Building City-as-a-Platform Model

Building City-as-a-Platform Model

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Our world is complicated – cities are no exceptions. They are even a perfect example of complexity. In order to simplify city operations we need to find the way how to collaborate.

Let’s take a look at the latest most successful, fastest growing companies like Uber, Airbnb or Alibaba. What do they have in common? They are platforms.

But what does a platform mean? In simple definition proposed by Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, Sangeet Paul Choudary in “Platform Revolution. How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy and How to Make Them Work for You” :

“Platform connects producers with consumers and allows them to exchange value.”

So why not build a platform model for the greatest marketplace in the world – the cities? Citizens are there both producers and consumers. From that point of view TMForum – a global association for digital business, focused on connecting digital ecosystems – has a goal to leverage cumulative knowledge of the leading world smart cities experts to create City as a Platform model.

At the beginning of this initiative there were a list of principles, support and agreed, which is a list of principles, support and agreed. This list got a name – City as a Platform Manifesto and Ekinno Lab was one of the first members to sign it.

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TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts outlines the signatories to the “City as a Platform” Manifesto at the 2017 Smart City InFocus event in Yinchuan, China
(Credit: Mike Hanlon / New Atlas)

Guided by these principles, the team consisting of smart city experts, city representatives, academics and private sector platform providers (including our company) maps cities business requirements down to Technical APIs – which will accelerate platform design process for cities.
Adam contributes to Architecture and API stream, combining his expertise in TM Forum information model (Frameworx), telecommunication/ICT and hand-on experience in developing
Ekinnolab flagship platform – Naviparking .

As a result of collaboration with smart city experts from all over the world, there was created a model for business, technical and API mapping.

Practical use of this model and CurateFX solution was presented by Adam during TMForum webinar “How to build a smart city platform model

Direct link to webinar video also available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/239037801

What are your thoughts about benefits that City as a Platform model can bring to create smarter cities where everyone’s life will be better?

Please leave your thoughts below or email at: adam.pucher(at)ekinnolab.eu.