The Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics, partner of the EU lighthouse project Ruggedised, is carrying out research whose outcome could empower urban data platforms, rendering them more accessible and unified. The study is conducted at European level and invites city platform owners and platform managers, to fill out a questionnaire by 25 December 2019. The results will be available by the end of January 2020.
Data Silos: A Competitive Disadvantage
Many smart cities and communities start with (pilot) projects that are confined to a specific vertical domain of the city, for example energy management or mobility. The EIP-SCC envisions urban data platforms to cut horizontally across verticals, bringing cross-silo data virtually together in one platform that aims to foster ecosystem innovation and community building. This vision is based on the following two premises:
- A truly smart city uses an urban data platform to maximise the value from city data by managing it as an asset;
- Every smart city project, apart from being scalable in its own right, must be able to connect to an urban data platform sooner or later.
Overcoming Inefficiencies of Urban Data Platforms
As part of the lighthouse project (SCC01) collaboration, the Erasmus University Rotterdam is conducting a European-wide research about the state-of-the-art of urban data platforms in Europe. The research explores “what it will take to help speed cities in deploying solutions that help digitize their services, and connect across them to maximise the benefits of modern ICTs?”. Moreover, how do European cities envision the role of urban data platforms in society and what role do they see for themselves and citizens in creating and using these platforms? What business and technical design choices have they made? And what are the drivers of success for urban data platforms?
The new study is a follow-up of the one conducted in 2018, which explored ‘the state of play’ of urban data platforms in European cities. A summary of the results of this study can be found here.
The objective of the 2019 study is to assess the state of play in cities and communities of all sizes across Europe. More importantly though, this time the questions are aiming at unearthing the drivers of urban data platform adoption, performance and impact.
City Platform Managers Wanted
To find answers to these and more questions, the survey should be filled by representatives of the platform owner (usually the municipality) and platform manager for every city. The outcome and insights of the study will be shared and presented during the Cities Forum in Porto, 30-31 January 2020.
Access to Questionnaire, Get Informed
To provide input for the study, please answer to the survey before 6 December 2019. By completing this questionnaire, you will be granted full access to the outcome of the research.
Please send the research team an email if you would like a personalised link to the questionnaire. The progress of participants using a personalised link will automatically be saved. You can continue later with the survey using the same personalised link. A summary of your responses will be sent to you after you have completed the questionnaire. The research team can assist you at any stage of the process.
In case of enquiries, please contact Research Assistant Julia Holst.
