An Interoperability Framework for Smart Cities (small- and medium-sized, as well as metropolises) and Communities (villages and municipalities) based on EIF will help pave the way to the new era of interoperable interactions at local level.
The European Commission – through the Smart Cities and Communities European Interoperability Framework (EIF4SCC) – aims to support local administrations and other actors with challenges that relate to providing interoperability services to citizens and businesses. The Framework intends to support primarily local administrations and, in particular, local policy makers. This work in progress is jointly managed by DG DIGIT as part of the ISA² Programme (2016-2020), and by DG CONNECT in the framework of the Living-in.eu movement.
The Smart Cities and Communities initiative will use digital technologies and data to make cities climate- and mobility-friendly, more interconnected and, in general, more agreeable to its inhabitants and businesses.
The affected sectors, at local level, include buildings, energy, transport, waste and water management systems, as well as other local public services and governance applied by the municipality itself. Driven by the impact that technology has on society and the public sector at national level (e.g. eID), the local level will also be influenced by the emergence of such new technologies with the increasing digitisation of their administrations. Due to the multi-level interactions that occur with higher levels of administration – including those of the private sector for local services (such as mobility, energy, transport etc.), interoperability is one of the biggest challenges for local administrations. Powerful multinational companies often try to apply a kind of vendor lock-in to specific technologies they deploy in cities, or do not follow strict security rules that could lead to issues with data protection and the privacy of citizens.
Source: https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/nifo-national-interoperability-framework-observatory/news/connecting-eif-smart-cities-communities-eif4scc