An Exploratory research on Urban Data Platform business and operational model : Achieving circular economy of data with supply chain mechanism

Abstract

Cities are opening available governmental data to public as data is considered as the key to foster social, economic and environmental sustainability in a smart city. Publishing static yet diverse municipal data from different database systems into one place requires establishing an urban data platform for everyone’s use. However there has been a lack of research in understanding urban data platform and a standard for its operational model. Because of this research gap and the presence of supply and demand of data, this thesis paper has conducted an exploratory research on urban data platform and conceptualized operational model thereof using supply chain mechanism, which has been tested against three real life urban data platforms. In addition, it has investigated platform business model to evaluate urban data platforms operational orientation. Finally, the paper proposes an extension of the concept model that creates circular economy of data.

The majority of the findings of the research support the proposed concept model of urban data platform operation. Moreover, new insight that is urban data platform business model is similar to multisided platform business model is also discovered.

The importance of this research lies to practitioners both in public and private sector and to researchers in academia. For decision makers, the paper has drawn systematic, logical and objective-focused operational concept so that to experiment and improve data platform operation in practice. In addition, it also recommends an intelligent approach to exploit circular economy of data throughout urban data ecosystem / urban dynamics that would serve both city services internally and boost innovation and economic growth externally. For researchers the paper sets lay out for future research directions within and beyond the field of information systems and social science.