The Smart Cities project received lots of attention at the EU eGov conferences in Ghent and Brussels (Belgium) past week. As one of the main contributors to the Citadel Statement, we were able to co-launch this document together with the North Sea Region Programme. On both events, the Smart Cities exhibition welcomed lots of interested eGov practicioners and policy makers.

Citadel Statement presented at EU eGovernment conferences

In 2009, EU Ministers signed the Malmö Ministerial Declaration outlining a forward-looking eGovernment vision to be achieved by 2015. One year after, the Citadel Statement is presented. We aim to help ‘make Malmö real’ by producing a pan-European ‘Call to Action’ - known as The Citadel Statement – that will help local government deliver on the key objectives of the Malmö Declaration.
The Smart Cities partnership was one of the main contributers in the writing of this statement. The North Sea Region Programme supports the Statement.
Read the Citadel Statement: http://www.smartcities.info/citadel-statement-making-malm%C3%B6-%E2%80%9...

Video coverage

Smart Cities covered the most important moments on the Conference on Local eGovernment (Ghent) and Lift-off towards Open Government (Brussels).
On our videopage, you will find the presentation of the Citadel Statement by Julia Glidden and the signing by the supporting partners. Leiedal and Smart Cities were represented on stage by Mr Alain Top. The North Sea Region Programme was represented by Mr Christian Zieske on behalf of Christian Byrith.
See also images of the Smart Cities exhibition, supported by the North Sea Region Programme, Leiedal and Kortrijk. The Mayor of Kortrijk and the Belgian Minister of Justice, Mr Stefaan De Clerck, visited the Smart Cities booth on December 16th.
Videos: http://www.smartcities.info/video
Pictures; http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartcities/

Cory Doctorow on privacy, open data and Wikileaks

Smart Cities invited famous activist and science fiction author Cory Doctorow on the conference on Local eGovernment. His speech gave an other perspective on the issues of privacy, open data, human rights and copyrights.
In a video interview by the organisors of the Future Internet Conference Week, he gave his thoughts about Wikileaks and the tactics of a DOS-attack.
More information: http://festival.radiocentrum.be/?p=2882

Open data: not that difficult

Lots of presentations on the conferences on eGovernment refered to Open Data. Paul Davidson, invited by Smart Cities, gave some reliable and practical advices on how local governments could open up their data.
Paul Davidson is working in the team to open up local government data. He presented a full list of interesting datasets.
He spoke earlier this year at a Smart Cities workshop in Norfolk.