Towards Citizen Co-Created Public Service Apps

WeLive project's main objective is about transforming the current e-government approach by providing a new paradigm based on a new open model oriented towards the design, production and deployment of public services and mobile apps based on the collaboration of different stakeholders. These stakeholders form the quadruple helix, i.e., citizens, private companies, research institutes and public administrations. Through the application of open innovation, open data and open services paradigms, the framework developed within the WeLive project enables the co-creation of urban apps. In this paper, we extend the description of the WeLive platform presented at, plus the preliminary results of the first pilot phase. The two-phase evaluation methodology designed and the evaluation results of first pilot sub-phase are also presented.The work presented in this research article has been carried out within the WeLive project from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 645845

Future Intelligent Systems and Networks 2019

In this Special Issue, we present current developments and future directions of future intelligent systems and networks. This is the second Special Issue regarding the future of the Internet. This subject remains of interest for firms applying technological possibilities to promote more innovative business models. This Special Issue widens the application of intelligent systems and networks to firms so that they can evolve to more innovative models. The five contributions highlight useful applications, business models, or innovative practices based on intelligent systems and networks. We hope our findings become an inspiration for firms operating in various industries

Using citizen science to complement IoT data collection: A survey of motivational and engagement factors in technology-centric citizen science projects

A key aspect of the development of Smart Cities involves the efficient and effective management of resources to improve liveability. Achieving this requires large volumes of sensors strategically deployed across urban areas. In many cases, however, it is not feasible to install devices in remote and inaccessible areas, resulting in incomplete data coverage. In such situations, citizens can often play a crucial role in filling this data collection gap. A popular complimentary science to traditional sensor-based data collection is to design Citizen Science (CS) activities in collaboration with citizens and local communities. Such activities are also designed with a feedback loop where the Citizens benefit from their participation by gaining a greater sense of awareness of their local issues while also influencing how the activities can align best with their local contexts. The participation and engagement of citizens are vital and yet often a real challenge in ensuring the long-term continuity of CS projects. In this paper, we explore engagement factors, factors that help keeping engagement high, in technology-centric CS projects where technology is a key enabler to support CS activities. We outline a literature review of exploring and understanding various motivational and engagement factors that influence the participation of citizens in technology-driven CS activities. Based on this literature, we present a mobile-based flood monitoring citizen science application aimed at supporting data collection activities in a real-world CS project as part of an EU project. We discuss the results of a user evaluation of this app, and finally discuss our findings within the context of citizens’ engagement

Desarrollo de una herramienta de soporte metodológico a los procesos de e-participación

El presente trabajo describe el análisis, diseño, desarrollo e implementación de una herramienta tecnológica que brinde soporte metodológico a procesos de participación electrónica (e-participación). El sistema tiene como objetivo principal facilitar la elaboración de procesos de e-participación, utilizando el marco metodológico de soporte a la participación pública en procesos de decisión (ePfw). En primer lugar, se detalla el análisis y modelado de la herramienta, identificando los componentes y características comunes de los procesos de participación ciudadana, determinando así los requerimientos funcionales y no funcionales, las historias de usuarios, los actores involucrados en la interacción con el aplicativo, los casos de usos específicos para cada funcionalidad a implementar y la estructura de la herramienta de soporte, bosquejada en un diagrama de clases. Posteriormente se diseña la arquitectura del sistema, definiendo los principios de usabilidad, escalabilidad, accesibilidad y reutilización que gobiernan el diseño arquitectónico, también se describe la integración con el sistema Decidim. Luego, mediante la metodología SCRUM, se desarrollan las funcionalidades identificadas utilizando el patrón arquitectónico Modelo Vista Controlador (MVC). El sistema (ePfwTool) consta de dos tipos de usuario, uno orientado a la administración del sistema y otro orientado al experto en participación pública, que por medio de un asistente puede ir creando paso a paso las diversas fases que componen un proceso. Finalmente, estos procesos elaborados pueden ser exportados a DecidimThis paper describes the analysis, design, development and implementation of a technological tool that offers technical support to electronic participation processes. The main objective of the system is to facilitate the elaboration of e-participation processes, using the methodological framework to support public participation in decision-making processes (ePfw). In the first place, the analysis and the model of the tool are detailed, identifying the common components and characteristics of the processes of citizen participation, determining the functional and non-functional requirements, the user stories, the actors involved in the interaction with the system, the cases of specific uses of each functionality to be implemented and the structure of the support tool, design in a class diagram. Afterwards, the architecture of the system is designed, defining the principles of usability, scalability, accessibility and reuse that govern the architectural design, as well as the integration with the Decidim system. Then, using the SCRUM methodology, the identified functionalities are developed using the architectural Model View Controller (MVC) The system (ePfwTool) consists of two types of users: one is oriented to the administration of the system and the other is oriented to the expert in public participation, that through an assistant can create, step by step, the different phases that make up a process. Finally, these elaborated processes can be exported to Decidim.Rivera Rásury, MX. (2018). Desarrollo de una herramienta de soporte metodológico a los procesos de e-participación. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/115368TFG

Co-creating Digital Public Services for an Ageing Society

This open access book attends to the co-creation of digital public services for ageing societies. Increasingly public services are provided in digital form; their uptake however remains well below expectations. In particular, amongst older adults the need for public services is high, while at the same time the uptake of digital services is lower than the population average. One of the reasons is that many digital public services (or e-services) do not respond well to the life worlds, use contexts and use practices of its target audiences. This book argues that when older adults are involved in the process of identifying, conceptualising, and designing digital public services, these services become more relevant and meaningful. The book describes and compares three co-creation projects that were conducted in two European cities, Bremen and Zaragoza, as part of a larger EU-funded innovation project. The first part of the book traces the origins of co-creation to three distinct domains, in which co-creation has become an equally important approach with different understandings of what it is and entails: (1) the co-production of public services, (2) the co-design of information systems and (3) the civic use of open data. The second part of the book analyses how decisions about a co-creation project’s governance structure, its scope of action, its choice of methods, its alignment with strategic policies and its embedding in existing public information infrastructures impact on the process and its results. The final part of the book identifies key challenges to co-creation and provides a more general assessment of what co-creation may achieve, where the most promising areas of application may be and where it probably does not match with the contingent requirements of digital public services. Contributing to current discourses on digital citizenship in ageing societies and user-centric design, this book is useful for researchers and practitioners interested in co-creation, public sector innovation, open government, ageing and digital technologies, citizen engagement and civic participation in socio-technical innovation

State of the Art and Future Perspectives in Smart and Sustainable Urban Development

This book contributes to the conceptual and practical knowledge pools in order to improve the research and practice on smart and sustainable urban development by presenting an informed understanding of the subject to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. This book presents contributions—in the form of research articles, literature reviews, case reports, and short communications—offering insights into the smart and sustainable urban development by conducting in-depth conceptual debates, detailed case study descriptions, thorough empirical investigations, systematic literature reviews, or forecasting analyses. This way, the book forms a repository of relevant information, material, and knowledge to support research, policymaking, practice, and the transferability of experiences to address urbanization and other planetary challenges