Introducing the ParGarCom Experiment in an Open Data Session

At the end of 2017, when references began to appear in the press about the OrganiCity-sponsored ParGarCom project, the communication team of Parc Balear of Technologic Innovation (ParcBit) offered the project its support during the presentation phase.

When the time came, at the end of March 2018, the energy and involvement we received left us much more than pleasantly surprised. And, of course, the outcome.

In just one week, between Beesensor, Optimum Ventas, and ParcBit, we organized a presentation day that, under the thematic umbrella of open data management and the ParGarCom project, reflected on the possibilities of ‘open data for the Balearic Islands’ (which, by the way, was the title).

Beyond the members attending from Beesensor and Optimum Ventas, the list of speakers was very impressive:

• The conference opened with Josep Lluís Pons, General Director of Innovation and Research of the Government of the Balearic Islands.
• Benjamí Villoslada, General Director of Technological Development of the Government of the Balearic Islands, spoke about the concept behind the Government’s action in the field of open data.
• Juan Echevarría, responsible for European projects at Santander City Council, contributed with his vision of open data as a cornerstone of business development from a mature smart city project like the one in the Cantabrian capital.
• Bartomeu Alorda, coordinator of the smart city/smart destination working group of the University of the Balearic Islands, presented his vision of the territorial infrastructure as a source of data that must be homogeneous and consistent.
• Finally, Beesensor and Optimum Ventas explained the different aspects of the ParGarCom app, as an output of the experiment, with special emphasis given to the difficulties it faced for its development and execution.

Attendance at the conference was varied, with approximately 25 attendees from across public administration and the private sector, some of whom contributed their opinions on the topics discussed above, in an exercise of co-creation – which was of special interest to us, since it contributed value to our experiment.

As a result of the conference, a meeting was organized at ParcBit itself to hold a new co-creation brainstorming session in which the various possibilities offered by an experiment such as ParGarCom adapted to the environment of the business park itself were discussed. Up to 35 different proposals were identified in the process.

Another consequence was that the meeting resonated with the Marratxí Town Council, which had sent representatives to the presentation to assess the possibility of adapting the project to its environment.

In conclusion, the ParGarCom team’s expectations were greatly exceeded with the open data conference held at ParcBit and with the collaborations that are being derived from this initiative. We’re still on our way.