knowledge crystal

www.knowledgecrystal.org

How to improve climate mitigation in cities? Improving the information base with open monitoring, modelling, and argumentation

Jouni Tuomisto

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL/Open Knowledge Finland

University of New Hampshire, Durham, 30th Sept 2019

Abstract

A typical problem with climate mitigation is that despite good intentions, city-level actions may not reach the political objectives set. The actions may be less effective than thought, or they may be inadequately implemented. Corrective actions are not taken if these problems are not identified.

City of Helsinki and their Carbon Neutral Helsinki 2035 Action Plan aim to avoid these problems. They have specifically designed an open monitoring tool for their climate actions, where a) the progress of actions is documented in real-time, b) several hundred indicators are being developed and monitored to ensure that the actions have those immediate and long-term strategic impacts that were intended, and c) open commenting, collaboration, and co-creation will be used to improve implementation and develop new and better actions.

Helsinki collaborates with an NGO Open Knowledge Finland to develop a tool for structured argumentation in the monitoring tool, so that public discussions would produce better-quality content with rationale. The objective is to avoid typical pitfalls of discussion forums. The weight of an argument is based on truthlikeness and relevance in a hierarchical structure of argumentation, rather than likes from audience.

All tools are open source code and use open data. The idea is that a citizen has the same information available as a civil servant who is responsible for an action.

The presentation describes the tools and information structures and practices which they use, notably knowledge crystals. The work is ongoing and there are not yet definitive results about the success of this approach, but several practical lessons learned will be presented.

Further reading: project report about the tool description of knowledge crystal further materials and tools

Carbon-neutral Helsinki �– monitoring and management����

Sonja-Maria Ignatius

Environmental Planner�Environmental Services, City of Helsinki�

“Helsinki takes its responsibility for the mitigation of climate change seriously.” �(City Strategy 2017-2021)

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How is Helsinki doing and how do we know that?

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Here’s our plan. ���147 actions�Approved: December 2018�

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30 % electric cars and plug-in hybrids (currently 0,7 %)��Total heat consumption -20 % from today��15 % solar power (0,1 %)��15 % of the consumption by heat pumps (geoenergy) (0,5 %)��Carbon-neutral districts – planning has to start now!��

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Carbon-neutrality in practice, 2035

How to get there?

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Example of an action�

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“Helsinki’s operating model is based on openness and transparency. Helsinki is the world’s leading city in opening up and utilizing public data.” �(City Strategy 2017-2021)�

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openness�+�inclusion�+�digital solutions��=> open policy practice

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CNH2035 monitoring tool

• One tool to find them all, one tool to rule them
• Anyone can see how the action is progressing
• The calculations, the data and other information are open (the code is also open-source)
• Commenting for experts and citizens
• Updating of the action plan based on the citizens’ feedback and best available information from research

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Monitoring tool for Carbon-neutral Helsinki (demo)

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Example of an action�https://hnh.hel.ninja/action/18�

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“If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.” �(Peter Drucker)

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Towards more accurate measuring

1. Temporal resolution: when are the emissions produced?
2. Spatial resolution: where are the emissions produced?
3. Accuracy of the emissions calculations: are we doing the right things?

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+ Impact assessment

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System architecture of the monitoring tool

Jari Viinanen

12.3.2019

28.5.2019

Sonja-Maria Ignatius

Three types of indicators

• Operational indicator

= An indicator that the city can have a direct impact on

• Tactical indicator

= An indicator that the city doesn’t have a direct impact on but that is important to measure

• Strategic indicator

= The indicator that we are most interested in, e.g. carbon emissions

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Example of an action

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Causal chain of indicators for one action

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Insight network connects different actions and indicators

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How to implement the monitoring

• Who is the contact person for this action?
• Causal chain
• How does this action reduce emissions?
• What are the indicators for the action? Operational indicators first
• What is the target level for the indicator?
• Where do we get the data?
• What kind of resources are required to implement this action?
• Collaboration with other cities and research institutes

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Why is this important?

• Making the causal chain forces you think what this action really is about. Discussion with the civil servants.
• Are we doing the right things, are we focusing on the important issues?
• Are we doing things right, do we see an impact downstream on the emissions?
• Monitoring of what has happened AND scenario building for the future - both at the same time

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Material

• Stadinilmasto website
• The Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 Action Plan
• Summary of the Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 Action Plan
• Report on the monitoring tool development
• Beta version of the monitoring tool https://hnh.hel.ninja
• Scenario tool for impacts

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Thank you!��sonjamaria.ignatius@hel.fi��#hiilineutraalihelsinki #carbonneutralhelsinki�stadinilmasto.fi�@stadinilmasto

Knowledge crystals in policy support

Jouni Tuomisto, THL/Open Knowledge Finland

Knowledge crystals seek answers to wicked problems by co-creation

Congestion charge scheme to Helsinki?

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How to structure discussions in knowledge crystals

https://dev.tietokide.fi/?Q10

Destructive policies

• Destructive policies are decisions or practices that, based on strong scientific evidence, are causing major societal harm. Yet, those things keep happening.
• Usually, there is someone who benefits from status quo and is able to disrupt the system and prevent self-correction.
• How to stop destructive policies? “God is in the details.” → You need a system to look at the details and a coherent synthesis at the same time.
• → Policy monitoring + impact assessment + argumentation

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Opportunities for collaboration

• Participate in developing a research study about destructive policies. Help identify such policies and science about them.
• Spread the word about the monitoring and scenario tool. We will build a multilingual version for outside use.
• Collect and share impact models to be used in the scenario tool.
• Climate emissions
• Transportation
• Life cycle impacts of products

Potential collaboration

• Blog text about the Govlab in a Finnish blog (THL, OKFI, Knowledgecrystal.org?)
• Introduction of knowledge crystals in the Govlab Digest
• Data for Open Data Demand?
• Material about knowledge crystals for lectures in Solving Public Problems with Data
• Case study or framework ideas for City Challenges
• Publishing a review of the ANZSOG Report or the Open Policymaking Playbook in Finland

Knowledge crystals in practice: City Climate Tool in Helsinki

Carbon neutral Helsinki 2035 Action Plan

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Tool: https://hnh.hel.ninja

Presentation

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Section Title. Font: Zilla Slab Medium

Body text. Font: Hind Vandodara Light or Normal.

Some color variations can be applied to the subheadings, headings or section names.

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Section Title. Font: Zilla Slab Medium

Body text. Font: Hind Vandodara Light or Normal.

Some color variations can be applied to the subheadings, headings or section names.�I added them to the custom colors.