ISCN at World Urban Forum: Panel discussion on international open source initiatives

Digitalization is transforming cities around the world, with smart cities leading the way by using large amounts of data to address urban challenges and improve residents' lives. At the heart of many of these initiatives is open source technology. 

Open-source repositories are an opportunity to merge solutions and to establish connections. This enables joint developments from which everyone can learn and benefit. It is a way of keep learning and improving.
Antonio Carvalho e Silva Neto, President of the Institute of Research and Urban Planning of Maceió, Brazil 

Open and accessible source code offers many benefits for municipalities. By avoiding dependencies on proprietary solutions, open-source approaches have the potential to empower municipalities to shape their smart cities in a sovereign and adaptable way, ensuring transparency to citizens. Open source initiatives can also encourage collaboration across municipalities and foster innovation through shared knowledge. Cities can more easily replicate solutions with open and accessible source code, enabling them to adapt successful smart city projects implemented in other municipalities. This allows communities to benefit from the knowledge gained by other cities and to build on proven methods, thus increasing the speed and efficiency of their own projects.

Open Source is a medium that enables exchange and collaboration It fosters shared ownership and long-term working groups.

Milou Jansen, Project Coordinator, External Relations, Strategy, Knowledge, and Innovation Division (ERSKI) UN-Habitat

The session showcased international examples of open source initiatives and explored the benefits as well as the challenges of adopting open source technologies from different perspectives. The discussion addressed the question of the alignment of international and national strategies with municipal implementation.

At the international level, the topic was discussed in the context of the International Guidelines on People-Centred Smart Cities, which are currently being developed by UN-Habitat.

The national regulations in Brazil, India and Germany were also highlighted. In India, for example, cities are provided with a modular system with various components that can be used to develop new and innovative solutions customised to local needs.

Open-source systems or Digital Public Infrastructures (DPI) in India are developed in a modular format with different components. Based on each specific module, cities can develop new and very innovative and creative solutions.

Manpreet Singh, Chief Program Officer National Urban Digital Mission, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)

Germany on the other hand enables cities with the “Open CoDE” repository to share solutions and jointly develop them further, in alignment with the principle of "public money, public code". 

Open CoDE is transparency. If there is a need for new tools you need a place to find them. Open repositories are such places.

Karen Laßmann, Head of Smart City Department, Senate Chancellery Berlin, Germany

The insights shared by the panel of experts highlight the importance of international cooperation, the alignment of national policies with local implementation, and the need for capacity building to fully leverage the potential of open-source technology in smart city development.

Speakers