Page 33 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

nature-positive climate finance and value chain traceability, is the use of Nature ID, which links
diverse environmental datasets (including remote sensing and Indigenous knowledge) to verify
ecosystem services and facilitate conservation financing in initiatives like Brazil's Cadastro Ambiental
Rural (CAR).

This data exchange system synthesizes and authenticates environmental, administrative and financial
datasets. By linking diverse sources, including remote sensing data and indigenous knowledge,
Nature ID aims to improve the visibility of complex DPI ecosystems (e.g., sharing multidimensional
data) and helps quantify their environmental value in decision-making. It empowers countries
and local communities to pursue environmental justice and access green finance, strengthens
traceability in agro-industrial value chains, and protects the rights of farmers and indigenous
people. In addition, it has the potential of supporting the verification of ecosystem services and
facilitates conservation financing, as seen in initiatives like Brazil’s CAR (UNDP, 2025).

Another example is the Urban Oasis, which integrates modular green infrastructure with IoT sensors
for real-time climate adaptation. It demonstrates how DPI elements such as sensors, data connectivity
and data systems can be embedded directly into urban infrastructure and public furniture to
support smart sustainable cities. By equipping smart urban furniture with DPI components (e.g.,
real time data exchange of environmental sensors and embedded motion detectors), Urban Oasis
enables the continuous collection of valuable environmental and climate data, enhancing urban
sustainability, resilience, and informed decision-making in connected cities (Sádaba et al., 2025).
Additionally, green infrastructure mapping, which quantifies biodiversity value through geospatial
analysis to guide urban planning (Vander Meer, 2022); and Germany's smart grids demonstrate
the application of DPI functions within ICT-based energy systems by enabling real-data exchange
and system updates. These capabilities support AI-driven demand management, optimize energy
flows and contribute to emission reductions (Dena & GIZ, 2022). This illustrates how DPI for cities

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