The smart city of Newark, NJ: Data analytics platform for economic development and policy assessment

Newark Industrial Data Analytics Platform (NIDAP) is intended to serve as a smart city infrastructure by building an industry network of shared database by major anchor businesses, about 400 small and medium manufacturers, and the city government of Newark, NJ. The partnerships among local university, industry, and government entities were formed to promote Newark’s industrial competitiveness and economic development. The NIDAP provides the stakeholders with infrastructure for information sharing to understand local supply-chain and business development, and for data analytics tools to support the performance and sustainability of economic growth, to analyze local workforce trends, and to assess the effectiveness and impact of economic policies by the city government. In this case study, we present the case of developing the NIDAP for providing manufacturing industry with visibility for contract opportunities, the Newark anchor institutions with procurement collaborations, and the city government with the ability to assess the impact of city’s economic policies and to dynamically evaluate economic policy alternatives.