Data, Interoperability, Standards - Report on the 4th Living-in.EU Supporters Meeting

The living-in.EU open supporters meeting took place on the 20th December 2022 and counted with 64 participants representing companies and researchers from all over Europe. This meeting focused on the technical aspects of the digital transformation of cities and communities, in particular on data, interoperability, technical specifications and standards.

The meeting aimed to engage supporters into the work of the Living-in.EU working groups, in particular the technical subgroup and its work on the MIMs Plus (Minimum Interoperability Mechanisms Plus), opening the floor for suggestions and contributions on how to move Living-in.EU forward.

Cristina Martinez (European Commission, DG CNECT) welcomed all participants and introduced the coordinators of the several Digital Europe Programme CSAs (Coordination and Support Actions) that are working closely with Living in.EU and just started on 1st of last October.

Go.LiEU, represented by the project coordinator Gabriela Ruseva from Eurocities, is the CSA responsible for the governance of Living-in.EU, providing the secretariat and human resources. Click for a video on Living-in.eu and GO LIEU developments.

DigiNEB.eu, introduced by the Project Officer Martin Májek, is working with urban planning, design and architecture, building a digital ecosystem for NEB (New European Bauhaus) to create more sustainable and inclusive living spaces.

DS4SSCC, represented by project manager Sophie Meszaros from OASC, is working on a Data space for smart and sustainable cities and communities.

This was followed by a presentation of the living-in.EU ecosystem, highlighting the ways in which supporters can contribute, such has producing solutions to the cities needs identified by the subgroups, contribute to the work of the subgroups (representing cities or invited for specific agenda purposes).

Martin Brynskov (OASC, Coordinator of tech subgroup), points out that we cannot separate governance from technology. Before putting technology forward there is a need to understand in which terms and what already exists. The work done via Living-in.EU has been very productive at charting the landscape, identifying what exists and what are the needs. Now what are the practical steps? There is a lot of capacity in Europe, how to support it with technical infrastructure?

Thimo Thoeye (tech advisor OASC) launched a poll asking what the expectations the audience had from the MIMs were. The main replies show a desire for interoperability, standards, easy and safe exchange of data (see slide).

Michael Mulquin (OASC MIMs ambassador) explained how cities are comprised of many entities that are collecting data separately and city planners need to take data from all the different agencies in order to manage the city as a whole. This brings us to the many challenges of managing a local data sharing ecosystem, and to tackle them all together is a huge task. Cities may have limited resources in data sharing, MIMs enable them to put into place good enough systems to have a good start providing them a variety of different approaches that are interoperable amongst then. Interoperability is particularly important for federated Data spaces.

Please see image 1 (above) for the main challenges MIMs are trying to address, and their city champions.

The Technical subgroup of Living-in.EU is managing the MIMs plus, taking the MIMs into the EU policy and regulatory landscape.

The floor was open to questions from the audience:

• What is the role of MIMs in the EIF4SCC? There is a close link, they have been co-created, always governance before technology. They are an implementation of the EIF4SCC, and they go hand in hand.
• How about creating a MIM0 for registration and asset management – This is needed and will be now on the backlog for development, to be taken up by the tech subgroup. To add a news MIM, the proposal needs a city champion behind, it will presented to the city community and if supported by other cities it will be in the agenda.
• There are several specifications on same funcionalities coming from diferent entity, what would be the differenciate factor? Will the Data Space Support Centre provide interoperability between them all? The idea is for all these efforts is to have a common ground. They are closely liked and working together. The work of Living-in.EU is also to contribute to EU standards.
• How to test compliance with MIMs? This will be addressed in the next steps in the Digital Programme.
• Suggestion of a pre-commercial procurement, would help cities to start thinking about creation of data spaces, real life implementation.

The session was concluded encouraging everybody to contribute to the MIMs and join the technical subgroup, stressing the importance of having cities leading this joint-effort.

How to get involved in the tech subgroup work? Join the tech-subgroup, e-mail michael@oascities.org to ask about joining a subgroup, attend OASC’s CSSCC Conference - Open & Agile Smart Cities (oascities.org) on the 17th and 18th of January.

Update from the EC on ongoing and upcoming funding opportunities.

• • Deployment of the Data Space for Smart communities • Validation of the blueprint via pilots on at least two of the European Green Deal action areas • Closing 24/1/23
  • Help prepare the procurement and deployment of the interoperable local platforms • Procurement Lots 1 (Increase awareness and readiness of EU communities) • and 2 (Scale the deployment of an enabling digital infrastructure). • Both closing 23/1/23
  • Procure a European toolbox for Local Digital Twins that all European cities could use when developing their digital twins • Prepare the technical specifications, Closing 27/12/22