Preparatory actions for the data space for smart communities

Outcomes and deliverables

• A sustainable data governance scheme for the smart communities’ data space as well as a blueprint that connects existing local data ecosystems and EU systems and enables public and private stakeholders to develop cross-sector, cross-community, data services, including AI-enabled data services.
• A detailed roadmap towards a full-fledged pan-EU smart communities’ data space that will be interconnected with the Green Deal data space (see topic 2.2.1.1), and will include a set of technical specifications for interoperability with the European Data Spaces Technical Framework.

The data space for smart communities will be subject to article 12(6) for the reasons already provided in section 2.2. The data space will offer data related to several critical city infrastructures such as energy supply and consumption, water management, waste management, traffic information, etc. which could then be exposed to vulnerabilities and impact EU public order. In addition, such data may be used for further fine-tuning the functioning of such city critical infrastructures (such as smart grids, etc.) as well as the AI-based solutions using this data.

Time is critical in addressing the challenges of the twin digital and green transition. Cities and communities are ready for effective innovation, hence the need for the creation of a data space for smart communities as an enabler of the Green Deal goals and Sustainable Development Goals.

Given the systemic nature of the Green transition challenge, the project will bring together existing local data ecosystems, and relevant stakeholders, public and private, to join efforts and identify common principles for sharing large pools of data at the EU level, ensuring wide geographical coverage as stipulated in the Digital Europe Programme Regulation Art 16(3)-(4). The action will contribute to the definition of the technical infrastructure for data sharing across relevant domains (in particular, traffic, electricity, pollution, urban infrastructure, extreme weather events, water and waste management, etc.) in order to create cross-domain innovation and move towards the Green transition in each local context.

Ultimately, the project outcomes will become a valuable base for real time testing and deployment of AI-based solutions including the deployment of the Testing and Experimentation Facilities for smart cities and communities (see topic 2.3.2.4), Destination Earth Digital Twins (see topic 5.1.1.2) and AI-based solutions for Smart Communities (see topic 2.2.1.2.3).

The funding will enable the establishment of a data governance mechanism, with a detailed roadmap on how the data space for smart communities will connect local data ecosystems at the EU level that could be interconnected with the future Green Deal Data space (see also topic 2.2.1.1). The project will grow organically, building on different EU initiatives and data ecosystems, and strengthening the connection between repositories of data. The project will:

• Develop a multi-stakeholder data governance scheme, bringing together local data ecosystem stakeholders, to jointly identify the data infrastructures to federate in order to enable a data space for smart communities at the EU level.
• Elaborate a blueprint for the data space for smart communities based on existing EU legislation and data policies, as well as on common principles agreed at sector or local levels
• Bring an agreed set of priority datasets and data themes (public, private, including citizen-collected, etc.) including real-time data, into conformity with the new blueprint standards and principles.

The action will have to work in partnership with the Data Spaces Support Centre (see topic 2.2.2.1) in order to ensure alignment with the European Data Spaces Technical Framework and the rest of the ecosystem of data spaces in section 2.2.1 thereof. The joint work will target the definition of:

• the data space reference architecture, building blocks and common toolboxes to be used;
• the common standards, including semantic standards and interoperability protocols, both domain-specific and crosscutting;
• The data governance models, business models and strategies for running data spaces.

Furthermore, the project is encouraged to cooperate with the Testing and Experimentation Facilities for smart cities and communities (see topic 2.3.2.4), to define European test and training data sets and to provide support in their establishment. The action should also establish links to those Horizon Europe missions that work with communities and cities as key implementing partners (e.g. Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities and Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change), which would provide significant opportunities to test, experiment and up-scale the input to and use of the data space with local partners.