In 2017, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg launched DIPAS (Digital Participation System), a research and development project, with the aim to develop an integrated, media-break-free digital system for citizen participation in urban planning and development.
DIPAS is developed by the Stadtwerkstatt in the State-Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in cooperation with the State-Agency for Geoinformation and Surveying and the CityScienceLab of the HafenCity University Hamburg.
With the help of digital data tables (touch tables) onsite, combined with an advanced online map-based participation tool; georeferenced citizen contributions to planning projects can be collected. The structure and functionality of the tool is based on the reference architecture for online participation of the German IT Planning Council. This geodata-based application enables citizens to submit online comments, suggestions, questions and criticism on the city’s plans. With the help of an administrator back-end, the contributions can be evaluated by administrative staff using various statistical methods and in near future with AI based tools.
Also Read: Schneider Digital’s new 3D PluraView 24“ Full HD Monitor is here!
The second core element of DIPAS are the digital tools for participation events. Through the use of digital data tables, publicly-accessible urban geo-data, collected in the urban data platform, as well as the cities’ 3D model is made available onsite at citizens’ events. The preparation of complex material, e.g. in the form of digital development plans, 3D urban design proposals in a user-friendly presentation, promotes the exchange between laypersons and experts at eye level. In addition, the touch tables can be used to call up the citizen contributions submitted online at face-to-face events and to discuss and further develop them in a dialogue between citizens.
The three-year project is structured in several development phases. The aim of the first phase was to create an operational basic level, which offers 2D maps and urban data online and onsite, combined with the synchronous feedback functionality. This MVP was produced until the summer of 2018 and tested in a participation process for the Hamburg district of Bergedorf.
A further piloting started in December 2018 as part of an upstream idea collection process to develop the master plan for the new Grasbrook district. At the same time, the basic stage was further developed for the integration of digital development plans, and a 3D city model with simulation of the shadow cast. An interface for the integration of three-dimensional urban development designs into the 3D city model has been developed and test applications are under way in the course of urban design competitions for the Grasbrook and Veddel Areas. In the currently running iteration, improvement of the backend evaluation features and 3D functionalities are in the focus.
The Source Code DIPAS of the DIPAS Software will be published as Open Source Software after a Launch and Transfer Conference to be held in autumn. Broad deployment within Hamburg will start in 2021. Other cities and institutions in Germany and neighboring countries have also expressed their interest to adapt the system, including Leipzig, Vienna, Guadalajara (Mexico) and the DEGES.
A follow up project (2021-2023), parallel to the implementation and transfer of the 1.0 version, will be set up to further improve the systems functionalities.
Tangible Achievements and Socio-economic Benefits
The up and running integrated system offers shorter, better and more transparent planning processes, easier uptake of citizens’ ideas and recommendations, better detection of possible planning conflicts, and easier evaluation of citizens’ feedback. Thus increased acceptance of development projects, reduced time and cost of planning, and improved output quality of planning processes.
The online tool has been used in 38 participation processes, and the onsite tools in 4 processes; generating positive feedback from the public, as well as from civil servants for its technical capacities and positive communicative effects.
Due to its Open Source / Open Standards philosophy, the system is adaptable by other cities and public bodies. Hamburg will soon set up a transfer platform for its geomaster portal (www.masterportal.org), to create an innovation ecosystem for the further development of the portal. DIPAS is determined to go the same way, as its software and components include and/or base on many of the masterportals modules and are by that way easily adaptable from the Partners of the masterportal community.
City of Hamburg’s Digital Participation System (DIPAS) is one of the winners of the Geospatial World Excellence Awards 2020. Find the full winners’ list here.
