In summer, the partners of the DEAS project conducted two surveys in all eight project areas. The first survey was aimed at the public and focused on people's needs and expectations for new digital solutions in the areas of mobility, environment, tourism and culture. The survey results show that the availability of information and digital services is very good at the "global" level and less good at most local levels. Respondents want more and better services and information relevant to their living environment. The environment is clearly the first priority for new innovative services, mobility comes second. In terms of the need for new innovative services, tourism and culture are third overall, but it is the second most popular of all project themes. In general, the trend towards sustainable, green and locally provided services is reflected in people's reactions. People are also often unaware of existing products and services, especially those that primarily serve local needs and lack visibility. An inventory of existing digital products would raise awareness of what kind of information is already available to citizens.
The second survey focused on the analysis of skills and tools already available or considered necessary by intermediaries and business support organisations to better assist SMEs and entrepreneurs in using open data for the development of new and innovative digital services. The results of the survey show that intermediaries and business support organisations are generally familiar with the concept and characteristics of open data. They are much less aware of the opportunities to create and commercially exploit new business models. Less than half of the organisations surveyed actually offer some form of support, mostly through links with competent organisations such as universities. The lack of in-house staff trained in open data topics is the main obstacle to better support. The results of the survey suggest that the DEAS project, through the planned training toolkit, will enable intermediary organisations to better inform and raise awareness among intermediary organisations of the potential of open data for the development of new and innovative digital services.
The outcome of the surveys has been discussed in the Local Working Groups leading to some conclusions which might be relevant for the further course of DEAS:
- Gap: In general, the gap between the demand for and the availability of digital services is quite narrow.
- Solutions for local specifics are more in demand than those dealing with global issues.
- Regional differences are apparent between the project regions as to which themes of digital services are more in demand than others and which are more readily available.
- Bundled services: Aggregation of OD sources and services would boost OD applications.
- Public sector: Authorities and public administration need to be involved more strongly.
- Frameworks & regulations: EU-Regulations such as GDPR and PSI strongly influence potential commercial applications.
- Market & commercialization: The market pressure by the big US “Internet giants” (esp. Google) is enormous. Small commercial providers and non-commercial applications need public support.
- User-centered view: Users’ need should be in the center of all considerations.
If you are interested in detailed results on the Alpine Space level, please contact peter.medica@tp-lj.si. For results for your area, please contact your local DEAS partner.
