More Chinese cities getting smarter

More Chinese cities have completed work on digital systems and are set for an upgrade towards becoming "smart cities", according to the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation. Smart cities use technology to make infrastructure and services more intelligent and efficient. In 2006, China launched a national initiative to build citywide digital systems and as of June this year nearly 320 prefecture-level and 150 county-level cities had been involved in the digitalization process, the administration said. Among them, more than 170 prefecture-level and 40 county-level cities have completed their digital geo-systems and put them into operation. These cities are ready to be designated "smart".