No longer hype, not yet mainstream? Recalibrating city digital twins' expectations and reality: a case study perspective

While the concept of digital twin has already consolidated in industry, its spinoff in the urban environment—in the form of a City Digital Twin (CDT)—is more recent. A CDT is a dynamic digital model of the physical city whereby the physical and the digital are integrated in both directions, thus mutually affecting each other in real time....

A fourth way to the digital transformation: The data republic as a fair data ecosystem

To harness the promises of digital transformation, different players take different paths. Departing from corporate-driven (e.g., the United States) and state-led (e.g., China) approaches, in various documents, the European Union states its goal to establish a citizen-centric data ecosystem. However, it remains contentious the extent to which...

The social imaginaries on governance through data: Q-methodological analysis of data professionals' views in the field of mobility

This study strives to contribute to the discussions on the increasing use of data in organisational settings within specific contexts like governance and control of spatial mobilities. Whereas legal, regulatory, and technical aspects are widely studied, there is less knowledge about public discourses on data, especially the data professionals'...

Beyond federated data: a data commoning proposition for the EU’s citizen-centric digital strategy

In various official documents, the European Union has declared its goal to pursue a citizen-centric governance of digital transformation. Through a critical review of several of these documents, here we show how “citizen-centric” is more a glamouring than a driving concept. De facto, the EU is enabling a federated data system that is...

Huawei Knowledge Transfer in Africa: Corporate Communication and Users’ Responses on Social Networks

This article focuses on the launch by the Chinese company Huawei of ICT academies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and Kenya especially. Existing literature shows contrasting findings concerning the impact of such formation and recruitment centres. Through high-level thematic and sentiment analyses, this article examines various Huawei accounts on...

An ethics assessment list for geoinformation ecosystems: revisiting the integrated geospatial information framework of the United Nations

To achieve sustainable development goals, georeferenced data and geographic information systems play a crucial role. Yet, the way in which these data and systems are summoned upon rests on positivist assumptions which overlook both epistemological and ethical concerns. This is epitomized by the integrated geospatial information framework ...

Shaping a Data Commoning Polity: Prospects and Challenges of a European Digital Sovereignty

The concept of “digital sovereignty” has gained momentum due to the emergence of a multipolar geopolitical scenario based upon different visions of today’s digital society. In this scenario, the United States, China, and the European Union are major players, each pursuing their understanding of digital sovereignty and their approach to...

On the (Non)Institutional Disclosure of Urban Commons: Evidence, Practices and Challenges From the Netherlands and Belgium

The 2008 economic crisis has opened the door to new strategies for managing urban resources. In fact, the interest in urban commons (UC) has (re)surfaced both within and outside academia. While literature accounting for existing experiences is growing; UC as a practice begs for further systematization concerning the needed negotiation between...

Assessing an open spatial data infrastructure from a user participation perspective: A qualitative exploratory research with OpenStreetMap

As we advance technologically, spatial data gains importance with its ability to be used in various fields. Traditionally, most spatial data are collected by government organisations. To facilitate sharing and reuse of spatial data, Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) have been developed in the last decades. More recently with the growing...

Back to Roots: Reconsidering Data-As-Resource to Introduce a Commons-Based Modulating Approach to Open Data

This paper takes the lead from the acknowledged ongoing mismatch between open data provision and actual open data demand by users, both public and private. To tackle such mismatch, the paper suggests remodulating data openness through a commons approach, which seeks to account for all data actors’ needs, while maintaining their interests in...

(Non)negotiable spaces of algorithmic governance: Perceptions on the Ubenwa health app as a ‘relocated’ solution

This study explores relocated algorithmic governance through a qualitative study of the Ubenwa health app. The Ubenwa, which was developed in Canada based on a dataset of babies from Mexico, is currently being implemented in Nigeria to detect birth asphyxia. The app serves as an ideal case for examining the socio-cultural negotiations...

‘Data sovereignty’ or ‘Data colonialism’? Exploring the Chinese involvement in Africa’s ICTs: a document review on Kenya

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become a crucial sector of China–Africa relations. As scholars have noted, Africa’s 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) risks transforming into a new ‘scramble’ with foreign actors harnessing Africa’s data. The present article explores this issue at a discursive level, i.e. delving into...

Federated data as a commons: a third way to subject-centric and collective-centric approaches to data epistemology and politics

Purpose: This study advances a reconceptualization of data and information which overcomes normative understandings often contained in data policies at national and international levels. This study aims to propose a conceptual framework that moves beyond subject- and collective-centric normative understandings. Design/methodology/approach: To...