By Illinois Radio Network

CHICAGO – If Illinois is going to become a smart state, the entire state must be a part of any technological innovation according to a state tech leader.

Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology Director Hardick Bhatt said tech companies and the state are already looking at the ‘internet of things’ in Chicago, including things like smart meters for street lights and new ways to computer map traffic flow.

Bhatt says downstate Illinois also has to be a part of the smart state.

“A smart state is not pockets of smartness in Chicago,” Bhatt said. “But the entire state has an opportunity to apply technology to become smarter and more efficient.”

Bhatt says projects in downstate cities would simply be a little smaller than in Chicago.

“They too provide similar services. (Downstate communities) have police, education, they have health care. They have to manage their streets, they have to manage their street lights,” Bhatt said.

Bhatt said technology can vastly improve the service government delivers.

The challenge to overcome with using technology to improve these services downstate, according to Bhatt, is that people, places, and infrastructure are less concentrated than they are in Chicago.

However, not even Bhatt has a good guess where local governments or the state will get the dollars needed for the tech upgrades.