Fraunhofer spin-off DKSR builds open source platform for smart cities

Data DNA for the city of the future

Our cities and municipalities are facing enormous challenges: Climate change, transportation transition and regional energy and resource management have long since become part of everyday life for administrations and urban planners – tasks that can hardly be mastered satisfactorily without a forward-looking data infrastructure. A Fraunhofer spin-off could now decisively advance the digital transformation of our urban living spaces: The Data Competence Center for Cities and Regions (DKSR) is developing an open source platform with which municipalities can not only manage their data professionally, but also use it to create value, save resources and digitally empower their population.

Municipalities are already using a variety of digital systems, tools and aids in all areas of urban city administration and design – but the future vision of a smart, intelligent city that not only operates in a climate-neutral way, but also promises long-term growth and prosperity and offers quality of life for all sections of the population, requires more: a functioning smart city needs a higher-level intelligence, a data management system that can aggregate and harmonize data sets from different areas and use them securely for tailor-made solutions. In this way, not only can urban services be tailored precisely to current needs, such as waste disposal or traffic lights at neuralgic traffic junctions, but immense resources can also be saved, for example when urban green spaces automatically report their current water requirements using sensors or raw materials are recycled in inner-city cycles. The Fraunhofer spin-off DKSR now offers this digital data DNA, which cities and municipalities can use to drive forward the development of the smart city step by step, securely and in line with their own needs.

The data DNA of smart cities

German municipalities generally have all the relevant data they need to make the digital upgrade of their administration and community a reality – but existing systems and organizational forms of data management often hinder a successful and systematic digital transformation. This is precisely where the DKSR comes in with its open source model for data management in cities and municipalities. The platform and the associated services of the Fraunhofer spin-off enable municipalities to enter the digital future regardless of the maturity level of their existing data management, with scalable entry-level solutions that can be tailored precisely to the current needs of a municipality. Analyzing, qualifying and curating the existing wealth of data offers a sensible entry scenario, especially for many smaller cities, with which effective structures can be set up cost-effectively and potential for value-adding data use can be identified. On this basis, local authorities can use the open source platform to set up and host their own data management with the DKSR in an uncomplicated and secure manner. The Morgenstadt Urban Data Community rounds off the 360° service package for urban transformation. The community ensures exchange, mutual learning based on best practices and common challenges among all participating municipalities. Promising models and applications from other communities can thus be easily adopted by the participants via “plug and play”. Participating municipalities can also easily access start-ups and specialized providers of additional services. Similar to a secure and quality-tested app store, their applications can then be made available to all cities and municipalities in an open ecosystem.

From research network to platform for urban innovation

The DKSR is not only setting new standards for urban data management: five Fraunhofer Institutes are directly involved in the spin-off. The Fraunhofer IAO as initiator, as well as the partner institutes Fraunhofer IESE, Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, Fraunhofer FOKUS and Fraunhofer ISST, each of which is contributing key technologies and expertise. On the industry side, Deutsche Telekom, the Urban Software Institute and the IT consultancy axxessio are among the co-initiators. The DKSR emerged from the Fraunhofer Morgenstadt Initiative, a dynamic research network in which Fraunhofer Institutes, companies and representatives of local authorities work together to think ahead about innovations for the city of tomorrow, develop models and test new applications. In the eight years or so of joint collaboration since Morgenstadt was founded, the participants have come to realize that the unique expertise and technology portfolio of the Morgenstadt network could also form an excellent basis for the practical exploitation of research results.

Successful spin-offs in the ecosystem

Dr. Alanus von Radecki, long-time head of the Morgenstadt initiative and now CEO of DKSR, had already gained start-up experience himself, including as co-founder of BABLE, a Fraunhofer spin-off that links innovative, clean technologies precisely with the needs of cities, urban planners and developers. Together with the Morgenstadt partners, von Radecki drove forward the idea of offering municipalities the technology, know-how and tools for data-based applications for citizens, administration and companies in a secure, transparent and value-adding way. However, the numerous partner organizations not only multiplied the economic opportunities, they also made the legal and financial structure of this new form of spin-off a challenge for everyone involved. Fraunhofer Venture’s consulting tandem accompanied the spin-off team through this negotiation process, navigated through complex legal issues, structured the various interests and supported the founders and partners in turning the diversity into a transparent win-win constellation for all parties involved. In the meantime, DKSR is preparing the further development of its platform for market entry in the second phase of the Fraunhofer AHEAD program. The team is working step by step to realize its vision: to set the new standard for municipal data management in the coming years.

Tip for other founders:

“For founders, perfection means learning quickly from practical application, user feedback and also from your own mistakes – as a Fraunhofer spin-off, you often have to learn this mentality first – but the combination of Fraunhofer knowledge and agile willingness to learn can become a real formula for success.” (Alanus von Radecki, DKSR GmbH)