Citizen-Driven Innovation
Read this guidebook, which explores smart cities through a lens that promotes citizens as the driving force of urban innovation. It presents different models of smart cities that show how citizen-centric methods can mobilize resources to respond innovatively to challenges in governance. The living lab approach encourages agile development and the rapid prototyping of ideas in a decentralized and user-centric manner.
How can mayors and public administrators create partnerships that drive value in their communities through citizen-driven innovation?
How can sustainability be integrated into municipal strategies and solutions?
How can city leaders join forces to learn and network globally?
Starter Pack
Technology Paradigm - Open Data
Description
The main premise of Open Data – that information should be freely available to all – is not new, though the term has recently taken on specific meaning with the publication of public sector information on the internet. Open Data is related to principles of participation and transparency as much as it is to the technologies, which in fact can range from making available files for download to real-time web services structured to be directly accessed by mobile applications.
Use
One of the central tenets of the Open Data philosophy is that governments hold a wealth of valuable information but third parties such as software houses are better at transforming that information into value adding services. Governments are thus encouraged to publish whatever data they have in a 'raw' format (i.e. numbers rather than graphs), allowing unexpected and creative uses to be made of it and creating important business opportunities for local enterprises.
Typologies
Open Data is generally classified using five stars for levels of usefulness. The first three levels refer to types of file available to download; at the lowest level are documents only a human can understand (text or a pdf); next come structured 'machine-readable' formats (i.e. an Excel file) followed by the same in a non-proprietary (i.e. non-Microsoft) standard, usually CSV (tables of data with columns separated by commas). Four stars implies the jump to uniquely identified resources that are directly accessible 24 hours a day. The highest level is reserved for LOD (Linked Open Data), which provides links between sources of data to facilitate associations and searches in a 'web of data' scenario.
Issues
While Open Data is a fast-growing phenomenon, there are several open issues: Adoption by public administrations of clear guidelines on data quality,
privacy, and security so that staff know how and what to publish.
The gap between the process of opening and publishing data and the development of applications by external actors.
The gap between the general philosophy and benefits of Open Data and the level of technical expertise required to define and implement a strategy.
Implementation
Definition and deployment of an Open Data strategy needs to focus on engagement of both the developer communities and the local citizen and business communities. The first group helps define guidelines for the publication of Open Data and the organization of development contests and events (Hackathons) to make published data useful. The second group helps clarify the ultimate use of government data and therefore define strategies and priorities. Finally, it is essential to engage key actors across the public administration to enact a diffused Open Data policy.
Open Data
Cases
The CitySDK initiative has defined unified Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) towards their data services, making it easier for
developers to transfer an app developed from one city to another for a
more attractive investment opportunity. The CitySDK experience shows how
the interface needs to structure the data flow in tight collaboration
from the city side.The Citadel platform allows any small city or even citizens and businesses to convert and publish their own Open Data at practically no cost, with an App Generator Tool that allows for an immediate visualization of different datasets.
Impact
Direct engagement in Living Lab processes for Open Data allows city officials to manage the constant technological change in the areas of new available technologies, devices, applications, and use cases. The Open Data paradigm is likely to spread rapidly in the coming years, to eventually become an integral part of public service provision in a range of aspects.