#Digital City

Last year the Dutch smart city ecosystem partnered up with the Nordics to organize a successful business event preceding the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The event brought together over 500 international representatives from governmental organizations, private sector and knowledge institutions on numerous smart city challenges.

This year we cannot meet in Barcelona but we have decided to take our event online on November 2nd, 9th and 16th preceding Smart City Live 2020 (Nov 17-18).

The Road to Smart City Live is focused on developing the innovation system and connecting stakeholders to urban challenges. The purpose of this digital event is to provide government, city representatives, start-ups, SME’s, corporates, experts and investors with a platform to initiate long-term partnerships. National organizations and cities from all over the world will come together to establish new alliances and build on existing ones.

Over 30 session are already planned. Join Amsterdam, Stockholm, Singapore, Busan, The Hague, Dortmund, ITEA and many more. Cherry pick your sessions now, by registering for free. Matchmaking is facilitated by the Enterprise Europe Network.

Participation is free of charge but registration is required via: https://smart-city-2020.b2match.io/signup

We highlight a few workshops organized by the City of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Smart City:

Amsterdam: Towards flexible electricity grids – innovations on multiple levels

Nov 9, 13:00 – 14:00

In order to reach its objectives of becoming a climate neutral city by 2050, there is an urgent need for smart systems that balance supply and demand on the electricity grid in Amsterdam. Currently it seems that technical solutions are well on their way. However, solutions that increase flexibility on the grid (“FLEX”) are not implemented at scale yet. Innovations in the legal, financial and governance domain are most likely required as well. The City of Amsterdam is exploring which FLEX solutions are applicable in Amsterdam and which conditions are necessary to scale them. How can we organize innovation in such a way that experimentation with FLEX solutions leads to a large implementation? Where, as a municipality, do we need to strengthen our efforts? Moreover, what should the collaboration, responsibilities, and division of roles between market players and government look like in developing scalable FLEX solutions?

Amsterdam: Innovators – How to work with governments?

Nov 16 at 13:00 – 13:45

Government bodies and companies very often have different working styles which can make a cooperation difficult. Moreover, it can be difficult especially for start-up’s or scale-up’s to find a “way in” and to understand the often complicated purchasing process of government bodies.

Amsterdam: Governments – How to work with innovative companies?

Nov 16, 14:00 – 14:45

It can be very difficult for government bodies to get innovation and innovative solutions to the public challenges of the cities or regions. Amongst others that can be due to different working style and unknowingly excluding smaller yet more innovative market players due to complicated purchasing procedures and requirements. In this workshop we will introduce different methods and purchasing projects and their commonalities in attracting innovative companies. We will discuss what we learned from previous programs and what is necessary to ensure a fruitful cooperation that creates value for the citizens of the government body

Look Back To See Forward – Daily Recap & Drinks

Nov 2, 9 & 16, 16:15 – 16:45

During this fun and interactive 30-minute program we will recap the most inspiring moments and key lessons from the day that you’ve experienced as participants. It’s the perfect way to keep the momentum going, strengthen existing partnerships and make new connections! Grab a drink and join us for this informal program. This session is organized and hosted in collaboration between Amsterdam Smart City, Amsterdam Trade & Innovate, and The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Smart Cities Information System, SCIS, is a knowledge platform and database collecting solutions and outcomes from (EU funded) Smart City projects.

Join their final event A BEGINNING - NOT THE END on November 4 and 5, 2020 !
The conference will be the highlight and the end of activities under the umbrella of the Smart Cities Marketplace, as well as the answer to the question “What’s next?”.

The online event includes a mixture of plenaries and engaging workshop sessions on several highly relevant topics and an all-day meet & greet with the Smart City Marketplace matchmakers.

The aim of the conference and consolidated matchmaking is (1) to get cities from all over Europe interested in collaborative projects, (2) to trigger further (EU) funded projects, (3) to network with interested cities and stakeholders and (4) to direct the audience towards the Smart Cities Marketplace - as the logical follow-up of SCIS.

You can register here: https://www.aanmelder.nl/119837/subscribe
More info and the programme: https://smartcities-infosystem.eu/newsroom/news/scis-final-conference-4-5-nov-2020

The EIT-KIC project CityFlows aims to improve the liveability of crowded pedestrian spaces through the use of Crowd Monitoring Decision Support Systems (CM-DSS) to manage pedestrian flows. To facilitate knowledge exchange between project partners and stakeholders, the CityFlows project is hosting a webinar series in four parts.

The focus during the third CityFlows webinar will be on crowd management simulations and innovations at train stations. Crowd-management researchers and practitioners are encouraged to join this interactive webinar and to share their best practices and lessons learned.

Program:

14:50 – 15:00 Zoom meeting room open

15:00 – 15:05 Welcome & introductions, Cornelia Dinca

15:05 – 15:20 Innovations in crowd modelling and forecasting at train stations by Roland Geraerts, Utrecht University

15:20 – 15:35 Improving security at transport hubs: the NATO SPS INSTEAD project by Luigi De Dominicis, ENEA Frascati Research Centre

15:35 – 15:40 Reflection from CityFlows partners

15:40 – 16:00 Q&A with the audience, moderated by Dorine Duives, TU Delft

16:00 Program end

For more information about the CityFlows project visit: <https://cityflows-project.eu>

Dit is een online evenement. Informatie over het bijwonen van de talk volgt na registratie.

meld je aan

De Dutch Design Week Eindhoven (DDW) vindt dit jaar plaats van 17 tot 25 oktober. Vanwege de COVID-19 maatregelen wordt het festival deels online gehouden, en deels via live tentoonstellingen in verschillende studio's.

Tijdens de Dutch Design Week organiseert Waag vanuit Embassy of Health meerdere talks, die online te volgen zijn. Op maandag 19 oktober gaan we in op de variaties van citizen science in de zorg en de vraag welke rol ontwerpend onderzoek hierbij speelt.

Citizen science in de zorg
Hoe kan ontwerp burgers actief betrekken bij onderzoek in de zorg?

In elk zorgproces wordt een scala aan gegevens verzameld - zowel door zorgprofessionals als door burgers zelf. Ondanks het feit dat het monitoren van persoonlijke gezondheid gemeengoed geworden is, is de betrokkenheid van burgers in medisch onderzoek niet vanzelfsprekend. In deze online bijeenkomst gaan we met experts uit de ontwerp- en onderzoekswereld in gesprek over de kansen die citizen science kan bieden, en bespreken we de randvoorwaarden die nodig zijn om burgers en onderzoekers succesvol te laten samenwerken. Ook belichten we de rol die ontwerp hierbij kan spelen.

Sprekers:

• Sabine Wildevuur, hoofd van Design Lab Twente
• Margaret Gold van ECSA/Citizen Science Lab Leiden biedt het Europese perspectief van een netwerkorganisatie
• Judith Veenkamp, hoofd Smart Citizens Lab bij Waag
• Henk Duinkerken, oprichter van Mijn Data Onze Gezondheid

Moderator: Paulien Melis

Datum: maandag 19 oktober
Tijdstip: 11.30 - 13.00 uur

meld je aan

Deelname is gratis.

Embassy of Health is een samenwerkingsverband tussen Waag, Philips Design, Máxima Medisch Centrum, U CREATE, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie en Dutch Design Foundation.

Dit is een online evenement. De link waarmee je de film van 15 tot 22 oktober kunt bekijken en de details voor het bijwonen van de online meeting worden naar je toegestuurd na aanmelding.

Meld je aan

Technologie is niet neutraal. Het is een reflectie van cultuur en politieke overtuiging. Net als in andere vertalingen van macht, liggen in technologie vooroordelen, ongelijkheden en racisme ingebakken. Het is dus van belang om vragen te stellen: over wie er aan de knoppen zit, maar ook wie de knoppen ontwerpen, en voor wie. Welke invloed heeft dat op de inclusiviteit van het (digitale) publieke domein?
Kunstmatige intelligentie wordt gebruikt om te beslissen wie er wordt aangenomen, wat de kwaliteit is van de medische behandeling die we krijgen en of we verdacht worden in een politieonderzoek. Hoewel deze tools veelbelovend zijn, kunnen ze ook kwetsbare en gemarginaliseerde mensen schaden en burgerrechten bedreigen. Ongecontroleerde en soms zelfs ongewenste AI-systemen kunnen racisme, seksisme en andere vormen van discriminatie versterken: een vertaling van onze eigen tekortkomingen.

> Lees meer: The Algorithmic Justice League (AJL)
Waag host van 15 t/m 22 oktober de film Coded Bias, die te bekijken zal zijn via Cinesend. De film belicht de verhalen van mensen die zijn getroffen door schadelijke technologie en toont vrouwen die op baanbrekende manier alarm slaan over de bedreigingen van kunstmatige intelligentie voor burgerrechten. Centraal staat het verhaal van Joy Buolamwini, onderzoeker aan MIT, die ontdekte dat veel gezichtsherkenning-technologie niet reageert op haar huidskleur. De documentaire Coded Bias ging in januari 2020 in première op het Sundance Film Festival.

Over Coded Bias
Synopsis: ‘Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: what does it mean when artificial intelligence increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against? When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.’

Discriminerende algoritmes zijn een concreet en alarmerend voorbeeld van uitsluiting, gefaciliteerd door technologie. Coded Bias stelt ons in staat het gesprek over ethiek in AI verder te brengen, en na te denken over de rol van AI in onze toekomst. Van 15 tot 22 oktober kun je de film Coded Bias kijken door je te registreren via de button. Tijdens het publieksprogramma op donderdag 22 oktober gaan we in gesprek met de filmmaker, Shalini Kantayya. Waag-directeur Marleen Stikker verzorgt een introductie en opent het gesprek met Kantayya. Daarna modereert ze de Q&A met het publiek. We horen ook graag van jou! Hoe denk jij over onze (digitale) samenleving? Wat kunnen we doen om onze burgerrechten te beschermen?

Meld je aan

Let op: de voertaal van dit evenement is Engels. De documentaire Coded Bias is alleen te bekijken als je je in Nederland bevindt. De Q&A op 22 oktober omvat geen screening van de film, kijk deze dus van tevoren. De film is niet ondertiteld.

Programma
15-22 oktober: deelnemers die zich in Nederland bevinden, kunnen de documentaire Coded Bias kijken via Cinesend.
Donderdag 22 oktober
20:00-20:15 uur – Introductie van Coded Bias20:15-20:30 uur – Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya in gesprek Marleen Stikker
20:30-21:30 uur – Discussie en Q&A met het publiek

Trailer

[►

Coded Bias Official Trailer

Shalini Kantayya Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/414917737)

Free Digital Twin webinar. Interesting speakers explain how this promising technology helps their organizations. 29 October, 16:00 - 17:30 CEST

In 2019, global research and advisory company Gartner listed Digital Twin as a key strategic technology trend. The idea of a digital twin, a virtual representation of an object, a person or processes, is not new. But the application of advanced big data analytics and AI might turn it into a truly disruptive technology. What happens when digital twins are linked to the real world, real people, real processes real time for monitoring and control?

Will we be in control, or will digital twins control us?
- How do we interact with digital twins?
- Who will be using the technology and for what purposes?
- Which companies are the driving forces behind the Digital Twin technology?
- How can we develop Digital Twins that will make the world a better place?
- How can we use Digital Twin technology to reach the UN sustainable development goals?
These questions are underlying the new DSS track, Digital Twin.

NEW TRACK DIGITAL TWIN
In the next three years, we will look into the nearby future. Using speculative design approach we will paint a picture of how digital twin technology will affect our lives and the world we live in. We are looking at digital twins from various industries in health care, life sciences, energy transition, fashion, architecture gaming.

To celebrate this new track, we organise a free kick off webinar about Digital Twin. We invited promising speakers to introduce us to the topic of Digital Twin and explain how this technology helps their organizations.

SPEAKERS:
ELLEN TER GAST | DIGITAL TWIN TRACK AMBASSADOR
GER JANSSEN | PHILIPS TECHNOLOGY
GOHAR SARGSYAM | CGI
AMIR H. SADEGHI M.D., M.SC. | ERASMUS MC FOR HEALTH
AMBER JAE SLOOTEN | FASHION TECH
MICK JONGELING | DUTCH DESIGN RESEARCHER
MARCO VAN HOUT | DIGITAL SOCIETY SCHOOL

View all speaker bio's on our website: [https://digitalsocietyschool.org/event/digital-twin-a-promising-thing-webinar/](https://digitalsocietyschool.org/event/digital-twin-a-promising-thing-webinar/ "https://digitalsocietyschool.org/event/digital-twin-a-promising-thing-webinar/")

➡️ Join us on October 29, 16:00 – 17:30 CEST.

Tijdens onze eerste TechTalks analyseren we gezichtsherkenningstechnologie en biometrische surveillance. Elke TechTalk gaat over hoe een bepaalde technologie de samenleving ten goede en slechte beïnvloedt en de vraag wie moet ingrijpen om de samenleving te beschermen tegen de uitwassen van technologische ontwikkelingen.

Wie de Buiksloterpont neemt en naar het Leidseplein wandelt, is geen moment buiten beeld van politiecamera’s. Ook in de Indische en Dapperbuurt, in wijken in Nieuw-West en bij de Arena wordt op straat permanent gefilmd. Met de nationale veiligheid en volksgezondheid als argument wordt surveillance en gezichtsherkenning steeds vaker door de overheid ingezet, bijvoorbeeld op Schiphol. Maar ook commerciële bedrijven en particulieren hebben toegang tot deze technologie. Supermarkten, voetbalstadions, juweliers en casino’s gebruiken deze gelaatsvergelijkende software om veelplegers en gokverslaafden te weren.

Het overzicht wie welke data en voor welk doel gebruikt, ontbreekt echter. Welke wetten en instanties reguleren facial recognition in Amsterdam en Nederland? Houdt de slimme camera bij het voetbalstadion zich aan de Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming (AVG)? En hoe kun jij als burger in de gaten houden hoe jij in de gaten wordt gehouden?

In een tijd van coronavirus-apps en demonstraties & protest in de openbare ruimte onderzoeken we samen met Lotte Houwing (Bits of Freedom), Aik van Eemeren (PublicTech), Rosalie Brand (advocaat), Tjerk Timan (onderzoeker en designer), Dries Depoorter (mediakunstenaar) en Jochem Kootstra (moderator) biometrische surveillance in Nederland.

Lotte Houwing is beleidsadviseur en onderzoeker bij Bits of Freedom. Zij richt zich vooral op de relatie tussen de Staat en de burger en de machtsverhoudingen die daarmee gepaard gaan. Zo werkt zij aan het dossier op de geheime diensten (de Sleepwet) en de opsporingsbevoegdheden van de politie. Zij zet zich in voor de bescherming van de burger tegen misbruik van deze macht.

Aik van Eemeren is de lead PublicTech bij het Chief Technology Office van de gemeente Amsterdam. Amsterdam’s PublicTech pogramma wil nieuwe technologie voor alle inwoners laten werken. Het Public Tech-programma onderzoekt de impact van nieuwe technologie in de stad en experimenteert hoe het de stad kan helpen.

Rosalie Brand is een privacy-expert die adviseert en procedeert over naleving van de privacywetgeving. Zij ondersteunt zowel Nederlandse als internationale ondernemingen en overheidsinstanties op het gebied van (EU) privacywetgeving. Verder adviseert zij over de impact van privacywetgeving op administratieve projecten en over de volledige implementatie van privacywetgeving in bedrijven en organisaties. Bovendien biedt zij ondersteuning bij onderzoeken en handhavingsprocedures van de kant van de toezichthouders AP en ACM.

Tjerk Timan is onderzoeker bij TNO en opgeleid als industrieel designer. Tjerk houdt zich onder andere bezig met de vraag hoe je vanuit ethiek en regelgeving technologie kan ontwerpen en implementeren en is betrokken bij projecten gerelateerd aan Privacy & Ethics by Design. Tjerk werkt o.a. aan fairness van AI en impact analyse binnen de publieke sector.

Dries Depoorter is een Belgische mediakunstenaar die thema’s behandeld als privacy, surveillance, sociale media en artificiële intelligentie. Dries maakt deze in de vorm van apps, interactieve installaties en browser games. De projecten zijn speels, kritisch en krijgen wereldwijde aandacht. Hij is de maker van de chat app ‘Die With Me’. Afgelopen jaren sprak hij op events in het MoMA, TEDx Brussels, SXSW Texas, KIKK-festival, STRP festival, Internet Week Denmark, Dutch Design Week, Night by Us, Web2Day en Creative Ville.

Jochem Kootstra (moderator) is tech & design antropoloog en schrijver. Hij houdt zich bezig met interdisciplinaire onderzoeken over de relatie tussen en verwevenheid van mens en technologie. Als onderzoeker en storyteller kijkt hij met een kritische blik naar de technologische ontwikkelingen, om te werken aan een meer humane toekomst met technologie.

What are best practice and lessons learned when it comes to data collection and management for crowd management? CityFlows project partners will share their experience during the second CityFlows webinar on Tuesday, October 13. Join in and contribute to the discussion with fellow crowd management practitioners and researchers.

Program
11:50 – 12:00 Zoom meeting room open
12:00 – 12:05 Welcome & introductions
12:05 – 12:20 Best practices & lessons learned from Barcelona by Jordi Ortuño, Maziar Ahmadi & Chloe Cortés
12:20 – 12:35 Data source integration for tourism flows governance and safety by Mauro Annunziato & Piero De Sabbata
12:35 – 12:40 Reflection from Amsterdam
12:40 – 13:00 Q&A with the audience
13:00 Program end

For more information and registration visit the CityFlows project page: https://cityflows-project.eu/event/webinar-2/

On Oct 27, we will officially launch the Responsible Sensing Lab during an interactive livestream event. This event also marks the opening of the interactive exhibit ‘Senses of Amsterdam’ at NEMO Studio: discover how sensors make Amsterdam a smarter city.
To celebrate this, we would like to invite you to join the interactive livestream of this event. Experts and guests will talk about what responsible sensing means to them, and we will present how the Responsible Sensing Lab wants to help design a better, more democratic, and more responsible digital future city.

Our keynote speaker Anthony Townsend will discuss the current state of Smart Cities through a livestream from the US. Deputy Mayor Touria Meliani will close the program with the official opening of the exhibit.

Program

16.00 Start live stream

16.05 - Welcome
| Thijs Turel | AMS Institute, Program Manager Responsible Digitization
| Coen Bergman | CTO, City of Amsterdam, Innovation Developer Public Tech

16.10 - Keynote: From parasite to symbiant: Redesigning our relationship with urban sensors
| Anthony Townsend, writer and researcher

16.30 - Talkshow: Introduction to Responsible Sensing Lab
| Coen Bergman | CTO Office, City of Amsterdam, Innovation Developer Public Tech
| Thijs Turel | AMS Institute, Program Manager Responsible Digitization

16.45 - Panel Discussion: Influence of Corona on surveillance in Amsterdam
| Beryl Dreijer | CTO Office, City of Amsterdam, Privacy Officer
| Judith Veenkamp | Waag, Head of Smart Citizens Lab
| Prof. dr. Gerd Kortuem | AMS Institute, Principal Investigator & TU Delft, Professor of Internet of Things
Moderator | Aik van Eemeren, CTO Office, City of Amsterdam, Head of Public Tech

17.00 - Interview: why do we need a Responsible Sensing Lab in Amsterdam?
| Deputy Mayor Meliani | responsible for Arts and Culture, and Digital City
Interviewer | Aik van Eemeren, CTO Office, City of Amsterdam, Head of Public Tech

17.10 - Official Opening 'Senses of Amsterdam'
| Deputy Mayor Meliani | responsible for Arts and Culture, and Digital City

17.15 - Closing

More information about the full program & registration here: <https://www.ams-institute.org/events/official-launch-responsible-sensing-lab-opening-exhibit-senses-amsterdam/>

Get to know the Expertise Centre Applied Artificial Intelligence (ECAAI) of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences! Launched in January 2020, ECAAI has turned November in the Month of the AAI, in which it will present itself and its labs officially.

We co-create to make AI work, that’s the motto of ECAAI. And together with you, the expertise centre will make its official launch work. You’re invited to join on Thursday the 5th of November. ECAAIs scientific director Nanda Piersma will tell more about the latest developments, there will be a keynote from Jann de Waal (founder of INFO & Chair Topteam Creative Industries) and ECAAIs advisory council will participate in a panel discussion. So if you want to know all about the expertise centre, please sign up via the event page.

Please note that the launch will be held in Dutch.

PROGRAM
16.00 | Start & Welcome by Frank Kresin, dean of the Faculty Digital Media and Creative Industries of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
16.05 | Introduction by Nanda Piersma
16.10 | Presentation labs
16.15 | Keynote by Jann de Waal
16.25 | Presentation labs
16.30 | Panel discussion with ECAAIs advisory council
16.50 | Conclusion by Geleyn Meijer, rector of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
17.00 | End plenary part + Possibility to have a chat with the experts of the labs in break-out sessions
17.30 | End launch

Curious about our experts? Please find the links to their break-out sessions here:
https://www.hva.nl/ecaai/gedeelde-content/evenementen/evenementen/2020/11/officiele-lancering-expertise-centre-applied-artificial-intelligence.html?origin=DIJGgOuoQ62GFFPyxqo2Ag?i

But that’s not all, a variety of activities is waiting for you in the Month of the AAI, where it’s all about applied AI, meaningful applications and different application domains. All activities will be listed here, including webinars with Amsterdam Data Science, live casts with Pakhuis de Zwijger and talks at SIAs congress and Gala van de Wetenschap. ECAAI even has the privilege to present its own Dutch Applied AI Award during the Computable Awards.

Don’t miss a thing and subscribe to ECAAIs newsletter

For questions, you can reach out to <appliedai@hva.nl>

About the Expertise Centre Applied Artificial Intelligence

ECAAI encompasses all of the HvAs AI research and education activities. This centre drives the development of applications of AI technology in a responsible and inclusive manner. AI technology and its implications for companies, organisations, governments and people can only be understood in context and through experimentation. Each faculty of the HvA has created a lab that brings research, education and practices together to solve short and middle term challenges in the application of AI.

Curious about these labs, where you can work together? Please find them at www.hva.nl/ai

De gemeente Amsterdam en TNO onderzoeken hoe met slimme technologie grotere groepen mensen veilig samen kunnen komen op drukbezochte locaties en bij publieksevenementen. In publiek-private samenwerking met de Johan Cruyff ArenA, het Rijksmuseum en theater- en musical producent Stage Entertainment starten TNO en de gemeente proeftuinen in en rond deze evenementlocaties.

Op dinsdag 6 oktober worden van 15.00 – 16.30 uur de resultaten tot nu toe tijdens een webinar gedeeld. Meld je aan via deze link! De webinar wordt naderhand met een terugkijklink met u gedeeld. Hulp om de testen te optimaliseren is hard nodig. Wilt u deelnemen of op de hoogte worden gehouden van ons onderzoek? Neem dan contact op met Daan Groenink, Innovatiemanager, Afdeling Innovatie, Gemeente Amsterdam. Het uiteindelijke doel is om de resultaten landelijk te delen wat als standaard tooling kan worden ingezet in de sport- en cultuursector.

Are you wondering for how long will users and customers be with you?

INTEGRA is using Artificial Intelligence to move customer-oriented companies in the Netherlands to the next level of digitalisation with CLTV, a system to measure user experience and analyse customers’ behaviour.

Although Key Customer Indicators have been historically related to banks, finance and insurance companies, there is a growing number of companies from other sectors such as media, telecommunications, e-commerce, NGO's and even the public sector, among others, demanding them.

During this DEMO Week, our AI & Data Team will be delighted to show you the power of this tool.

Do you want to know how to increase your sales with CLTV? What is the information your company will get from CLTV?

Just send an email to <calbesa@integratecnologia.es> and we will ve delighted to show you a quick DEMO!

The City of Amsterdam, Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad – City of Helsinki, in collaboration with Saidot, launched the first Public AI Register. The Algorithm Register is an overview of the artificial intelligence systems and algorithms used by the Cities of Amsterdam and Helsinki. Through the register, you can get acquainted with the quick overviews of the city's algorithmic systems or examine their more detailed information based on your own interests.

If you're interested in learning more, here's something for you. The new white paper that was co-written by Linda van de Fliert, Pasi Rautio and Meeri Haataja. They really hope this will part some conversation and most importantly, help other government organisations address #transparency and take their first steps in implementing #AI #governance.

You can also give feedback and thus participate in building human-centered algorithms in Amsterdam. The register is still under development.

The 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is an initiative of the European Commission (EC) supporting municipalities in adopting new technologies to tackle the COVID-19 crisis and rebuild their economies while steering them in the direction of green, smart and sustainable growth. The focus is on supporting mid-size and smaller municipalities with improving the quality of life for citizens and business competitiveness.

The ICC builds on the success of the Digital Cities Challenge (DCC), which helped 41 EU cities develop a strategic vision and a roadmap for digital transformation. Similar to its predecessor, the ICC cities will receive guidance and expert support though a city peer network that will share best practices regarding the uptake of advanced technologies.

The Amsterdam Region, represented by Amsterdam Economic Board and Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) is proud to join the ICC as mentor alongside European mentors Aarhus, Antwerp, Barcelona, Espoo, Hamburg, Nice, Porto, Rijeka and international mentors Medellin, Singapore and Toronto. The Amsterdam region will share its experience and learn from other best practices related to multi-stakeholder collaboration, innovation ecosystems, circular economy and citizen participation.

The ICC will officially launch on Monday, September 28 with a public event that will explore the role of cities and their ecosystems in search of a green and digital recovery. Amsterdam Smart City’s Program Director, Leonie van den Beuken, will share the Amsterdam experience on multi-stakeholder collaboration and innovation during a panel discussion 15:30-16:50 CET. The online event is open to the public and registration is possible via: <https://www.intelligentcitieschallenge.eu/events/1st-icc-city-lab>

Following the launch, ICC partners will meet for a number of meetings, workshops and panels throughout Sep 29-Oct 2 on five thematic topics:

• Supply Chains & Logistics
• Green Economy & Local Green Deals
• Citizen Participation & Government Services
• Up-skilling & Re-skilling
• Green & Digital Transition in Tourism

Experts and stakeholders from the Amsterdam Region who would like to participate in one of these sessions or to get involved with the ICC in any other way can send an e-mail to Amsterdam Smart City International Liaison, Cornelia Dinca, via cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com with a short explanation of how they would like to contribute.

More information about the ICC is available via: https://www.intelligentcitieschallenge.eu

After two successful editions, the WeMakeThe.City festival is heading for 2025 as a biennale: the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam. This year the uncertain future of our city and metropolitan region was discussed in a 12-hour livecast marathon on the 21st of September. The WeMakeThe.City theme ‘Reset’ brings together genius thinking, imagination and creativity to formulate alternative perspectives for action. How are we going to do things differently in the coming years? How do we work together to make our metropolis fairer, more inclusive, more sustainable, more climate-resilient, safer, more successful and happier? After all, together we make the city of, for and by everyone!

During last spring's lockdown, it became even clearer how much we depend on the digital world. We meet, chat and date in front of the screen. A solution to combat the spread of Covid-19 is also being sought in the digital domain. These developments have raised the privacy issue again: how can people's data rights be protected? Such as anonymity, transparency and control over data. Time for a good conversation about values and the importance of digital civil rights.

The session kicks off with Marleen Stikker, director of Waag and Ger Baron, Chief Technology Officer of the City of Amsterdam. Marleen explains what our digital human rights are. ‘These are the same rights just as in the analogue world. Where there is relatively much attention for analogue human rights, our civil rights in the digital domain have run wild, too little attention has been paid to this. Let's reclaim those rights! It is for example about the right to be forgotten, the right to be anonymous, but most important to me is digital sovereignty. Everyone should have the possibility to have insights in their own actions online.’

Ger agrees with Marleen. According to him, governments, and cities as well, collects too many data about residents and the public space without even knowing what they want to do with these data.’ The reason to collect them should be to learn something specific that you can improve or help people. Helping people with the collection of data also brings in new dilemmas. The city used to have a collaboration with energy providers for example. Once someone didn’t pay for the energy service, they sent out a message to the city administration. The City could then prevent someone get evicted from his/her home.

This example is not enough reason for Marleen to collect the data: ‘To me, this sounds as if we didn’t invest in our society. We could have helped these people as well if they had adequate supervision or guidance. In last years, we invested heavily in the digital domain and we made budget cuts on home care, debt counselling and community police officers. Digital solutions are not always the best solutions! Especially not when all kinds of companies have data without people knowing about this.’ Ger: ‘To a certain point I agree with this point. Digital rights also include rights to know about the data that is collected, why this is and what you can do about this. This is currenty not transparant at all, even though the City of Amsterdam is becoming more and more about about his.

Marleen: ‘I see the City of Amsterdam going in the right direction, by starting for example the Coalition for Digital Rights. However, the steps in this direction go really slow, especially in politics. This way, it remains unclear what rules companies dealing with personal data should obey. That’s why Marleen also calls on politicians in The Hague: guarantee digital human rights by imposing conditions on the market.’

Next up is Miram Rasch, researcher and teacher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and writer of the book ‘Friction. Ethics in times of dataism. Her book opens with a story about escaping the eyes of data collectors and algorithms. She states this is only possible at home. And even there, it becomes harder. ‘We have smart meters, smartphones, smart tvs. It is not clear why these devices need to collect data, with whom they share them. We don’t know now, but especially we don’t know in the future. Everybody has something to hide, because we don’t know yet what we should hide. Of course you have to inform yourself about the conditions you’re accepting. However, this is not easy at all. Try to read the Terms and Conditions of the services you use, the texts are too long and complicated. Unfortunately it can take a long before something changes. The few individuals who are conscious about the digital world, won’t change it. We need rules and regulations! But we know from the past, that maybe something heavy has to happen before people open their eyes.’

Jim Boevink, advisor Taskforce Digital Safety at the City of Amsterdam, starts an intermezzo about the right to be anonymous. Marleen Stikker: ‘People who want to abuse others, are free to hide themselves. This is because platforms are not responsible for the content their users post. They earn money with these users, they are their business models. But they they are not responsible for things happening on their platform. This is the first thing that has to change. The legal system is not in order. Make them responsible for the content on their platforms.’ M****arleen: ‘And good to emphasize: someone who is critical about the digital domain and the internet, is not necessarily against the digital world. We only have to make the internet safe and reliable!’

Want to watch the livecast (in Dutch) yourself? Check <https://dezwijger.nl/programma/reset-digital-rights>.

Howdy - this Friday 25.09 @12h we'll be giving a demo to show you MM3D - a new “white board” for city information modeling that can empower you or any other project stakeholders to plan, collaborate & share projects. In this webinar we’ll show you what all these features and functionalities mean for your own real-world projects. We’ll be using the Marineterrein (former navy base) in the heart of Amsterdam as our user case. Interested? Grab a sandwich and sign up here: bit.ly/MM3D_MT

About the program
The Benelux Catalyst is a three-week virtual accelerator program from November 2-20 2020 for scale-ups from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The program is designed to have a transformative impact on the mindset, ambition and international expansion strategies of participating companies. The daily virtual sessions are live from New York (Monday-Thursday), combining workshops, peer insights, office hours and on-demand content.
· Company specific matchmaking and personal introductions
· Presentations and workshops by experts and service providers
· Knowledge sharing and peer mentoring by fellow entrepreneurs
· Access to the larger NYC community through events

The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) are collaborating with partners in New York and from Belgium and Luxembourg for the Benelux Catalyst program, targeting high-growth tech scale-ups from the Benelux and working together to kick start their international growth.

About the program
The Benelux Catalyst is a three-week virtual accelerator program from November 2-20 2020 for scale-ups from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The program is designed to have a transformative impact on the mindset, ambition and international expansion strategies of participating companies. The daily virtual sessions are live from New York (Monday-Thursday), combining workshops, peer insights, office hours and on-demand content.

· Company specific matchmaking and personal introductions

· Presentations and workshops by experts and service providers

· Knowledge sharing and peer mentoring by fellow entrepreneurs

· Access to the larger NYC community through events

Program fee
Given the small cohort size and the tailor-made experience for this program, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will select 2-3 Dutch scale-ups to participate in the program and sponsor the majority of the program fee per selected company. This means that selected Dutch scale-ups pay a contribution of €750 per selected company to join the Catalyst virtual accelerator program (November 2-20 2020).

We are calling all Dutch scale-ups with ambitions to scale internationally to apply for the BENELUX CATALYST 2020, a fast-paced three-week, no-equity based virtual accelerator program, taking place in November 2020 live from New York. Applications are now open!

The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) are collaborating with partners in New York and from Belgium and Luxembourg for the Benelux Catalyst program, targeting high-growth tech scale-ups from the Benelux and working together to kick start their international growth.
About the program
The Benelux Catalyst is a three-week virtual accelerator program from November 2-20 2020 for scale-ups from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The program is designed to have a transformative impact on the mindset, ambition and international expansion strategies of participating companies. The daily virtual sessions are live from New York (Monday-Thursday), combining workshops, peer insights, office hours and on-demand content.
· Company specific matchmaking and personal introductions
· Presentations and workshops by experts and service providers
· Knowledge sharing and peer mentoring by fellow entrepreneurs
· Access to the larger NYC community through events
Program fee
Given the small cohort size and the tailor-made experience for this program, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will select 2-3 Dutch scale-ups to participate in the program and sponsor the majority of the program fee per selected company. This means that selected Dutch scale-ups pay a contribution of €750 per selected company to join the Catalyst virtual accelerator program (November 2-20 2020).

Want to know more?
Have a look at the two-pager attached.

On Tuesday, 8 September, forty-five participants gathered for the first CityFlows webinar on the topic of crowd-management in response to corona. Speakers came from three partner cities: Eelco Thiellier, Project Manager Crowd Monitoring System Amsterdam (CMSA); Valentino Sevino, Mobility Planning Director at City of Milan’s Environmental Mobility and Territory Agency (AMAT); and Aina Pedret, Mobility & Tourism Specialist at the City of Barcelona.

The participants were CityFlows project partners (37%), crowd-management researchers or academics (17%), crowd-management professionals working for public authorities (13%), crowd-management professionals working for companies or start-ups (10%), non-professionals interested in the topic (13%), and other (10%).

The meeting represented a successful launch of the EIT-KIC CityFlows webinar series which will continue with additional webinars in October, November and December.

Following a brief introduction to the CityFlows project, Eelco Thieller shared how the City of Amsterdam has quickly adapted its crowd monitoring infrastructure to respond to the corona crisis. Eelco showed the techniques that are used and how they are instituted throughout the city in crowded locations, or “hot spots”, such as shopping districts and market areas, the Red Light District, and in parks and at event locations. The focus is always on managing crowds or flows of people in the most privacy-preserving way with infrared sensors being a good example of how this is done in Vondelpark. Eelco also described the predictive models that were developed using the data which are helpful with determining what crowd-management actions should be undertaken by the City to ensure the health and safety of the residents and visitors.

Valentino Sevino shared a broader perspective on how the City of Milan has used data and modelling to respond to the corona emergency. Valentino showed how the modal-share in the city had drastically changed since the end of February through June as a result of the corona crisis. This shed light on levels on congestion throughout the city and showed a large reduction in all modalities during the lock down. Following the lock-down, public transport began operating at 25% which then required the city to undertake a complete rethinking of the mobility system with the goal of focusing on more temporal distribution, promotion of remote working, and promotion of active transport through street space reallocation to non-motorized transport. The data collected enabled them to predict and plan for different scenarios, especially considering the goal of abiding by social distancing guidelines during rush hours.

Aina Pedret from the City of Barcelona responded to the first two presentations by reflecting on the global challenge of ensuring confidence and safety for people in response to corona. To ensure this confidence and safety for both locals and tourists, the City of Barcelona is developing an application showing real time data of busyness at “hot spots”. And similar to the City of Amsterdam, the City of Barcelona is using cameras to monitor and manage occupancy and crowds at busy locations such as markets.

The webinar ended with an open discussion facilitated by Dorine Duives, CityFlows Principle Investigator at TU Delft.

Did you miss the webinar? It is possible to watch the recording via https://vimeo.com/460939134

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CityFlows is an EIT-KIC project aims to improve the liveability of crowded pedestrian spaces through the use of Crowd Monitoring Decision Support Systems to manage pedestrian flows. The project is led by AMS Institute and brings together crowd-management and mobility practitioners and researchers in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Milan. The CityFlows project tests and evaluates various innovative crowd monitoring techniques in real-life settings where large crowds meet, such as mass events, tourist spaces and transfer hubs. The CityFlows project also prepares a CM-DSS for market launch which incorporates state-of-the-art monitoring techniques.
Join us for one or all of the next CityFlows webinars:
• Tuesday, 13 October, 2020 – 12:00-13:00 CET
• Tuesday, 3 November – 15:00-16:00 CET
• Tuesday, December 1 – 15:00-16:00 CET

Are you a practitioner or researcher working on a relevant crowd-management project and would like to share your work and findings with the CityFlows network? Send a short email explaining your project to CityFlows Communications Officer, Cornelia Dinca via cornelia.dinca@ams-institute.org.

How can Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) and Blockchain contribute to a more transparent, sustainable and inclusive future?

As we launch the DLT4EU programme, we are having a panel discussion on the potential role and pitfalls of DLT in Europe. In the panel Indy Johar from Dark Matter Labs will join Piret Tõnurist, Innovation Lead at OECD - OCDE, and Ludovic Courcelas, Government Strategy Lead at ConsenSys. Together they will discuss how DLT and blockchain can encourage a more circular and democratic society.

Join us for this public online event on September 17th from 6pm CET.

More info on the DLT4EU programme: https://www.metabolic.nl/projects/dlt4eu/