Smart City: The garbage can should report when it is full

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Two digital masterminds are driving Offenbach’s transition to the Smart City. You don’t have to start from scratch

Laptops, smartphones, video conference software and electronic payment: “That”, says Marius Müller, “is the tip of the digitization iceberg” that everyone can see. Since March 1st, he and Anne Schwarz have headed the Office for Digitization of the City of Offenbach. Both are employed with half a job. Together they should develop a “user-centered vision for a digital city”, describes Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD).

That is why Müller and Schwarz are primarily looking at the “invisible digitization” that is floating in the water under the tip of the iceberg. “It’s about things like data sovereignty, data security or a digital work mindset in administration,” explains the 27-year-old. This requires lighthouse projects such as garbage cans that report to a computer that they need to be emptied, and then the garbage collection comes immediately.

The city needs a Smart City master plan, say the experts

“Digitization is more than just printing out my resident parking card,” says Schwenke. Although this step is extremely valuable for the citizens and saves employees a lot of time, the city must develop a Smart City master plan.

With a budget of 50,000 euros, Müller and Schwarz should primarily bring together threads, bundle existing approaches and concepts, and build and expand networks. Citizens, administration, but also companies should benefit from this.

Politically committed to the “Center for Digital Progress”

The two got to know each other through their digital-political engagement in the association “D64 – Center for Digital Progress”. At an event in Erfurt they discovered that they both come from the Rhine-Main area: Müller from Seligenstadt, Schwarz from Wetterau. When the city of Offenbach announced it, “I posted it to our club group,” explains Schwarz. The 40-year-old didn’t want a full job because she has twins at the age of two. “Then Marius reported and said: Why don’t we do this together?” Reports Schwarz.

This led to the tandem application and ultimately the tandem position. Schwarz focuses on transformation processes and governance. Since 2008 she has worked as a consultant in the private sector, but also for non-governmental organizations. Müller works with half a job at Deutsche Bahn in the field of artificial intelligence and platforms.

Offenbach has had a digitization company since 2019

Since 2019 there has been a so-called digitization AG in the city. Especially in times of Corona, the digital offers in the citizens ‘office were in great demand, reports Martina Fuchs, head of the citizens’ office. According to the Online Access Act, the entire offer must also be available digitally by the end of the year. “We’re on the right track here,” says Fuchs.

Also read: From Bangalore to Barcelona – what the cities of the future will look like

For Müller and Schwarz, the first step is to get an overview. “We have phoned various municipalities in the past two weeks,” reports Schwarz. What is already being used there? What is good and what went bad? In Germany, according to Müller, there are many small services that have been initiated in cities that could also be transferred to Offenbach. For example, the provision of data on platforms, open data, such as dynamic parking, as is already happening in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich. But in Offenbach you don’t start from scratch either. There are digital guidelines, the downtown concept for the future and the 2030 master plan.

The new digitization tandem is also intended to obtain funding. On the one hand for the city and its subsidiaries. But also in cooperation with the business development agency for companies in order to initiate digitization processes there.

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