A useful tool for municipal authorities and other organizations interested in implementing public interest initiatives through the use of ICTs
A city which aims to tackle public issues by adopting solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This is the definition of so-called smart cities, according to the authors of the study, Evaluación social de proyectos de smart cities (Social assessment of smart city projects), promoted by Open Evidence, a UOC spin-off, and the Centre for Telecommunications Studies of Latin America (cet.la).
The concept of smart cities has gained notoriety in recent years in academic circles, among public authorities and in the world of commerce. A smart city is a city which overcomes challenges or difficulties in the public sector through the use of ICTs. In spite of their growing importance, “few publications exist regarding the assessment of projects which define smart cities”, says Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva, one of the managers of Open Evidence and a researcher at the UOC Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences.
Types of indicators
To assess smart city projects, the authors of the report have established six factors:
● Smart economy: on the economic costs of the project.
● Smart governance: refers to factors related to the municipal administration.
● Smart mobility: includes indicators related to transport and ICTs.
● Smart environment: indicators related to energy consumption.
● Smart people: indicators on the population, their studies and their use of ICTs.
● Smart living: on the city’s quality of life.
The report highlights that if the contribution of ICTs is analysed sufficiently in the projects that make our cities smart, it will be possible to quantify the return on such initiatives for citizens. The study aims to be a useful tool for mayor’s offices, municipal authorities and other organizations interested in implementing public interest initiatives through the use of ICTs.
The study can be downloaded free of charge via this link.
Open Evidence
Open Evidence is an international quantitative consultancy which offers operational strategies and models for decision making through computer intelligence based on data. This spin-off from the UOC helps public administrations and companies adopt changes in the spheres of assessment and modelling, and in environmental, behavioural and health sciences.