Business intelligence to improve the quality of local government services : case-study in a local government Town Hall

The use of business intelligence (BI) systems by organizations is increasingly considered as an asset, which goal is to provide access to information in a timely manner in order to support the decision-making process. However, in specific cases such as local government organizations, there are very specific challenges. Some of them like privacy rights and applicable law compliance must be carefully observed, making the necessary adaptations of these BI solutions. The developed solution brings some important contributions and represents some advances in the eGovernment context applied to local governments where the information is normally used/stored are not normalized and pre-defined. Being this a big barrier to development of this type of solutions, the developed architecture is prepared to improve the data quality and avoid this type of mistakes. This paper presents an architecture of a BI platform on a local government organization, geared towards the improvement of citizen offered services quality and efficiency maximization, thus contributing for cost reduction to the taxpayer.(undefined

Energy privatisation and reform in East Africa

A critical review of experiences with electricity privatisation and restructuring in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

City indicators : now to Nanjing

This paper provides the key elements to develop an integrated approach for measuring and monitoring city performance globally. The paper reviews the role of cities and why indicators are important. Then it discusses past approaches to city indicators and the systems developed to date, including the World Bank's initiatives. After identifying the strengths and weaknesses of past experiences, it discusses the characteristics of optimal indicators. The paper concludes with a proposed plan to develop standardized indicators that emphasize the importance of indicators that are measurable, replicable, potentially predictive, and most important, consistent and comparable over time and across cities. As an innovative characteristic, the paper includes subjective measures in city indicators, such as well-being, happy citizens, and trust.Cultural Policy,City Development Strategies,Cultural Heritage&Preservation,ICT Policy and Strategies,Housing&Human Habitats

Towards evaluation design for smart city development

Smart city developments integrate digital, human, and physical systems in the built environment. With growing urbanization and widespread developments, identifying suitable evaluation methodologies is important. Case-study research across five UK cities - Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Peterborough - revealed that city evaluation approaches were principally project-focused with city-level evaluation plans at early stages. Key challenges centred on selecting suitable evaluation methodologies to evidence urban value and outcomes, addressing city authority requirements. Recommendations for evaluation design draw on urban studies and measurement frameworks, capitalizing on big data opportunities and developing appropriate, valid, credible integrative approaches across projects, programmes and city-level developments

Knowledge Management As an Economic Development Strategy

The United States is shifting to an information economy. Productive capability is no longer completely dependent on capital and equipment; information and knowledge assets are increasingly important. The result is a new challenge to the practice of local economic development. In this information economy, success comes from harnessing the information and knowledge assets of a community and from helping local businesses succeed in the new environment. Knowledge Management (KM) can provide the tools to help economic development practitioners accomplish that task. KM is a set of techniques and tools to uncover and utilize information and knowledge assets -- especially tacit knowledge. Economic development organizations can use KM tools to enhance external communications of local companies including marketing and to promote internal communications within local businesses and help companies capture tacit knowledge. More importantly, they can use those tools to uncover and develop local intellectual assets, including helping develop information products, and helping identify entrepreneurial and business opportunities. KM tools are also useful in developing local economic clusters. Finally, these tools can be used to enhance external knowledge sharing among the economic development community and to capture and share tacit knowledge within an economic development organization

Coping with Layoffs: Current State Strategies for Better Rapid Response

This issue brief from the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University examines the issue of state rapid response practices that are designed to coordinate the delivery of a wide array of services to displaced workers. It summarizes the efforts of several states, identified by national experts as having promising practices, in the service delivery,organization, and evaluation of rapid response activities. It particularly highlights those states that combine post-layoff activities with strong proactive layoff aversion and worker transition assistance

The Critical Role of Public Charging Infrastructure

Editors: Peter Fox-Penner, PhD, Z. Justin Ren, PhD, David O. JermainA decade after the launch of the contemporary global electric vehicle (EV) market, most cities face a major challenge preparing for rising EV demand. Some cities, and the leaders who shape them, are meeting and even leading demand for EV infrastructure. This book aggregates deep, groundbreaking research in the areas of urban EV deployment for city managers, private developers, urban planners, and utilities who want to understand and lead change

Electrifying Africa: power through the public sector

A review of the need for electricity in Africa, experiences of privatisation, and the political and economic potential for development through the public sector

East Midlands urban action plan 2005-2011

This is the second urban action plan (UAP) for the East Midlands. The plan sets out a framework for urban renaissance in the East Midlands and provides a delivery plan that includes significant schemes in the priority urban areas that will influence the transormation of urban areas and contribute to the region's economic development