An urban operation and management center was set up within the municipal government of Shanghai in late March to make the government's services smarter by connecting data from different administrative bodies.

The center, which collects big data from administrative bodies, will organize, coordinate and guide the operations of different government departments, as well as create development plans for Shanghai and key projects in the city.

The center also has the ability to perform real-time monitoring of the city and will provide warnings against possible emergencies so that precautions can be taken.

The center has so far set up a network which connects the data from the Shanghai Meteorological Service, the Shanghai Water Authority, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, the Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd and the city's two airports and metro lines.

As the data and information from different bodies are now centralized, supervision and guidance can be provided at a higher level, said the center's director Suo Xiaodong.

The center will further upgrade and transform its work flow to make government services more accessible. Barriers will be further removed to link data from various bodies. Artificial intelligence will also be used to make government services smarter, said Suo.