Page 6 - Redefining smart city platforms: Setting the stage for Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

Executive summary

As the world is witnessing urbanization at an unprecedented rate, urban stakeholders are
increasingly exploring the concept of smart and sustainable cities as a means to deal with growing
challenges associated with pollution, urban sprawl, climate change, among others. The success of
a smart and sustainable city is largely dependent on having an effective smart city platform which
serves as the channel to improve interoperability between different sectors, promote innovation,
provide various services and allow inhabitants to provide feedback on the development of their
surroundings and provision of utilities within the smart city domain.

In this context, this Report provides guidance to governments and cities at all levels – with a focus
on the local and regional – on setting up smart city platforms, as well as on procuring the requisite
elements for building them. It also illustrates the current state of the art of interoperable smart city
platforms, and provides recommendations for technical specifications.

The Report also sets the premise for enhancing capacity in terms of the use of standards, architectural
mechanisms, urban services, guidelines, and tools that enable the interoperability of data platforms
for cities and communities, to speed up the delivery of services leading to innovation and positive
local impact.

Furthermore, the Report delves into the evolving landscape of smart cities and communities,
encompassing the different types of data in terms of data governance, interoperability requirements,
standards, data lakes and data spaces, the impact of new technologies, data-enabled communities,
and digital twins, while underscoring the role of Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) in
supporting the management of these smart city platforms in line with Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) 11.

In keeping with its scope, this Report is intended primarily for digital managers in local administrations,
for those who are involved in the procurement, development or regulation of digital platforms and
services, and for those who use local data to improve the sustainability of their communities.

iv Redefining smart city platforms: Setting the stage for Minimal Interoperability Mechanisms