Market Insights
City Ecosystem Mapping for Major
Infrastructure Decisions
Social media ecosystem mapping
Bill Chamberlin (whchamb@us.ibm.com)
Mike Sagalyn (m_sagalyn@us.ibm.com)
May 13, 2009
© 2007 IBM Corporation

IBM Market Insights
Introduction to the Cities Ecosystem Network Map
 A Cities Ecosystem Network Map is a visual model showing the people and
organizations who influence and make decisions about major City
Infrastructure projects. The map helps us understand how stakeholders
relate to one-another and in what influence flows.
 There are three main features of a completed Ecosystem Network Map:
– The importance or weight of a stakeholder's overall influence (represented by the
size of the circle/bubble representing that stakeholder).
– The relationships between stakeholders (represented by the presence of lines or
arrows between them).
– The amount of influence stakeholders have over others (represented by the
heaviness of the lines drawn between them).
 A completed map shows the stakeholders with the most influence as having
the largest circles. Arrows drawn to other stakeholders indicate the
direction and strength of influence.
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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IBM Market Insights
Elements of a City Decision Ecosystem
Government Components: The mayor of a city provides services through an array
of subsystems, or departments. The work of these departments is shaped by
legislation, executive policies, and budgets. Legislative bodies—
city, county, state, and federal—write the laws, and approve budgets, with occasional
judicial intervention.
Flow of Influence: The allocation of resources, as well as evolution of laws, are
influenced by citizens who express their will directly (e.g. through special interest
groups) and indirectly (by electing officials based on specific political expectations).
Ecosystem Network Components: Developing an Ecosystem Network Map for
major infrastructure decisions can help us understand how information and influence
flows between influencers and decision makers. The Ecosystem is made up of many
individuals that reside in many types of organizations and positions, including
governments, NGOs, developers, architects, urban planners, social
networks, blogs, magazines, foundations, media programming, special interest
authorities, news outlets, technology vendors, transportation companies
alliances, etc
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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IBM Market Insights
The list of potential City influencers is broad
 Local, regional and international private sector business leaders (e.g., trade, banking, finance, insurance, retail, etc.)
 VC/investors,
 Futurists,
 Public advocate/activists,
 Academicians,
 Business leaders,
 Public sector and government officials,
 Non-government organizations,
 Students
 Regional, urban, town and city planners and leaders
 Utility companies (e.g., telephone, electricity, natural gas, water and sewage)
 Sanitation and Waste Management organizations
 Transportation leaders (e.g., air, rail, road and water)
 Transportation infrastructure companies (e.g., roads, railways, airways, waterways, canals and pipelines or terminals
(airports, railway stations, bus stations and seaports)
 Other infrastructure companies and Public Services/Public Works (e.g., technology, water supply, power
grids, telecommunications, engineering and construction)
 Public and private health organizations (e.g., public health, inoculations, vaccines)
 Public and private safety organizations (e.g., military, police, fire, ambulance, security, crime)
 Vehicle manufacturers (e.g., automobiles, bicycles, buses, trains, people and aircraft)
 Transport Operations leaders (the way the vehicles are operated, and set procedures including the financing, legalities and
policies)
 Cultural Leaders (e.g., museums and fine arts and humanities)
 Parks and Recreation
 Housing and real estate developers
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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IBM Market Insights
Summary view of City Ecosystem
Citizen Driven Social Media
Conferences, Eve
Bloggers Social Networks
nts, Rallies
Citizen Issue Neighborhood
Groups Groups
Legislative
Bodies
City
Departments
Elected Officials
Traditional Mayor (County, Regional, State, Federal
Media (print,
Media City Government Legislatures (Fed,
TV, radio) Judiciary (Fed,
State, County, etc.
Regulators State, County)
City
Council
Regulators (Fed,
Stat, Regional)
Real Estate
Tech
NGO’s Industry
Developers
Vendors
Groups
Transportation Construction
Capital
markets Architects
Industry & Quasi – or – non
governmental organizations Energy &
Local Businesses
Utilities
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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IBM Market Insights
Example Mockup of a City Ecosystem Social Network Map
Arrows and Bubble Size are shown for information only. Not based on any fact based research
Citizen Driven Social Media Social Networks
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn:
American
Urban
Citizen Groups Planning
Planning
Assoc.
City Room LinkedIn NY
Bloggers LinkedIn Real Estate &
Streetsblog Construction
LinkedIn:
Legislative
Int’l rban
ICF Blog
Smarter
Room 8 Planning
LinkedIn:
Planet Group
NYC Real
Federal
Estate
Conferences
WNYC News Community
openalex
Bodies and
Based
Transportation
Government
Planning
/ Events
Alternatives
planetizen US Mayors Blog U.S. Dept.
of Energy
Other Elected
Real Deal
U.S.
EPA
U.S. Dept.
/ Appointed
of Housing
U.S. DOT
Appointed
NYC Dept.
Officials NYC Dept of of City
Officials
U.S. Dept.
Design & Planning
Task Force
WCBS-TV Homeland
Construction
Members
Mayor’s Security
WNBC-TV
NYC Dept.
Office
Council Elected
Crain’s
NY Daily NY
of Transp.
Members Officials
News Magazine
WNYW-TV
NYC Fire
Dept
NYC Police
WABC-TV WSJ NY Times City
State
CIOs
Gotham
Gazette
City Government Government
New Yorker
Media Newsweek State
Congress State Public
State
Services
Senate
Commission
Energy & Utilities Governor’s
Traditional CenterPoint Office
Energy
Media AT&T
Gridwise
Duke
Energy
Businesses / TBD
American
TBD DRSG
Water
Industry Groups TBD
NYC
TBD
Manhattan
Chamber of NY Business
NGOs Developers &
Commerce Council
Real Estate Firms
Next
American
NYC
Construction
Gensler CH2MHill
City CEOs for C40 Cities
CBRE
Cities TBD
Industry
Gale
Real Estate
NYC NY TBD Int’l
hok Bechtel
Foundation
Building Urban Land US
NYC
Mgrs Institute Conference TBD
Brookings Municipal TBD
of Mayors Gilbane Bechtel
Art Society
Parsons
Intelligent Amer. Arch.
Community
Capital Markets
Mayors Foundation
Forum Inst. on
Northrop
City Design
Gruman
Nat’l
Educational Institutions
Streetline
League of
Johnson
Cities
Controls
Cisco
Transportation
Siemens U of
Cincinnati
Harvard
IBM Smart
Industry
Industry & non University MIT
Honeywell
Cities
Smart Berkeley
Cities
Port
Thales
Better
Metropolitan Authority
Place UNC
governmental organizations Transportatio of NY
n Authority
Tech Vendors
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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IBM Market Insights
Example of a Completed Social Network Ecosystem Map
Source: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_gort_cloud:hardcover
© 2009 IBM Corporation
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