*By Daniel Luis Notari, Suane Moschen, Rafael Perini and Ana Cristina Fachinelli
A municipality manages several projects throughout a legislature. Historically, when a new legislature begins, new members need to be aware of what is happening in the municipality.
Obviously, one of the biggest challenges is finding this information and maintaining existing projects.
A municipality can be seen as a different company, with its peculiarities and particularities. But, like any company, it needs to make decisions based on existing information. The purpose is to have information organized and updated for better decision making. In particular, the municipality regularly prepares tenders that require activity management, financial control and performance indicators.
The Data Office (Decree 21,772/2021) arose from a need to monitor, organize and become aware of what happens in the different secretariats of Caxias do Sul City Hall. Its purpose was to align with the different instances (secretariats, local authorities, departments ) to define, monitor and validate performance indicators, physical goals of the government program, and projects in progress or that would be implemented in the city. From this, data-based decision-making is sought, resulting in greater assertiveness and efficiency in public management and governance.
This project was developed in partnership with researchers from City Living Lab, linked to the Postgraduate Program in Administration at the University of Caxias do Sul, with the City of Caxias do Sul, through a technical cooperation agreement. A city is a living laboratory for innovation. A Living Lab can be seen as an environment of innovation and an approach to innovation, which encompasses social and technological dimensions, in a partnership between companies, citizens, governments and universities.
The result of this project was presented and delivered on September 6, 2023 called Observe Caxias (Figure 1). This tool is a geospatial municipal data platform that allows a complete and accessible visualization of information about the municipality of Caxias do Sul. The platform allows navigation on topics relevant to the government plan and established goals, as well as consulting information from indicators related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is important to mention that in addition to the platform, all the work on indicator methodology, acculturation and awareness raising on issues related to the SDGs and smart cities has been developed through this partnership with City Living Lab since 2021.
Figure 1 – Observa Caxias Portal
Figure 2 – Example of an Indicator from the Observa Caxias Portal
As an example, it can be seen in Figure 2, the Indicator “Teenage pregnancy rate (10-19 years)” which is decreasing year by year. The indicator evaluates the average number of children born alive to women in specific age groups during the reproductive period, per 1,000 women in these age groups. It focuses on teenage mothers, covering the 10-14 and 15-19 age groups. The measurement periodicity is annual, and the data is obtained from the number of live births to resident mothers, divided by the female resident population in the corresponding age groups. This indicator provides insights on the rate of teenage pregnancy in a given geographic area and year. For the construction of public health policies, this information is crucial, whether to outline the target audience for awareness campaigns, or to evaluate possible actions that were carried out in previous years on the subject and whose impact is now evident.
*About the authors
Daniel Luis Notari is a researcher at Think Tank ABES and City Living Lab/PPGA – University of Caxias do Sul.
Suane Moschen is a researcher at City Living Lab/PPGA – University of Caxias do Sul.
Rafael Perini is a researcher at City Living Lab/PPGA – University of Caxias do Sul.
Ana Cristina Fachinelli is a researcher at City Living Lab/PPGA – University of Caxias do Sul.
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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