# Urban Open Platform for Borderless Smart Cities
## 1 Introduction  
This paper is motivated by the challenge that the capabilities to collect and use urban data sources are low, while at the same time the volume of data is constantly increasing. This also applies to technical competences for data processing and data analysis. This is according to a survey conducted with Estonian municipalities ([[https://taltech.ee/en/finest-centre-for-smart-cities#p34631](https://taltech.ee/en/finest-centre-for-smart-cities#p34631)]([https://taltech.ee/en/finest-centre-for-smart-cities#p34631](https://taltech.ee/en/finest-centre-for-smart-cities#p34631)), accessed on 9 November 2021) in a European country with one of the most advanced digital public services, according to the pan-European DESI Index, which probably points to the global nature of this challenge. In this light, we have investigated which data collection and analysis tools cities could use to deal with this problem, starting with use cases in Estonia and Finland. In addition, the issue is much more complex when we start analysing cross-border cities and their data exchange, calling for research-based solutions. Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is an attempt to bring the level of analysis from the single-city Urban Platform to the multiple-cities level. Data, including the means of processing it, is not a new phenomenon for cities--this has been at the central of urban governance since the industrial revolution began in the 19 th century [1]. Therefore, the key question is how it is changing in the context of digital technologies that are redrawing the borders between cities, countries and companies; at least the virtual borders. This paper investigates how data can be exchanged, both within one city and also across cities and their stakeholders. Digital technology breakthroughs such as Facebook, Skype, Google and LinkedIn have clearly changed the understanding of the world map: if one is online, there are no borders, at least in online communicationsservices. On the other hand, the picture is different if zoomed into urban levels where each department in each municipality tailors its own electronic services. Local services are often developed in isolation with minimal attempts to co-design the services jointly with other key stakeholders (other cities, different government levels, companies, citizens, etc.). Furthermore, digital urban services are often developed and analysed from the \"closed-borders\" perspective, disregarding, for example, everyday commuters from other regions and the fact that, at least technologically, services and data can be scaled over institutional borders [2]. According to [PERSON] et al. [3], an Urban Platform (UP) is a key software infrastructure for urban planning and maintenance, designed to handle and analyse large datasets from different domains. The authors argue that the main driver should be to help cities follow zero carbon strategies via the inclusion of all major sectors of CO\({}_{2}\) generation. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [4] see the end goal of the digitalisation of cities is to become more environmentally friendly, which as a process can be achieved via the Open Standardized Urban Platform with the main functionalities of data ingestion, analytics and services. [PERSON] & [PERSON] [5] and [PERSON] al. [6] put the deployment of sensors as being more central in Urban Platforms' applications, with the end goal to improve the quality of life. The wider goal is to enable the transition of cities to more sustainable systems (less CO\({}_{2}\), more energy efficient, more environmentally friendly, etc.--all better for the citizen). Nevertheless, there are still structural obstacles such as openness and interoperability in those Urban Platforms. The issue is brought out by [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], & [PERSON] [7], who mapped 100 urban data practices that contribute to \"platform urbanism\" by noting a concern dynamic of city administrators to be \"locked in\" to specific corporate products and interests.