Project partners
During the project, various parties have been involved. The University of Utrecht has been involved in the IAMA, the Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam) has focused on the Explainable AI model, VNG has provided knowledge and established the partner network. Assen is the project leader and the owner of the problem, and Clappform is the technology partner.
Additionally, the municipality of Roeselare has joined to share their experiences, and also to explore how the approaches in Assen and Roeselare can strengthen each other.
Four-step overview:
Unveiling the project's journey
1. Data integratie different sources
Within the project at the municipality of Assen, open data sources from the Central Statistical Office (CBS) have been primarily used. This ensures adherence to certain ethical standards and facilitates smooth digital integrations. For the project in Assen, we have specifically examined which systems can be integrated and which sources have an impact on the neighborhood analysis.
2. AI Analytics Engine
Clappform assists the municipality of Assen in maximizing the value derived from their data. Through advanced AI analytics, both structured and unstructured data are analyzed, enabling you to gain valuable insights for neighborhood strategies, presented in your cloud application. During this process, ethical issues were also explicitly considered, and together with the University of Utrecht, an IAMA (The Fundamental Rights and Algorithm Impact Assessment) was completed with the project team.
3. Explainable AI outcome
In collaboration with the Vrije Universiteit and the data science team of Clappform, we have focused on explainable AI. This involves making the outcomes of the model understandable to better grasp which variables impact the results. By applying Explainable AI, you can also see the impact; which factors have a positive and which have a negative impact on the predictions. Subsequently, these outcomes can be linked to other matters, such as your neighborhood plan or broader objectives like the SDGs from the UN.
4. Realtime simulations
Finally, it's important for the policy makers of the municipality of Assen to be able to play with variables within the neighborhoods themselves. For this purpose, we have developed a simulation model; with this, the municipality of Assen can see for themselves if they focus on a certain theme and, for example, through an action or an improvement, observe the improvement in the underlying data and the impact this would have on the livability of the neighborhood. The municipality of Assen can use this to perform scenario analyses on different approaches and calculate millions of different scenarios using ML and AI.
The process: Neighbourhood-Oriented Approach
Phase 1 – Neighbourhood Overview
Over a period of two months, data is collected at the neighbourhood level, including neighbourhood surveys and other relevant sources.
Phase 2 – Neighbourhood Analysis
Over two months, involved stakeholders engage in comprehensive discussions, consolidating collected themes into a coherent whole.
Phase 3 – Neighbourhood Agenda
Within a period ranging from two to six months, a cohesive description and prioritization of urgent challenges and opportunities in the neighbourhood emerge, accompanied by an associated budget.
Phase 4 – Neighbourhood Implementation Plan
Over a period of 3 to 3.5 years, a plan is devised detailing the execution of the neighbourhood agenda, encompassing ongoing and future actions, executors, locations, and costs.
The municipality of Assen and Clappform have jointly tackled this project to truly make a societal impact in neighborhood initiatives. Additionally, the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) has joined, and a workshop was held during the VNG congress on November 2, 2023, in The Hague. Furthermore, colleagues from both the municipality of Assen and Clappform attended the Small-Midsized City Conference in Brussels at the European Commission in June 2023.
Want to learn more about the project?
Feel free to get in touch with the project team and request a demo
Stadhuis Gemeente Assen
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9401 JW Assen
Postbus 30018
Clappform B.V.
Overschiestraat 61
1062 XD Amsterdam
info@clappform.com
Neighbourhood-oriented approach Assen
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