Seminario de Informática ‘Mirian Andrés’. Evaluating and Improving DM in UDP Development Research Projects

Urban Data Platforms (UDPs) are key enablers of data-driven governance in smart cities, yet their validation and evaluation (particularly regarding data management practices) remain underexplored in research projects that involve their development or use. This study assesses data management maturity in two European smart city initiatives, CITyFiED and SmartEnCity, both aimed at supporting energy efficiency and climate neutrality through UDP development. Using the Alarcos’ Model for Data Improvement (MAMD v4.0), a process-based maturity framework aligned with international data management standards, we conducted a triangulated analysis combining project documentation review, expert interviews, and technical artifact inspection.

The results reveal a decreasing level of commitment at higher maturity stages, with operational data management outperforming data quality and governance processes. While incremental improvements between projects indicate experiential learning, persistent weaknesses were identified in metadata management, data quality strategies, and governance mechanisms. The study has demonstrated the applicability of organizational data maturity models to research-oriented, time-bounded environments and provides insights for strengthening data management practices in future smart city R&D projects.