Cities and communities are in a unique position as they can be both providers and consumers of data and services. Hence, they have the potential to bring together a wide range of information in a harmonised manner to provide intelligence, and ultimately improve the delivery of services and quality of life for citizens and communities. However, the silos of cities and communities, the lack of interoperability and the ability to securely and efficiently share data together with the absence of effective business models burden such an effort. Data spaces, intended as an infrastructure that enables data transactions between different data ecosystem parties based on the governance framework of that data space, address these challenges, by bringing together a variety of data from different sources on local, regional, or national levels and act as an enabler of data-driven innovations like local digital twins.
The European way of digital transformation in cities and communities
Local Data Spaces
Local Data Spaces
Data spaces, intended as an infrastructure that enables data transactions between different data ecosystem parties based on the governance framework of that data space, bring together a variety of data from different sources in a harmonised manner.
The solution explained
At the EU level, there is currently an ongoing project on Data Spaces for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities, which is part of the Living-in.EU ecosystem. This initiative is embedded in the Living-in EU movement which brings together the supply and demand side to foster collaboration and digital transformation of cities and communities. As such, we are focused on representing the diverse set of expertise and requirements for data spaces in Europe. In line with this ambition, the initiative was launched by six pan-European organisations representing governance, technical, and civil society expertise that are also grounded at the local level via its members.
Participate?
More solutions
European cities are working to make life easier for their residents and Europeans more broadly.
Ecolyo is a digital service that helps citizens to easily access and control their energy (electricity and gas) and water consumptio
Commitments
contribute on a voluntary basis to a joint investment plan to adopt and implement common existing digital solutions on a large scale in the EU;
optimise synergies between EU, national, regional and local funds;
strengthen investment in local digital transformation from EU funds and programmes, to ensure an inclusive and sustainable Europe;
use common public procurement practices to jointly define specifications and reduce the cost of investing in successful digital platforms and related technologies.
The technical group of living-in.eu works together to develop a common list of standards and technical specifications to achieve interoperability of data, systems, and platforms among cities and communities and suppliers around the world to enable solutions such open urban platforms and digital twins.
Remove obstacles to the digitization of already existing public intersectoral and cross-border services in the Union
Enable brand new, original public intersectoral and cross-border services, which respond to new needs
Valorise the best practices, facilitating their adoption in another EU countries with ease and incentives
Empowering public authorities to innovate via education and capacity building, is crucial in the concept of Living-in.EU. We equip public officers with the skills and methodologies necessary to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
This group helps develop and implement a framework, built on existing methodologies, to measure and monitor the benefits for citizens, public authorities, businesses and other stakeholders at local level.