Development Partnership
The development partnership – the collaborative format for innovative use cases at the FUTR HUB
Successful digitalization is achieved only through the interaction of various actors. To develop innovative, user-centered services that offer tangible added value, a cooperative format was launched in the FUTR HUB – the development partnership.
The development partnership is therefore the FUTR HUB’s format for exchange and collaboration, to identify and realize relevant use cases. This is where needs, expertise and stakeholders come together to develop solutions and applications in the various areas of district development together. The way this happens is in the form of collaboratively developed and implemented use cases. The development partners work together, pool ideas, define requirements and collectively develop solutions and applications. In doing so, the development partnership ensures that synergies between the actors involved can be identified, optimized and exploited in Berlin TXL – and beyond.
The co-creation process also ensures the interoperability of the data platform with the various technical systems in the district, and guarantees data security through an agreed data governance policy, that is to say by means of guidelines for handling and exchanging data across companies and sectors.
Development partners from municipal and private-sector companies and research institutes are already working on various use cases, while start-ups and organized civil society are cordially invited to participate in the dialogue and implementation of use cases.
From the idea to a smart service
1. Initial talks
Identifying challenges
2. Ideation phase
Developing ideas for solutions
3. Realization
Technical implementation of prototypes
4. Rollout
Rolling out smart services
1. Initial talks: identifying challenges
In the initial talks, the focus is on getting to know all potential stakeholders involved in the project and their roles. Expectations are compared and the basic framework conditions for a possible collaboration are defined. Open and transparent communication forms the basis for a trusting team dynamic in which thematic overlaps can be identified and use case ideas can be evaluated based on various criteria. The initial meetings therefore serve to provide orientation, clarify common goals and build sustainable relationships.
Use case ideas, which can be derived from the challenges on our innovation map, serve as the content basis for the initial meetings. The innovation map focuses on specific problems in Berlin TXL, which are to be tackled with the help of innovative solutions and in cooperative partnerships. The aim is to identify opportunities for participation and, together with implementation partners, to develop concrete use cases from initial challenges that can then be technically implemented.
We provide the digital infrastructure for this – including a data platform and developer capacities – and are specifically looking for partners with exciting technologies and creative concept ideas to solve the outlined challenges together.
Our challenges at Berlin TXL
Reuse construction materials
Maintenance of infrastructure
Improve tree health
Water shortage
Pollution of construction roads
Biodiversity loss
Damage to green spaces
Wildlife safety during construction
Dust emissions on the construction site
Complex urban development contracts
Inefficient cleaning of buildings
Balancing biomass
2. Ideation phase: From the idea to the use case profile
The ideation phase is the creative and conceptual prelude to the joint development of a use case. The aim is to further develop and structure initial ideas together with all participants and to transform them into a concrete concept. The focus is on the collaborative development of solution ideas: Which approaches are promising? What added value can be achieved? And what could a step-by-step implementation look like?
The result of this phase is a fully developed concept, documented in the so-called use case profile. This profile summarizes all relevant information in a compact and comprehensible way – from the challenge, the objective and the expected benefits to the data requirements and the necessary infrastructure as well as the key implementation steps. It creates a common understanding of the project and serves as a structured basis for further project planning and technical implementation.
Use case profile
Berlin fire department: hazard prevention with sensor data
Drone-based flora monitoring
Community meeting
Twice a year, we come together for our community meetings. The focus here is on project presentations of use cases and an open exchange on digital and sustainable solutions for the city of the future. The aim is to make concrete application examples visible, learn from each other and provide new impetus for joint projects. The meetings promote dialog between practice, administration, science and technology players – and create space for cooperation and further development. In addition to the implementation of use cases, this creates a lively network for innovative urban development.
3. Realization: technical implementation of prototypes
n the technical realization phase, the smart service described in the use case profile is implemented as a functional prototype and tested in practice on the Berlin TXL site. The prototype integrates seamlessly into our existing digital infrastructure and is thus tested under real conditions. The aim is to develop reusable and replicable solutions – ideally open source – in line with our open smart city data platform. Berlin TXL sees itself as a real-world laboratory for future-proof, scalable technologies.
4. Rollout
The core process of the development partnership ends with the rollout of a software prototype. The prototype is made available in the target environment, tested and integrated both technically and functionally. At the same time, it is handed over to the future operator, who assumes responsibility for further development and continuity. Comprehensive documentation ensures that technical details, usage scenarios and operating procedures are recorded in a comprehensible manner. In addition, the legal framework for the further operation and potential scaling of the smart service is clarified.
