Open Playground Manager

Close cooperation within the administration

The Open Playground Manager was developed in close partnership with the Green Division, responsible for maintaining playgrounds and play equipment in Wolfsburg. This collaboration was essential in creating a digital solution tailored precisely to the team’s workflow. Moreover, involving the Green Division from the start has boosted acceptance and support for digital solutions within specialised departments.

Building on existing georeferenced data sources

This open-source application integrates seamlessly with the city’s existing geo-referenced data on municipal assets. It utilises detailed mappings, such as polygons for playground areas and point data for individual play equipment, complete with essential attributes, embedding this data directly into daily operational workflows.

Time savings thanks to streamlined digital workflows

With the web application, field staff digitally record the condition of playground equipment during on-site inspections, providing real-time updates to office teams. When they detect issues, they create work orders on the spot, establishing a transparent information hub for all stakeholders and enabling further analysis as needed.

Seamless expansion to new applications and municipalities with open-source

The Open Playground Manager offers a versatile, open-source solution for managing systematically recorded and documented assets. Its adaptable design lets departments across Wolfsburg use it effectively, while other municipalities can easily implement it as well. 

Transferability by design

The software is specifically designed to enable adaptation to additional use cases and municipalities. Therefore, the application is developed exclusively using open-source software (for example, Keycloak for authentication), employs established standards (such as REST), and is built on a modular architecture (for instance, separating backend and frontend).

Innovative tendering process

The tender for software development of the Open Playground Manager was created with support from the Competence Centre for Innovative Procurement (KOINNO). Through a two-stage tendering process, an initial software prototype was developed to serve as a foundation for the final product. This approach offers the advantage of starting with a prototype in which the architecture, functionalities, and user-friendliness of the digital solution have already been tested and refined. The prototype meets open-source requirements and is publicly accessible, allowing external developers to build on this groundwork. This approach not only eases the onboarding process for future developers but also helps reduce costs. 

Open source web frameworks (e.g. Django, Angular)

The City of Wolfsburg initially developed a prototype using Python's Django web framework. The final software, however, is being built with Go for the backend and React for the frontend.

Publication on Gitlab and OpenCode

The prototype is published on GitLab and serves as the foundation for the further development process. The project is also made available on OpenCoDE. 

Easy transfer to other specialist areas and use cases

This measure has the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency of processes related to the management of georeferenced objects, streamlining workflows within specialised departments. The open-source web application is designed to manage all systematically recorded and documented objects within the administration, making it transferable to other departments in Wolfsburg and to other local authorities as well. 

Local challenges

The city’s playground management system is currently tied to outdated, proprietary hardware and software that is no longer being developed. This significantly hampers the green department's ability to operate effectively and complicates work processes. Additionally, the software does not allow for the extraction of data generated during operations, preventing its availability within the administration.

Moreover, the software fails to present all relevant information. Currently, there is no digital solution in place for managing personnel deployment planning or for reporting repair needs and costs associated with playground equipment.

Planning objectives

This project aims to support the forward-looking development of municipal property management through digital methods. The primary goals are to enable digital condition recording and to streamline work processes based on real-time data. In the long term, this will establish a transparent information framework that can be integrated into broader administrative and planning processes, enhancing decision-making capabilities through the open OPM approach. The Open Playground Manager serves as a practical testbed for this new technology, demonstrating its benefits to the relevant departments. This initiative aims to foster greater awareness and acceptance of data-driven and digital solutions within the administration.  

Approach to impact measurement

• Assessing the functionality of the new software for municipal tasks and its adoption by employees
• Fostering awareness and acceptance of digital solutions in established departments
• Enhancing digital skills and enthusiasm for digital solutions among staff
• Achieving time savings through more efficient digital workflows
• Ensuring transferability to other areas of application and municipalities through the open source solution

Process steps

• Software Development: Collaboration with an external software company to create tailored solutions.
• Containerisation: Utilization of containerisation technologies (e.g., Docker) by the external development team to enhance deployment and scalability.
• User Training: Conducting training sessions for future users to ensure effective adoption of the new system.
• Testing Phase: Implementing a test phase involving future users to gather feedback and refine the software.
• Implementation: Initiating the integration of the software into the municipal infrastructure.
• Development Partnership: Establishing a development partnership within the AEG Urban Digital Twins program starting in May 2024, with concrete interest expressed from the municipalities of Bamberg, Süderbrarup, and Münster MPSCs. 
   

Governance

Within the organisational structure of the City of Wolfsburg, the Smart City team operates under the "Digitalisation and Economy" department, serving as the project management hub. This team centrally oversees the conception and implementation of initiatives while fostering collaboration across the city administration, particularly with the "Green, Central Organisational Management, and Information Technology" departments. In partnership with future specialist users, the team utilised a design thinking process to develop a prototype, which helped identify the software requirements and translate them directly into source code. 

Procurement and operating costs

Participation and communication

Wolfsburg did not utilise citizen participation here, as the measure is an internal administrative tool.

Technical infrastructure

• Standardised and established open source licensing based on the recommendation of OpenCoDE 
• Standardised open interfaces in accordance with DIN SPEC 91537  
• Use of established programming languages (e.g. Python, Jave, JavaScript)  
• Use of established open source frameworks (e.g. Django, Angular, etc.)  
• Open source containerisation 
• Use of a Linux-based web server 

Data basis

• Georeferenced playground equipment 
• Maps from the city of Wolfsburg and the State Office for Surveying