How can urban data platforms help to increase the resilience of cities? The emergenCITY research centre with its Mission Knowledge Base analysed the status quo of the data platforms used throughout Germany in cooperation with Haselhorst Associates Consulting. emergenCITY researcher Michaela Leštáková along with Dr. Lucía Wright and Leonie Schiermeyer from Haselhorst Associates jointly developed a open practice dossier with six concluding recommendations for municipal actors.

Across Germany, more and more cities are turning to urban data platforms. These platforms are digital solutions that enable the collection and sharing of information from different areas of a city. They have the potential to make urban life more sustainable and resilient in different areas, especially through real-time data. However, data platforms come in very different forms, which then also decisively shape their benefits.

The report’s analysis divides the more than 140 platforms examined, which are used in Germany’s cities, into four variants: geoportals, dashboards, open data archives and apps. The dossier also provides an overview of the type of user interfaces, the availability of real-time data and various data categories that could have direct or indirect relevance in the event of a crisis. This is because the combination of real-time and crisis-relevant data in particular holds potential for the sustainable and resilient development of cities. In addition, of course, it remains crucial that the platform and the technologies used in it remain resilient and flexible even in the event of a crisis.

Lucia Wrigth describes in detail how an urban data platform can be helpful in practice in the event of a crisis in an article using the example of local mobility systems. The dossier itsself with the concluding tips for municipal actors can be found here.