The new Gaia-X position paper on the future of data-centric administration was presented last week at the ADV Data Excellence Conference in Vienna.

At this year’s ADV Austria Digital Value / Data Excellence Conference, the position paper, developed in cooperation between the Gaia-X Hubs of Germany and Austria, was presented for the first time to the public during a panel discussion under the title “Navigation: Gaia-X and the Future of Data-Centric Administration.” The panel featured Brigitte Lutz (Board Member Gaia-X Hub Austria & City of Vienna) and co-author and scientist Martin Traunmüller (AIT), representing Gaia-X Hub Austria, alongside Winnie Schöngut, Anna-Lena Meiners, Nora Abu-Oun, Laura Büttner-Quandt from Gaia-X Hub Germany, and Roland Fadrany, COO of Gaia-X AISBL.

Smart Cities and Smart Regions have been evolving for at least 20 years as part of a digitization trend based on data networking in cities and regions. This term describes areas where the regular use of sustainable (ecological, economic, and social) products, services, technologies, processes, and infrastructures is achieved through highly integrated networking using information and communication technologies. Therefore, the next step towards connected, data-centric administrations of cities and regions is of immense importance. On one hand, public services and sovereign tasks are expanded and improved through the use of data-based systems. On the other hand, an increasing number of public and private actors will be involved along digital value chains. This is underscored by the growing need to pursue more sustainable and resilient approaches to urban and regional development and to use digital tools and solutions to accelerate the necessary transformation of the energy, transportation, and infrastructure sectors.

The position paper aims to explain the concepts of data-centric administration to practitioners, describe the necessary organizational and technical requirements by addressing administrative challenges and legal frameworks, and offer 10 recommendations. It demonstrates how the Gaia-X initiative, as a tool for data networking, has the potential to facilitate digital transformation in municipal administration. Additionally, technical aspects of digital transformation in administration are outlined, and a series of relevant use cases that illustrate the benefits of digitization and data orientation for administrations are presented to an interested audience.