Knowledge Base

The pressure to redesign city infrastructures is strong, since climate change and the problem of allocation are defining new requirements, which will not be met through cosmetic and maintenance repairs. In particular, energy infrastructures like water, waste or recycling are affected by this issue.
The following description draws a picture for future smart cities.

The term Open Data means that data and content can be freely used, modified and shared by anyone for any purpose. Open Data is accessible for everyone and useable without any restrictions. [1]
Open Government Data refers to the wide range of information that public sector bodies collect, produce, reproduce and disseminate while accomplishing their institutional tasks. [2]

Data literacy is about the ability to handle data. It includes competences to collect, manage, evaluate and apply data in a critical manner. The public sector struggles with the growing skills gap, since data has become a central issue in our working environment, and the ability to understand and master the huge amounts of data available to the organisation is a key challenge. Key to this is establishing a culture of data literacy, meaning employees at all levels can access and have the ability to read, work, analyse and argue with data.

This trend deals with the use of algorithms in policy and decision making. First, there is the trend of algorithmic regulation. Algorithmic regulation means that regulatory decision making is delegated to algorithms. The algorithms give the instructions of what should be done to achieve a desired outcome. [1]
The trend of using algorithms in governance and an increasing reliance of public decision making on algorithms is sometimes also called algocracy. [2]

Probably one of the biggest needs for administration is to keep up with the technical innovation. To cope with the production of huge volumes of data is a technical problem as well as a big challenge for the staff. On the one hand, there should be established technical infrastructure for new policies and the increasing number of data, on the other hand, the staff needs to be trained and able to manage data and produce “good” data.

Concerns about insufficient security and privacy are ubiquitous when it comes to the use of new technical possibilities - especially in public management. Besides the advantages and potentials, digitisation is associated with some technical and non-technical obstacles. Data protection and information security management can help to preserve trust in government. [1]

All interviewees stated that there is room for improvement in the technical infrastructure. The used technical infrastructure is partly outdated and does not meet current requirements, a fact that consequently increases administrative costs and leads to unnecessary bureaucracy. In addition, the lack of good infrastructure makes digitalisation difficult.

For making administrations not only more efficient but also more effective, activities and their costs should be closely linked to strategic outcomes and broader policy objectives. A monitoring with restricted focus on financial aspects in order to assess success of public services and political programmes is not enough. To reach a holistic view on success, it is more important to consider financial ratios interlinked with quality data, impact measurements and other performance indicators.

Information is an asset that is constitutive to the effective and efficient supply of public services. To ensure that information meets the purposes for which it is intended, it must be accurate, accessible, valid, timely, complete and relevant (relevance especially means regional explicit information). [1]
In all the interviews that we conducted, it has become very clear and verified that information plays a very important role in policy making processes.

Knowledge management affects the organisation´s technical assets as well as the employees’ willingness to share knowledge. Knowledge is an essential resource in public administrations and has to be stored in order to not get lost for the organisation. As a main reason for the loss of knowledge, participants of our focus group with a socialpolitical background named the retirement of employees. That is why it is important to build up a learning culture, to ensure and promote knowledge transfer within the organisation, as well as with relevant stakeholders.