Page 41 - Reference framework for integrated management of an SSC - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

3 City & ICT governance

Cities worldwide have vastly different backgrounds, priorities, capabilities, strengths, and
strategic goals and objectives, which means there can never be a single global solution to
their intelligence and sustainability needs.

Successful implementation of an urban digital infrastructure depends on keeping the needs
of citizens, the requirements of quality of life, and expectations, above all.

• What technological complexity do they suppose for a small city? And on what financial
level?

• How does the size of the city influence the launch of urban digital infrastructure?
• How to optimize existing resources to generate savings for citizens, companies and
Public Administrations?

• What mechanisms of citizen participation and democratic mechanisms permit the
public and all other key stakeholders to have a voice in setting the general urban
management?
• How should the smart, urban digital infrastructure be used in data management?

• What will be the return on investment made in cities?

• What ethical and legal measures should be taken in cities where private companies
and external agents control the management of the Platforms to the organization?

The introduction of ICT in cities has been taking place progressively as connectivity and technology
become more capable of being applied to administrative activity and improving the provision of
basic services such as the integral water cycle, mobility and solid waste management.

In this evolution, the information systems to support the administrative activity have been developed
within their own ICT infrastructure, and the technology in the provision of public services is usually
provided by the contractor of the public service.

In both cases, the development of these ICT solutions has been consolidated as a fundamental
support element in the provision of services. Nevertheless, the conception of the solution generally
had an isolated orientation in the functionality of the solution and in the development of its layers
– including data, components and interfaces. Except for regulatory requirements, interoperable
solutions were not built from scratch.

IT governance is defined as “a governance view consisting of ICT business governance (ensuring
that ICT supports and enables the business strategy to be carried out) and a functional IT governance
view (ensuring that the IT function itself is executed efficiently and effectively).”

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