Abstract

Part 2: Open and Smart Government; International audience; Smart cities focus on using existing resources in a better way to improve the urban environment. At the same time Big and Open Linked Data (BOLD) can be used to better understand the use of the resources and to suggest improvements. The objective of this paper is to investigate the complementariness of the smart cities and big and Open Data research streams. Two inductive cases concerning different aspects of smart cities, energy and mobility, are investigated. The idea of using BOLD for smart cities seems initially straightforward, but the cases show that this is complex. A taxonomy for forms of collecting and opening data is derived. A major challenge is to deal with data distributed over various data sources and how to align the data push with the citizens’ needs. This paper highlights a continuous scale between open and closed data and emphasizes that not only Open Data but also closed data should be used to identify improvements. BOLD can contribute to the ‘smartness’ of cities by linking and combining data or employing data or predictive analytics to improve better use of resources. A smart city only becomes smart when there are smart citizens, businesses, civil servants and other stakeholders. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Efficient energy services are essential for economic growth, competitiveness, and human development. Globally, energy markets are undergoing a transformation: fossil fuel prices are responding to new and unpredictable dynamics, and new energy and information and communication technologies (ICT) are emerging and disrupting traditional market architectures. The 2030 development agenda for sustainable development adopted in September 2015 by the 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly establishes sustainable energy as number seven of its 17 sustainable development goals (SDG7). It seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. While much of the finance will have to come from the private sector, public finance - both national budgets and concessional transfers - will have a crucial role to play in helping set economies on the right path. So in this increasingly complex and rapidly changing context, how are Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) energy markets progressing? How will emerging disruptions and game changers influence the evolution and transformation of energy markets in LAC? How ready are existing markets and institutions to actively move toward the next frontiers of efficiency? What is needed to break through to the modern, efficient, secure, and sustainable energy systems needed to support the regional economy in the coming years? What investment will be needed and how is LAC poised to attract private finance? This report explores these questions and offers insights into paths and indicative actions needed to approach the next efficiency frontier. The report focuses on electricity and gas markets. The analysis acknowledges the varying conditions and challenges of different countries in the region. Intraregional variation is addressed through analysis of country groupings and selection of appropriate comparators, benchmarks, and best practice frontiers.