Citizen Participation and the Rise of Digital Media Platforms in Smart Governance and Smart Cities

Many governments and firms do believe that technology can supplant governance and human responsibility. This belief poses the question of who will really benefit from smart cities. This article explores this fundamental question through the study of digital media platforms. The ultimate goal is to understand the link between e-governance and smart city initiatives in our cases of study by testing whether these projects are explicitly for citizens. This article shows how e-platforms represent the use of information and communication technologies with the aim of encouraging citizen participation in decision-making processes, improving information and service delivery, reinforcing transparency, accountability, as well as credibility. Thirteen digital media platforms are surveyed, mostly in cities across countries. These e-platforms raise implementation challenges for both firms and policy makers, and new research opportunities for scientist to build up new research and to experiment with the aim to make the benefits for citizens wider and the participatory dimension stronger.

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Citizen Participation in Public Administration

Handbook of Research on Global Challenges for Improving Public Services and Government Operations - Advances in Public Policy and Administration ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-4978-0.ch005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 72-93

Author(s):

Veronika Linhartova

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Goods ◽

Public Administration ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Citizen Participation ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Goods And Services ◽

New Concepts ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Decision Making Processes

The aim of the chapter is to evaluate the citizens involvement in contemporary public administration, especially in the Czech Republic. New concepts of governance and management of public sector organizations enable providing new or improved public goods and services that better meet consumer´s needs. These concepts also represent reformed or new approaches to governance with increased citizen participation. Public administration responds to dynamic changes in information and communication technologies and their maturity and uses them in the framework of e-government. Thanks to the implementation of e-government, citizens have become more knowledgeable, able to participate in decision-making processes, thus automatically becoming co-producers of public goods or services. This approach to public good and service delivery describes modern public sector management theories as co-creation. Although co-creation is an entirely new concept in some countries, various forms of public participation are becoming increasingly important worldwide and can be expected to continue in the future.

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The UK Geography of the e-Society: A National Classification

Environment and Planning A Economy and Space ◽

10.1068/a3912 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 362-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Paul A Longley ◽

Richard Webber ◽

Chao Li

Keyword(s):

Digital Media ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Citizen Participation ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Public And Private ◽

General Terms ◽

New Information ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Primary Focus ◽

The Uk

It is simplistic to think of the impacts of new information and communication technologies (NICTs) in terms of a single ‘digital divide’, or even a small number of them. As developments in what has been termed the ‘e-society’ reach wider and more generalised audiences, so it becomes appropriate to think of digital media as having wider-ranging but differentiated impacts upon consumer transactions, information gathering, and citizen participation. This paper describes the development of a detailed, nationwide household classification based on levels of awareness of different NICTs; levels of use of NICTs; and their perceived impacts upon human capital formation and the quality of life. It discusses how multivariate classification of individuals and households makes it possible to provide a context for detailed case studies, and hence to identify how policy might best improve both the quality and degree of society's access to NICTs. The primary focus of the paper is to describe how this bespoke classification is developed, but it also illustrates how it may be used to investigate a range of regional and subregional policy issues. As such, we illustrate how the classification provides a valuable context for study of the e-society and for people's engagement with NICT In more general terms, we anticipate the likely net benefits of combining the most appropriate methods, techniques, datasets, and practices that are used in the public and private sectors.

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Community Mesh Networks

Handbook of Research on Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability in the Development of Smart Cities - Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8282-5.ch014 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 298-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Primavera De Filippi

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Citizen Participation ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Mesh Networks ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Personal Data ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Digital World ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Privacy And Confidentiality

Smart cities embed information and communication technologies (ICT) to create interactive milieus that constitute a bridge between the physical and the digital world. In their attempt to improve citizens' quality of life through a more efficient use and sustainability of resources, smart cities might, however, also raise important concerns as regards the privacy and confidentiality of personal data flows. Insofar as the design of a city's telecommunication infrastructure is likely to affect the nature of social dynamics and human interactions, it should, ideally, be achieved through a coordinated, citizen-centric approach combining integrated ICTs with active citizen participation and intelligent physical, digital and informational resource management. This chapter analyzes the case of community mesh networks as an example of grassroots decentralized communication infrastructures, whose architecture design has important implications for the deployment and configuration of smart cities.

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Community Mesh Networks

Smart Cities and Smart Spaces ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7030-1.ch015 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 343-359

Author(s):

Primavera De Filippi

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Citizen Participation ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Mesh Networks ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Personal Data ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Digital World ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Privacy And Confidentiality

Smart cities embed information and communication technologies (ICT) to create interactive milieus that constitute a bridge between the physical and the digital world. In their attempt to improve citizens' quality of life through a more efficient use and sustainability of resources, smart cities might, however, also raise important concerns as regards the privacy and confidentiality of personal data flows. Insofar as the design of a city's telecommunication infrastructure is likely to affect the nature of social dynamics and human interactions, it should, ideally, be achieved through a coordinated, citizen-centric approach combining integrated ICTs with active citizen participation and intelligent physical, digital and informational resource management. This chapter analyzes the case of community mesh networks as an example of grassroots decentralized communication infrastructures, whose architecture design has important implications for the deployment and configuration of smart cities.

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Technologies Disability and Inclusion

EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY ◽

10.3280/ess1-2018oa6064 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tomas Brusell

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Augmented Reality ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Future Development ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Modern Technology ◽

The Social ◽

The Disabled ◽

Information And Communication

When modern technology permeates every corner of life, there are ignited more and more hopes among the disabled to be compensated for the loss of mobility and participation in normal life, and with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Exoskeleton Technologies and truly hands free technologies (HMI), it's possible for the disabled to be included in the social and pedagogic spheres, especially via computers and smartphones with social media apps and digital instruments for Augmented Reality (AR) .In this paper a nouvel HMI technology is presented with relevance for the inclusion of disabled in every day life with specific focus on the future development of "smart cities" and "smart homes".

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e-Diplomacy as Instrument for Establishment of Interethnic Relations

SHS Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/shsconf/20185001144 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 01144

Author(s):

Liudmila Reshetnikova

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Foreign Policy ◽

Digital Media ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Public Diplomacy ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Interethnic Relations ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Definition Of ◽

Digital Diplomacy

The article is devoted to e-diplomacy (also known as digital diplomacy) which is a component of public diplomacy. Digital diplomacy is a one of the new tools of foreign policy that is aimed to solve the problems of international and interethnic relations. The article examines the concept and definition of digital diplomacy that concentrates on the use of social networks and digital media in the field of foreign policy. Some risks and threats of e-diplomacy are also considered. The use of opportunities of information and communication technologies for solving the problems of foreign policy and influence on mass consciousness by means of the Internet, social networks is analyzed.

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Embodied AI-Driven Operation of Smart Cities: A Concise Review

10.36227/techrxiv.16370823 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

FARZAN SHENAVARMASOULEH ◽

Farid Ghareh Mohammadi ◽

M. Hadi Amini ◽

Hamid R. Arabnia

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Smart City ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Autonomous Driving ◽

Future Research ◽

Intelligent Network ◽

Concise Review ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Cloud Technologies

<div>A smart city can be seen as a framework, comprised of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). An intelligent network of connected devices that collect data with their sensors and transmit them using wireless and cloud technologies in order to communicate with other assets in the ecosystem plays a pivotal role in this framework. Maximizing the quality of life of citizens, making better use of available resources, cutting costs, and improving sustainability are the ultimate goals that a smart city is after. Hence, data collected from these connected devices will continuously get thoroughly analyzed to gain better insights into the services that are being offered across the city; with this goal in mind that they can be used to make the whole system more efficient.</div><div>Robots and physical machines are inseparable parts of a smart city. Embodied AI is the field of study that takes a deeper look into these and explores how they can fit into real-world environments. It focuses on learning through interaction with the surrounding environment, as opposed to Internet AI which tries to learn from static datasets. Embodied AI aims to train an agent that can See (Computer Vision), Talk (NLP), Navigate and Interact with its environment (Reinforcement Learning), and Reason (General Intelligence), all at the same time. Autonomous driving cars and personal companions are some of the examples that benefit from Embodied AI nowadays.</div><div>In this paper, we attempt to do a concise review of this field. We will go through its definitions, its characteristics, and its current achievements along with different algorithms, approaches, and solutions that are being used in different components of it (e.g. Vision, NLP, RL). We will then explore all the available simulators and 3D interactable databases that will make the research in this area feasible. Finally, we will address its challenges and identify its potentials for future research.</div>

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SCIENTIFIC BASES AND TECHNOLOGIES OF SECURITY HYGIENIC SAFETY OF CHILDREN IN THE «DIGITAL SCHOOL»

Hygiene and Sanitation ◽

10.18821/0016-9900-2019-98-12-1385-1391 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 98 (12) ◽

pp. 1385-1391 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Vladislav R. Kuchma ◽

L. M. Sukhareva ◽

M. I. Stepanova ◽

P. I. Chramtsov ◽

I. E. Aleksandrova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Digital Media ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Preschool Education ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Well Being ◽

Integrated System ◽

Learning Tools ◽

Randomized Controlled Studies ◽

Information And Communication

Introduction. Modern education of children is one of the most rapidly changing systems, actively using modern capabilities of information and communication technologies and e-learning tools. Information and communication technologies increase the load on the visual, auditory analyzers, the nervous system and contribute to the development of overwork in children. The use of digital media is becoming increasingly widespread, not only in school, before and in preschool education. To substantiate the concept and integrated system of the hygienic safety of electronic educational content and children’s life in conditions of hyper-informatization, physiological and hygienic studies are required. Materials and methods. In order to develop the scientific foundations and technologies for ensuring the hygienic safety of children in the “Digital School”, an expert-analytical study was carried out based on the results of representative hygienic observations and non-randomized controlled studies with Contribution of volunteers. Results. Studies of childhood hygiene allowed justifying the modern system of hygiene and health care of children and adolescents in a hyper-informational society, including criteria of the hygienic safety, including in the editorial, intended for children and adolescents; sanitary rules and norms of ensuring the hygienic safety of the new generation; federal recommendations of medical support of students in the conditions of using information and communication technologies; federal guidelines for students ’mental health and well-being; recommendations to the family in the field of ensuring the safety of children’s life in a digital environment; recommendations to producers and distributors of content in the field of ensuring the medical, psychological and pedagogical safety of children’s life, including the age marking of information products; gaming educational and educational programs on the rules for the safe use of children on the Internet; a system for monitoring the effectiveness of hygienic safety policies and protecting children from negative information in a hyper-information society. Conclusion. The developed system and technologies for ensuring the hygienic safety of the “Digital School” are significant for the medical and preventive basis of the health saving of students in the Decade of Childhood in Russia (2018-2027).

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Next Generation Information-Based Infrastructures

Critical Information Infrastructure Protection and Resilience in the ICT Sector ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2964-6.ch015 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 304-317

Author(s):

Eric Luiijf

Keyword(s):

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Cyber Security ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Road Transport ◽

Transport Infrastructure ◽

Next Generation ◽

Tightly Coupled ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Ict Security

Advancements of information and communication technologies (ICT) cause infrastructure owners to augment current infrastructures with such ICT. The creation of more efficient and effective end-user services provides economical benefits and increases customer satisfaction. Concurrently, ICT advancements allow governmental and industrial sectors to develop complete new infrastructures and infrastructure services, the so called Next Generation Infrastructures (NGI). NGI will offer new services to society, end-users and the supply-chain of organisations and linked, dependent infrastructural services. For over fifty years, the introduction of new ICT-based services and infrastructures has been tightly coupled with failures in ICT-security. This chapter on NGI discusses the root causes of these security failures. Based on historical experiences, this chapter predicts threats and cyber security failures alike for the envisioned NGI such as smart (energy) grids, smart road transport infrastructure, smart cities, and e-health. This prediction will become reality unless fundamental changes in the approach to security of ICT-based and ICT-controlled infrastructures are taken.

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