Citilab Presentation October 2009 - Digital Cities

The Wisdom of Crowds: Developing Digital Cities Dave Harte Birmingham City University Digital Birmingham [email_address] http://daveharte.com @daveharte

Birmingham Second Life Island

Making Birmingham a digital city for everyone.

Digital Cities - some ingredients
First, some theory
Ingredient 1: A desire to talk about things
Ingredient 2: A social culture
Ingredient 3: Data
Policy Matters
Ingredient 4: Some ‘big stuff’ to get angry about

Some theory: We know nothing about the future of technology
http://davidszondy.com/future/futurepast.htm
McLuhan: Users shape technology use

Future users:
Here’s what 4 year olds know - a screen that ships without a mouse ships broken
Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky Cognitive Surplus
“ Desperate Housewives essentially functioned as a kind of cognitive heat sink, dissipating thinking that might otherwise have built up and caused society to overheat”

Clay Shirky – Cognitive Surplus
“ Someone working alone, with really cheap tools, has a reasonable hope of carving out enough of the cognitive surplus, enough of the desire to participate , enough of the collective goodwill of the citizens, to create a resource you couldn't have imagined existing even five years ago .”

Some theory
Let’s not predict technology use
Users are a resource
Little bits of time to create amazing things

Ingredient 1
A DESIRE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS

Ingredient 2
A SOCIAL CULTURE

WXWM - impromptu, self-organising

Social Media Surgeries

http://bevocal.org.uk

BeVocal gives gentle introductions to using data in new ways
Aimed at enhancing understanding of new ways to use internet tools

Ingredient 3
DATA

Timely Information
“ RAW DATA NOW”

My raw data

Hacking the City
Timely Information for Citizens
Pilot project ‘Birmingham Open City’
National & International profile for local stuff

Some Policy - UK
Creative Britain
We’re better than anyone else, well done.
Ofcom Public Service Broadcasting review
People value quality. Quality public broadcasting can be online.
Power of Information
Public sector meets active citizenship
Push to free up data

The Policy Context
Digital Britain
Let’s get the pipes in place
Policy recognising shift:
that’s helpful

Digital Inclusion matters
“ Increased awareness would lead to more people engaging in digital participation. Building awareness of what it is possible to do quickly and easily online could encourage greater participation.”
(Ofcom Citizen Participation research)

Ingredient 4
SOME ‘BIG STUFF’ TO GET ANGRY ABOUT

HACKING THE CITY

A digital opportunity:
Cognitive surplus + Raw Data =
new and exciting area of the digital economy
It’s a business opportunity

But, there’s going to be a fight
Commerce
Economic Development
Professionals
High margins
Professional Pride
Corporate culture
Networking culture
Charity Cultural Development Amateur Free Civic Pride Grassroots culture Social Culture

A new digital workforce
In small companies
In public sector
In bedrooms
Networked
Showing off

Creating the conditions for a Digital City
It is all about the crowd (users, workers, brokers)
pic: peteashton

Creating the conditions for a Digital City
In-fighting, bickering - it’s all good fun
pic: peteashton

Summary
Ingredient 1: A desire to talk about things
Ingredient 2: A social culture
Ingredient 3: Data
Ingredient 4: Some ‘big stuff’ to get angry about
= a messy, exciting digital city

Thank you

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Citilab Presentation October 2009 - Digital Cities

by Dave Harte

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