Marulina Outlines Three Keys to Smart City Development

Jakarta Communication, Informatics and Statistics (Kominfotik) Agency Head Marulina Dewi outlined three keys to smart city development in Jakarta: lead, transform, and impact.

A smart city is about how technology can actually help address problems in society

Marulina said organizational readiness, human resource capacity, governance, and data integration are essential to ensuring technology is implemented in a coordinated way across government agencies (OPDs).

JAKI & Fellowship Cities Forum 2026 Strengthen Digital Public Services

"The most important thing is ensuring that organizations, institutions, and government agencies are ready to make technology truly impactful and part of public services," Marulina said at the JAKI & Fellowship Cities Forum (JFCF) 2026 at Jakarta City Hall on Thursday (8/20).

She stressed that a smart city should not be measured by the number of technologies or applications used by the government, but by the impact they have on residents.

Technology, she said, must be able to address urban challenges while making people's lives easier.

"A smart city is about how technology can actually help address problems in society, tackle urban challenges, and make people's lives simpler," she noted.

Marulina explained that smart city development should begin with leadership that understands residents' needs and has a clear development direction. Technology then serves as an enabler to drive transformation and ultimately create a tangible impact for residents.

In Jakarta, technology is being used for media monitoring and social public listening to track issues emerging in the community. The Jakarta Provincial Government also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to support data-driven analysis and decision-making.

In addition, Jakarta Smart Eye integrates nearly 12,000 CCTV cameras to help monitor conditions and activity across the city. The system is also supported by free Wi-Fi access at nearly 3,000 public spaces.

For public services, the JAKI app has integrated 101 government applications and services. JAKI also features Cepat Respon Masyarakat (CRM), which receives around 800 public complaints each day and forwards them to the relevant OPDs.

Marulina stressed that all these innovations are aimed at creating a government that is transparent, responsive, accountable, and efficient, while also increasing public participation.

"Jakarta is always ready to serve as a showcase for other local governments and is also ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs," she said.