating a consistent, city-wide, digital experience that will make Christchurch, NZ’s most connected city.

SmartView pulls together real-time data from a range of public and private organisations, making information easy to access. Developed internally in 2017, SmartView has grown to provide more than 50 datasets in a simple, informative way which is useful for citizens and visitors of Christchurch. Because it is a website rather than an app, it can be used in any browser, on any device. Shortcuts and favourites can be created, and notifications can be turned on for specific information.

SmartView has been set up for easy replication which gives us the opportunity to provide this service to other councils. It uses real-time data from the Christchurch City Council as well as a range of other sources, from providers in the private sector and local and central government, who are sharing their information for the good of Christchurch.

SmartView provides useful data such as:

• where mountain bike tracks are and whether they’re open
• where the nearest bus stop is and what time the next bus arrives
• environmental data like air quality, tides, and recent earthquakes
• how to get to places and events
• where to see street art
• what the weather’s doing
• arrivals and departures at the airport
• local bin collection
• tourism information
• transport information such as traffic congestion, roadworks, planned, & unplanned events
• wayfinding information including on-street and off-street parking (whether commercial or Council)

SmartView was a finalist in the 2021 IDC Smart City Awards – Civic Engagement. SmartView continues to be updated to include more data and improved to be as user-friendly as possible. The app now visualises 60 datasets and has had 175,000 users, 1,060,000 page views, and 376,000 user minutes spent looking at city data.

SmartView can be accessed at SmartView Christchurch (ccc.govt.nz), and Smart Christchurch welcomes feedback!

Our replication strategy

We aim to work with other councils to help create their own local version which will eventually feed into SmartView New Zealand, allowing a seamless and connected experience for our citizens and visitors.

Progress