Ubiwhere launches the document «Positioning for smart cities: Gaia-X and the future of data-centred public administration at Gaia-X DSBC»

The workshop discussions were centred on the "Gaia-X Academy" training platform and its convergence with national public policies. This session also mentioned key steps to reinforce the links between countries and ecosystems, foster collective intelligence and boost our digital future.

Written by Ricardo Vitorino, Head of Technical Communication at Ubiwhere, this position paper results from a collaboration between Gaia-X Hub Portugal, specifically the Smart Communities Technical Group led by Ubiwhere. It addresses the digital transformation of smart cities and regions through integrated data information and communication technologies. Structured to provide a comprehensive overview of data-centred public administration and Gaia-X’s contributions to the process, "Positioning for smart cities: Gaia-X and the future of data-centred public administration" is a document that details the concepts and requirements necessary for such data-centred administration, including administrative challenges and legal frameworks.

According to Ricardo Vitorino: "The next step towards networked, data-centred city and regional administrations is therefore of huge importance. On the one hand, using data-based systems extends and improves public services and sovereign tasks. On the other hand, more and more public and private actors will be involved in (digital) value chains. This is emphasised by the growing need to adopt more sustainable and resilient approaches to urban and regional development and to use digital tools and solutions for this purpose. This can speed up the necessary transformations in the energy, transport and infrastructure sectors."

With a focus on encouraging collaboration with companies, science and civil society and creating a favourable environment for technological innovation in the public sector, Gaia-X should be seen as an ecosystem for open and sovereign data spaces and examples of use cases. The document presents several use cases, such as two projects in which Ubiwhere participates as a consortium member - CityCatalyst and BeOpen - showcasing how the proposed solutions can be applied practically to create digital value in public administrations.

The document emphasises the importance of data-driven digital transformation to improve public services and make cities and regions smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient. It mentions the relevance of Gaia-X as a crucial entity to facilitate the digital transition and promote interoperability between different sectors. You can access the document in Portuguese for free below!