DigiCanvis Observatory

Observatory with starry night sky

Challenge

How can we promote and spread the digital transformation projects that work at a local scale so that the Catalan administrations can assess, adapt and/or implement them, minimizing the risk of failure and with the consequent saving of resources.

Current issue

Some Catalan local administrations are implementing successful digital transformation projects. However, others try it unsuccessfully and many have not even started the transformation either because of fear of change, lack of knowledge or resources.

It would be good if those involved in the digital transformation of administrations who are currently having difficulty deploying their initiatives and future plans have a space where they can find information and contacts about projects that have been carried out under similar conditions and scales. . A site that provided answers and facilitated the debate on:

Which councils have been digitally transformed in recent times? How have they done it? What has worked for them and what has not? Can we contact them? And pay them a visit? Can we establish lines of collaboration?

Having the opportunity to find answers to these and many other questions, to be able to exchange and share real experiences, would be a real hope for the councils and local bodies of Catalonia that are lagging behind in the digital transformation. It is not the same to embark on the adventure alone and unarmed as to do so at the hands of the most advanced and experienced.

That is why, despite there are bright and inspiring initiatives such as Bank of Good Practices of Local Governments of Catalonia, Smart Catalonia Observatory, CitiesToBe platform o Smart Cities Information System (SCIS) Among the most well-known, we believe that there is a latent need unattended in our local administrations.

Proposed solution

We want to make available to the Catalan local government a space of knowledge that we will call "Observatory of the DigiCanvis" with two essential functionalities:

  1. Database of digital transformation projects that work locally.
  2. Discussion forum for the exchange of innovative ideas and experiences that facilitate the achievement of digital government in the local world.

A service of these characteristics can lead to the opening of threads of work and debate on the digital transformation of Catalan local administrations, and to unexpected connections of experience and talent.

The starting point for the new service will be theObservatory of Disruptive Technologies Opportunities in the Local World created in 2018. This initiative focused on the most innovative projects implemented in town halls around the world using disruptive technologies (blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence, etc.)

We will now open the focus - set the wide angle - and look at digital transformation projects that will not always be associated with the use of disruptive technologies. Sometimes it is a skillful combination of new ideas, processes and organizational techniques to obtain quality public services that respond to the problems, needs and expectations of people. As he said Captain Lettuce, a fictional character from the 90s who was a promoter of social changes in Catalonia: "Small changes are powerful." There are no recipes or miraculous technologies. Great transformations are the sum of small changes applied with skill: the digiChanges.

Therefore, the digital transformation projects that we will document will refer to:

  1. Services: Introducing entirely new services, services significantly improved to fit the new context, or services that incorporate small changes which, skillfully introduced, produce real transformations.
  2. Processes and procedures: Redefining or creating new administrative processes and procedures by introducing new techniques, computer programs, etc.
  3. Organization: Implementation of new organizational methods in practices, workplace organization or user relationships, using new tools and techniques such as networking communities, virtual learning environments, collaborative and remote work , etc.

Information for the listings

Each digital transformation project will have a tab with multimedia information structured in 6 levels:

  1. Title of the project
  2. We local who carried it out and contact people
  3. Description of the project and its value. Savings generated
  4. Analysis of the project with regard to:
    1. barreres and difficulties
    2. Benefits and opportunities
    3. Technology, methodology and tools used
  5. Phase in which the project is (prototype, piloting, implanted)
  6. Documentation and dissemination material: articles, demos, videos, etc.

Two ways to access the tokens

  1. By proximity

    • Km0 projects: We will work on the concept of proximity or kilometer zero: knowledge is transmitted by word of mouth, spreads like an oil slick, promotes competition, savings, scalability of projects and sustainability.
    • Foreign projects: We will work on the idea that local administrations around the world move, do things, transform... Our administrations cannot stand still. If you don't find a nearby project that suits your needs, you can explore the projects of distant local governments but with similar characteristics.

  2. By areas

    • First line of citizen care: Virtual assistants, chatbots, system for collecting and exploiting complaints and suggestions, etc.
    • Services and formalities: Digital public services with a transversal vision (inter-administrative), personalized and proactive. Agile, easy and secure digital processing; 24h, simplified procedures, easy to use (usability) and reliable. e.g. Registration and registration service for courses and activities, comprehensive management system for transport tickets, public procurement platform, etc.
    • Social services: Digital public services in the field of social services Pe Aid recommender, teleassistance for the elderly, etc.
    • Participation and open government: Platforms, mechanisms and instruments for citizen participation, electronic voting, portal transparència, open data, etc.
    • Public planning and management: Systems for improving planning and public management, tools to facilitate decision-making and measure the impact of plans and programs, using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and analysis of data (BigData). Predictive analysis applied to urban mobility, safety and services on public roads.
    • Comprehensive transformation, cultural change: Digital transformation projects of public administrations with a holistic vision: technological and organizational.

Status of the project

In production: digicanvis.cat