Document and Publishers
This is Deliverable 4.1, "Data Space Blueprint and Priority Data Sets", a report from WP4 (Implementation) of the DS4SSCC project, the Data Space for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities. Authors are named as Dr. Martin Traunmueller and Thimo Thoeye, with reviewers from OASC, Eurocities, FIWARE and AIT. It is dated M8, June 2023, and marked as public.
Purpose and Context
The report examines the usage and importance of priority datasets defined by the European Commission, and related technologies in real-world use cases, to detect overlaps and gaps that shape the DS4SSCC blueprint. The blueprint is described as the guidelines and mechanisms needed to deploy the data space, combining the stakeholder ecosystem, data, governance and technology.
Methodology
The work followed three steps: desk research, which identified 92 use cases across 18 European countries; prioritisation using MIM coverage, Technology Readiness Level and technology pervasiveness, leading to a shortlist of seven use cases; and in-depth online interviews held from March to May 2023, lasting up to 45 minutes. A stakeholder forum workshop on 12 April 2023 complemented the interviews.
Key Findings on Datasets
The report finds that communities focus on datasets not covered by the EC priority list, related to mobility, energy, health and the green deal. Detected gaps include floating car data, road closure planning data, vehicle and pedestrian counts, opening hours, housing quality and product descriptions. Most are publicly owned, but floating car data, opening hours and product descriptions are typically private.
Technical Overlaps
Three technology categories recur: geographic tools, such as GIS platforms and remote sensing; 3D city models, notably CityGML and glTF; and sensor data management, including the Orion Context Broker, LDES, NGSI-LD and MQTT. The report notes that the Building Blocks identified are indeed the most important ones used in cities.
Common Challenges
Recurring issues include procurement that can lead to fragmented ICT landscapes and vendor lock-in, poor data quality and granularity, difficulty accessing data, and GDPR constraints. In the Helsinki Energy Atlas, energy data was available aggregated per building and only with owners' permits.
Minimum Interoperability Mechanisms
The analysis of MIM1 (context) and MIM2 (data models) compares how the Flemish Smart Data Space uses Linked Data Event Streams and OSLO vocabularies, how SCOREwater uses the Orion Context Broker with NGSI-LD, and how the Helsinki atlas and IDEA use CityGML and DATEX II. Next steps include a Data Cooperation Canvas and selecting at least three use cases for further work in D3.2.
Why It Matters for Smart City Data Spaces
The document is addressed to project partners and is described as intended for Consortium internal use, providing guidance for successful project implementation. Its stated aim is to give the blueprint for deploying a data space for smart and sustainable cities and communities.