The “Whats” and “Whys” of Interoperability
An essential tool for smart cities
The first cities appeared during the neolithic period when people settled in fertile areas to develop agriculture enough to sustain a permanent population, allowing them to end the nomad lifestyle. During thousands of years, cities grew in number and size, becoming the centre of economic and cultural activities.
Due to industrial revolutions and new technologies, communities moved from rural to urban areas. Nowadays, cities are complex urban ecosystems in which different sectors need to function together, and other stakeholders need to cooperate and coordinate to keep harmony, much like an orchestra.
This constant growth and innovation led to the rise of Smart Cities, defined by the European Commission as:
“a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital solutions for the benefit of its inhabitants and business. A smart city (…) means smarter urban transport networks, upgraded water supply and waste disposal facilities and more efficient ways to light and heat buildings. It also means a more interactive and responsive city administration, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an ageing population.”
To manage such a scenario, smart cities leaders require access to information on all the different domains to integrate them, use it for decision making, and thus enable the flow of daily routines and improve the quality of life of its citizens. One crucial question comes to mind when defining the strategy to achieve this: “How to ensure that the data and information being collected from all the sectors can be interpreted together, regardless of their source?”
The need for communication between information systems and sectors is key to introducing the concept of interoperability, as data itself won’t bring value to city leaders but rather the insights that one can get from it. At this moment, two components become relevant: technical interoperability and semantic interoperability.
All systems will have a common piece in their structure by including this interoperability layer between data sources and the services interfaces. The function of this layer consists of ensuring that there are no synonymous words in the systems and that the same terminology is used when referring to specific data. By guaranteeing that the meaning of exchanged information is not lost in translation, it will be possible to stimulate knowledge creation from data. Again, like an orchestra, interoperability ensures that anyone listening can directly identify what note is being played, no matter the musical instrument.
Why is this important, particularly for Smart Cities?
One main advantage is that it provides real-time information and quick access to data since data collected is not required to be treated, and it avoids any duplication. Naturally, this translates into lower costs. Additionally, it fosters independence, possibilities and flexibility as cities move away from vendor-locked proprietary technologies. Finally, it smoothens the process of knowledge sharing between sectors, improving the efficiency of policymaking and actions implemented.
Understanding the whats and whys of interoperability for smart cities makes it possible to escalate its benefits to the country level and later to the European level. Facilitating communication between cities and countries would allow them to identify the advantages of each region and the impact of different measures implemented to decrease the time of action, which, at the end of the line, will result in a better quality of services provided by cites to its citizens. Ultimately, it would give a better quality of life for citizens everywhere.
Considering the advantages mentioned above, the European Commission works on promoting interoperability and providing cities with the necessary tools by issuing international standards and recommendations that guide the implementation of this component. Ubiwhere is working alongside the EC in this path, with the work it is developing in R&I projects, such as City Catalyst and TeNDER, which focus on environment and mobility and healthcare data, respectively.
