Small and medium-sized municipalities in particular are faced with the challenge of identifying the relevant potential for themselves from the many opportunities offered by digitalisation. They often lack the resources to implement appropriate organisational, personnel and technical measures. Although individual, mostly technical approaches to organising data management already exist, there is a lack of practical solutions for working with the new digital infrastructures. As part of the research project "Shaping the digital city for the common good through municipal data skills" (KoDaKo for short), the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is working with partners to develop approaches that are critical to success. Other project partners include the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation - Institute for Industrial Automation IOSB-INA and the Institute for Innovation and Technology (IIT) of VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH. As part of the "Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt)" research programme of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), recommendations and tools are being developed that are necessary for the development of digital skills in municipal administration. "Organisational development and data governance will relieve the burden on municipal administrations in the future with regard to the professional handling of data. In KoDaKo, we are specifically analysing the initial situation and needs of small and medium-sized municipalities and designing tools for establishing data governance and data literacy," says Johannes Sautter from Fraunhofer IAO.

Empowering local authorities to drive digital change themselves

The main aim of the project is to gain new insights into the development and design of data skills in municipal administrations, which can be used for organisational development and training in municipalities. This includes the analysis of the internal and external actor, cooperation and organisational structures of the municipalities. Furthermore, the research team will analyse the effectiveness and potential for transferability to other municipalities. The focus here is on the development and qualification of digital data skills, particularly in municipal administrations. In order to develop concrete recommendations for action, the research team will first survey local authorities on existing concepts, derive the corresponding needs and research the required core competences. This will focus in particular on role profiles and their anchoring by means of necessary organisational development and their qualification for data use and management. Only organisational change that incorporates data in municipal administrations at various federal levels will enable municipalities to drive digitalisation forward independently and implement concrete steps on the path to becoming a smart city.

Smart City Charta as a guide for municipal data governance

The project is part of a series of research projects that are being supervised by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) and the BBSR in the context of the Smart City Charter. This was published in 2017 by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) and identifies the development and expansion of data skills as an important field of action for municipal data governance. Research-based tools for municipal data skills were identified as an important factor in implementing the digital transformation locally in municipalities in a way that is geared towards the common good. The organisational development of municipalities, districts and regions and the opportunities for targeted training of municipal employees are key to enabling municipalities to manage their digital transformation in a self-determined manner by developing and expanding data skills.

The impact of implementation on smart urban development will be a further challenge when the research project concludes at the end of 2023.

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