Publication
Utilization of Urban Data in a Municipal Data Platform - A Field Report From the German MPSC Südwest-Cluster
Martin Memmel; Rainer Kadel; Heinz Kirchmann
In: Manfred Schrenk; Clemens Beyer; Vasily V. Popovich; Judith Ryser; Dana Mawlood (Hrsg.). EVERYBODY PLANS ... SOMETIMES. Cherish Heritage, Plan Now, Create a Better Future! International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society (REAL CORP-2026), 31st International Conference on Urban Planning and Regional. International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society (REAL CORP-2026), EVERYBODY PLANS ... SOMETIMES. Cherish Heritage, Plan Now, Create a Better Future! International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society, March 23-25, Vienna, Austria, Pages 1013-1022, ISBN 978-3-9504945-5-6, CORP, 3/2026.
Abstract
Urban data are a key resource for evidence-based decision-making in municipalities, but are often underutilized due to organizational and technical barriers. This paper reports on the German MPSC Südwest-Cluster, where several municipalities jointly develop an open municipal data platform within a comprehensive Urban Data Management approach. The paper outlines challenges in municipal data handling, describes the project context, platform architecture, and development phases, and presents initial results in the form of data-driven use cases and interactive dashboards. The findings indicate that an open, cooperative platform approach can improve data accessibility and reuse while strengthening municipal data sovereignty and reducing vendor lock-in.
