TeleCities : a new geography of governance? : an institutional, relational and scalar analysis of a transnational network

In recent years there has been a steady rise in the amount of cities engaing in collaborative transnational networking. Perceived as a valid response to the threats of globalisation and the internationalisation of the economy, cities have formulated partnerships that transcend the remit of their locality enabling them a new mobility. Predominantly focused at the European scale, individual cities are establishing transnational networks that aim to harness and aggregate isolated pockets of power into a powerful cohesive institutional identity that allow them a collective voice and a potential degree of influence within European governance structures.Using the TeleCities network as an empirical focus, this thesis aims to explore the spatial implications within this potential 'new geography of governance'. To do this theories of institutional ism, reflexivity and scale are used to construct an analytical framework that explores the implications and processes of transnational networking. This is then applied to a three way case study methodology that aims to examine the process and attributes of transnational networking from a multi-scalar perspective.In doing so, the thesis provides a theoretical and empirical contextualisation to the origins, functionality and relationality of a transnational network and its ability to link actors and processes at different spatial scales

CAD, 3-D GIS and the Global Digital City

We are on the edge of a revolution in the way we visualize and query digital data about our environment. To date, computer displays of our environment in the third dimension have been limited to computer-aided design (CAD) packages and the query of related data limited to geographical information systems (GIS) packages in two dimensions. The current innovation wave across the spatial data information field is based on the development and dissemination of three-dimensional GIS (3-D GIS) which allows data to be visualized and queried on an x, y and z axis plane. A number of the key players in information visualization allow conventional two-dimensional data to be viewed and exported in a three-dimensional format, currently using the standard Virtual Reality Modeling Language 2.0 (VRML 2.0). However such methods of visualization and data query are limited in their practicality. The move towards 3-D GIS in standard packages has been rather hit and miss, with the third dimension often only used as a substitute for basic CAD-like visualization. We argue here that 3-D GIS will only become a reality when it is directly linked with CAD models; and that the Internet is the most appropriate medium through which this is most likely to occur. We illustrate these arguments in an overview of research into the virtual city in general and our own development of ‘Virtual London’ in particular. Further, we explore the rise of the global virtual city, a network of virtual cities that provide an insight into the future of digital space

Entre o real e o virtual : as cidades digitais como estratégia de actuação da sociedade da informação e do relacionamento

Há alguns milhares de anos, a humanidade passou por uma revolução até então, sem precedentes: a escrita. A própria história estabeleceu a escrita como um marco entre eras: o que vinha antes dela era a pré-história. Hoje, somos testemunhas de um novo marco: o computador. De facto, as novas tecnologias da informação e da comunicação já fazem parte da vida dos cidadãos, do funcionamento das instituições e de qualquer Estado. Esta é uma sociedade dependente da informação, que se assume como matéria-prima essencial para os processos produtivos, tal como a energia no modelo da sociedade industrial. Ao modelo de Estado que daí emerge, alguns preferem chamar Estado Digital, dominado pela informação e pelas novas tecnologias. Uma das poucas certezas no meio das profundas transformações económicosociais em curso é que, nesse Estado Digital, as cidades digitais e as autarquias, como forma de agrupamento cultural, social, político e económico de agentes regionais, inter-regionais, nacionais e até internacionais, só continuarão a desempenhar um papel central desde que consigam também elas digitalizar-se rapidamente. É neste contexto que o presente trabalho se propõe estudar o fenómeno das cidades digitais e das autarquias digitais na era da Sociedade da Informação e do Relacionamento. Os objectivos principais são: analisar os vários conceitos inerentes ao contexto e debater o surgimento e evolução das cidades digitais, apresentando tipologias e modelos de desenvolvimento; estudar algumas cidades digitais e abordar o e-Government e as autarquias digitais, enquanto fenómenos relacionados com as cidades digitais e proceder a um estudo de caso no Departamento de Habitação e Urbanismo da Câmara Municipal de Viseu, com o que se pretende dar um contributo para a criação de uma câmara digital. Para os atingir, o trabalho estrutura-se em seis capítulos. O primeiro aborda definições, críticas, enquadramentos das cidades digitais e o tema do web urbanismo. O segundo estuda as diversas tipologias utilizadas para classificar as cidades digitais e apresenta uma análise e tentativa de classificação de algumas experiências mundiais. No terceiro, apresentam-se modelos de desenvolvimento de cidades digitais. No quarto capítulo, analisa-se o fenómeno do e-Government e da autarquia digital. Aborda-se também o tema da necessidade de reorganização e modernização da Administração Pública. No quinto capítulo, apresenta-se o estudo de caso desenvolvido na Câmara Municipal de Viseu, mais concretamente no Departamento de Habitação e Urbanismo, em que se analisam processos e procedimentos e se elabora um modelo de dados, com vista a contribuir para um potencial sistema de informação para esse mesmo departamento. No sexto capítulo, conclui-se esta investigação, realçando as ilações mais importantes, apresentando também as limitações do trabalho e algumas propostas de investigação. ABSTRACT: Millions of years ago humanity underwent a revolution without precedent, “writing”. History actually considered writing as a turning point between eras: what came before was pre-historian. Today we are confronted with a new turning point “the computer”, in fact, new communication and information technologies are already a part of our lives either at home, at work, in our country. Society today is information dependent, it’s as essential for productive processes as energy is to the industrial society. The digital state, like some refer to it, emerges dominated by information and by new technologies. In the midst of profound economic and social transformations, one thing is for certain, the digital state, digital cities and municipalities as part of a cultural, social, political and economical group will only continue to play a central role if they too go digital. This thesis studies therefore, the phenomenon of digital cities and municipalities in the information society. The main objectives are: analysis of various concepts relating to the context; study the emerging and evolution of digital cities focusing on different typologies and models of development; study a few digital cities and analyze Egovernment and digital municipalities presenting a case study carried out at the Urban and Habitation Department of the Municipality of Viseu, this way contributing to a digital municipality. To achieve these objectives, the thesis is made up of six chapters. Chapter one focuses on definitions, critics, the digital city framing and web urbanism. Chapter two attempts to study the diverse typologies used to classify digital cities, analysis and classification of a few worldwide experiences. Chapter three presents different digital city models of development whilst chapter four focuses on the analysis of the E-government phenomenon and digital municipality. Focuses on the reorganisation and modernisation of Public Administration. Chapter five presents a case study of the Viseu Municipality (Urban and Habitation Department) Analysis of processes and procedures. Elaborate a data pattern contributing to a potential information system for this department. Chapter six: completion of this study focusing on important conclusions presenting the thesis limitations and proposing certain aspects for further investigation

Social Networks in the Technology Era: Roles of Digital Cities in Enhancing Business Networks

A social network is a set of people, organizations, or other social entities connected by a set of social relationships, such as friendship, co-working or information exchange to augment social network. While the traditional forms of social networks are often constrained geographically, the emergence of social information infrastructures mediated by information and communication technologies provides a new way to form social networks as digital cities with potentially unlimited boundaries. With a case study, this study attempts to apply the social network concepts and design principles of digital cities to promote and structure social interaction among the users of the digital cities, to stimulate commerce and collaboration activities, to promptly disseminate linkage between discovery and societal benefits of knowledge and wealth creation, and consequently to enhance members’ business networks. Advantages, design principles, and future directions of social network based digital cities will also be presented