New standard released for data sharing

Guidelines for data sharing by cities have been published by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

The standard, which is relevant to decision makers, data professionals, smart city consultants and other parties, offers recommendations to establish data sharing arrangements, which are necessary when city data and information services are being shared by multiple organisations.

“Before this standard, smart cities were implementing technology without necessarily having any understanding of what outcomes this would create, particularly for citizens and society,” Dr Jacqui Taylor (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of FlyingBinary and member of one of BSI’s technical committees, told Cities Today.

“The standard supports strategic decision making by any stakeholder, without any technology knowledge or access to dedicated technology resources, which may be scarce or unavailable to cities. Also addressed are any potential skill gaps or lack of experience in the smart city field to develop data-driven outcomes.”

The standard has already been used nationally and internationally to develop city data and extend beyond cities’ use of open data. Eight cities have contributed detailed case studies on how they implemented the guidelines and cover the creation of Data Charters by three cities in the UK which are using the standard to create data sharing agreements for all organisations that deliver services on behalf of the city.

“The Data Charters are designed to promote trust and participation with citizens helping both political and civic leaders understand the priorities for their city,” said Taylor. “For example, the New South Wales government in Australia has used the standard to develop a digital twin to improve liveability factors for its people, become more resource efficient and deliver sustainability goals.”

Sixty UK cities were directly involved in creating the content for the standard and 16 of these provided their staff to work as detailed reviewers and create case studies to be included in the guidelines in conjunction with the wider service teams within the city.

The recommendations were also reviewed by the CIO of Kyiv City Council where the guidance is being used to plan the city’s future during the war to create a more resilient future.

Image: BSI/FlyingBinary