Cybercities as organizations based on

data refining and feedback

Dr. Pawel Kuczma,University of Warsaw / Amnet Poland

Inspirations

Norbert Wiener’s and Marian Mazur’s approaches to cybernetics (Wiener 1948, Mazur 1966) and Friedrich

von Hayek’s idea of the market which disseminates dispersed information (Hayek 1945).

How cities utilize open data

Source: bing.com

New York City Warsaw Shanghai

Warsaw, Poland

• Open data platform: danepowarszawsku.pl

• Number of datasets published: 57

• Exemplary data usage

New York, United States

• Open data platform: opendata.cityofnewyork.us

• Number of datasets published: 1786

• Exemplary data usage

Shanghai, China

• Open data platform: datashanghai.gov.cn

• Number of datasets published: 1 268

• Examplary data usage

How cities open their data

• The more open government, the bigger data opened by cities

• Some cities publish data on country Open data portals

• Competitions/hackatons to drive interests in Open Data

What is Cybernetics

Cybernetics – the methods of receiving, storing, processing and using information on machines, living organisms, and their associations (Kolmogorov)

Kolmogorov A. N., “Kibernetika” in Bol’shaia Sovetskaia entsiklopediia, wydanie drugie, Vol. 51 (1958), s. 149. Cyt. za: Mindell D., Segal J., Gerovitch S., From communications engineering to communications science: cybernetics and information theory in the United states, France, and the Soviet Union, w: Walker M., „Science and Ideology: A Comparative History”, London 2003, p. 88. “Giant Panda - Da Mao” by Blair Gannon is licensed under CC BY 2.0

FEEDBACK LOOP

What is a Cybercity

Cybercity – a city in which data on all possible activities is gathered , structured, analyzed and decisions are made and executed automatically (when possible and desired) on the basis of data in real time, with residents and authorities participating

FEEDBACK LOOP

Source: bing.comCYBERCITY≠ CITY IN THE CYBERSPACE

Evolution of cities

City SmartCity CyberCity

Technology,

Participation, AutomationOne-way

communication

Technology changing authorities-residents

relationship

Cybercity – how it works

Inspired by: Easton D., An Approach to an Analyis of Political System, „World Politics”, Vol 9, Nr 3 Apr 1957, s. 384, online.sfsu.edu/sguo/Renmin/June2_system/Political%20System_Easton.pdf.

Key benefits from cybercities

• Efficiency (faster, more accurate decisions and actions)

• Focus on what’s most important

• Big Data (incl. Open Data) to be used to boost the economy

• Citizens engagement and participation

A machine to run cities

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J._A._Bonsack,_Cigarette_Rolling_Machine.jpg

State apparatus

(Dominique Dubarle, 1948)

Cyberstructures in the history – Chile Cybersyn

Source: Beer S., Project Cyberfolk, Santiago 1972, p. 4, digitool.jmu.ac.uk:8881/R/42Q8KSFVI8KTHGNJHGD6NJV2VFQ1YUY79RM5J17R1TY88AD8YE-00400?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=16107&local_base=GEN01&pds_handle=GUEST [dostęp 26.10.2014]. Cybersyn.cl/ingles/cybersyn/index.html [dostęp 27.02.2014, 17:34].

Challenges of Cybercities

Data• Inaccurate data

• Insufficient amount of data / Data overflow

• Privacy

• Inconsistent data

Technology• Technical barriers

• Security and manipulation

• Cost

People • Citizens’ ambiguity

• Lack of skills

• Politics

Source: originalprop.com, freemovieposters.net

Key questions for futurecybercities development

• Who sets the decision criteria?

• What is the role of the protein interface (humans)?

• Who runs the machines who(?) run the countries?

• What ’independence’ and ’democracy’ means? Would it be still relevant?

• Would the machine need us to run the world?

谢 谢

Thanks

2017年第二届智慧城市国际论坛暨首届市长圆桌会议

2017 IFSC & The First Mayors Roundtable

Dr. Pawel KuczmaUniversity of Warsaw / Amnet Poland (Dentsu Aegis Network) p.kuczma@uw.edu.pl