In recent years, a number of laws have been passed at European and national level and measures have been taken to promote digitization processes and to move the smart city into the center of future urban developments. The German Online Access Act (Onlineyugangsgasetz, “OZG”) and the European digital identity (EUid) clearly showcase this. In addition to the legal framework, technical structures that are easily accessible for users and guarantee added value for companies must also be created. For myEGO it is clear that the Smart City needs interoperable systems that enable cooperation without great effort.
Barrier-free networking in the smart city
The self-sovereign identity is at the center of a digitized city. A private wallet gives citizens sovereignty over their data and guarantees companies simple and automated legitimation processes. However, this requires open interfaces that are easy to implement across companies. The interoperable self-sovereign identity from myEGO guarantees seamless integration into existing systems and enables easy cooperation between different platforms.
What creates new interfaces between companies on the one hand, offers users of services in the smart city significantly better accessibility on the other. Different services in a digitized city merge seamlessly and are not even noticed by the user. In this way, synergy effects can be used and added value can be created for everyone involved.
Smart Mobility Services as a blueprint for the Smart City
The digitization of existing and new mobility concepts is a good example of success, but also of digital structures in need of improvement. E-scooters can be rented via smartphone and the monthly ticket for public transport can be stored in an app. Car sharing can also – for the most part – be organized digitally. However, all of these concepts are individual corporate solutions that are not linked to one another. From the user’s point of view, this represents a hurdle and creates a lot of friction. Using additional offers requires the technical installation of a new app and the running of new legitimation processes. From a company perspective, this can mean having to do without customers.
The existing concepts lag far behind the current possibilities. With the self-sovereign identity, existing systems can easily be linked with one another. Legitimations stored in the digital wallet enable users to seamlessly use various mobility offers without having to resort to different apps. Future technologies such as smart taxis can also be easily integrated into the smart city with the self-sovereign identity. Ideally, this is rounded off by newly created physical links. Equipped parking spaces for bike sharing or e-scooters near bus stops or tram stations enable easy transition from one provider to the other – ideally without the user noticing the difference.
myEGO is well connected into the future
The role that smart mobility services will play in the development of smart cities should not be underestimated. Especially in large cities, in which there is naturally a shortage of parking spaces, the call for alternative mobility concepts is getting louder and louder, and not just for ecological reasons. Car and bike sharing as well as local public transport have increased in popularity significantly in recent years without their systems having been adequately adapted to the needs of the users. Less user-friendly and company-specific solutions make access more difficult for new users and build barriers instead of removing them.
In order to be able to fully exploit the potential of Smart Mobility Services, myEGO is investing in the future. myEGO is part of the circle of scholarship holders of the PwC Startup Scholarship for the CAS Smart Mobility Management program at the University of St.Gallen. We are convinced that the digitization and further development of Smart Mobility Services can only be driven by fresh ideas and a spirit of research. Good networking and interdisciplinary exchange with experts and course participants is therefore part of our self-image.