This project examines compliance with privacy and data protection laws, as well as well-balanced policies, within the context of “Smart Cities”. Currently tailored to Kansas City, Missouri, the project has been focusing on: (i) the types of data being collected, how it is being collected and secured, and how it is being analyzed and used by the city or third parties; (ii) understanding of the data flows and contractual relationships among local government and various vendors and associated rights and responsibilities, and considering such matters in the context of municipal authority; (iii) benchmarking against policies and practices in other cities in the U.S. and abroad; (iv) developing a multi-faceted draft “Model Data Handling Policy” for public-private Smart Cities initiatives with appropriate oversight mechanisms, with a view to vetting that draft across the MetroLab Network set of ‘best practice policies’ for all aspect of such data handling; and (v) designing an “AI-assisted toolbox” (“Data Handling Compliance Toolkit”) using rule-based and machine-based learning to support compliance with the Model Data Handling Policy .
This project address several complexities implicated by the use of sensors and other data gathering, securing, and dissemination apparatus and processes, with focus on “people first” outcomes. The teams work includes examining data security, risks of aggregation/re-identification of seemingly “anonymous” data, risk mitigation strategies, issues of sovereign immunity and cyber-insurance, and appropriate governance systems for Smart Cities data handling initiatives. We seek to, in the course of developing a Model Data Handling Policy, create, among other things, benchmark use cases upon which approaches to vulnerability analysis can be examined. A combination of original work and reference to emerging standards work will be employed for the completed models. Innovation in this area is needed regarding the bridging of the intersection between technologists’ understanding of data management challenges for security on one hand, and administrative behaviors of those responsible for privacy and identity protection, data integrity, and responsible data usage, implicated by the content of data sets which originate in IoT installations on the other. The creation of use cases for elements of the Data Handling Compliance Toolkit will facilitate the creation of technologies designed to assure that deploying and using Smart Cities technology to make municipal government more effective and contribute positively to the development of innovation-facilitating entrepreneurial ecosystems doesn’t lose sight of the civic responsibility to pursue “people first” objectives and actions.
Updates/News
As of the end of October 2017, this LTL project team is (i) revising a preliminary draft of the Model Data Handling Policy created in the interdisciplinary Law, Technology & Public Policy course at UMKC to reflect recent research conducted by student interns, and team analysis thereof, particularly with regard to issues of authority and responsibility, and benchmarking to relevant aspects of policies and practices in selected cities; and (ii) engaging in early-stage prototyping for use cases for the development of Data Handling Compliance Toolkit.
Updates/News
In late September of 2019, a discussion draft of the Model Data Handling Policy was vetted at a Roundtable Session at the MetroLab Network’s annual Summit, with participants including representatives of multiple cities, counties, and academic institutions from across the United States. Feedback was collected and summarized in a draft report circulated to participants for comment. Currently efforts are in process to organize a multi-cities and universities working group to “crowdsource” the next iteration of the Model Data Handling Policy.
If you may be interested in participating in this collaboration, please contact Tony Luppino at
Updates/News (June 2023)
The LTL-supported project, which had been supported by the MetroLab Network through avenues for discussion at some of its annual first few annual Summits, more recently inspired the creation of a MetroLab Data Governance Task Force which has adopted a “community of practice” approach. That Task Force is comprised of city and county staff members, metropolitan planning organizations staff members, educators, and other researchers from diverse disciplines and jurisdictions across the United States—a group of approximately 50 individuals from some 20 cities and counties.
The primary objective of the Task Force is to develop a comprehensive set of policy and practice tools that will serve as a guide for cities and counties in implementing responsible data governance for public good. This effort stems from the collaborative efforts with the MetroLab Network, which workshopped a draft of the Model Data Handling Policy for Municipalities at its annual Summit in 2019, and a proposal for a national co-working effort at its annual Summit in 2022, forming the foundation for the Task Force's work.
A central deliverable of the task force is the Model Data Governance Policy & Practice Guide for Cities and Counties. The Guide is currently under development and will feature policy recommendations and examples of various potential resources and practice tools (e.g., privacy principles, data-sharing policies, sample documents, checklists, and protocols addressing data governance challenges faced by U.S. cities and counties).