Santander City Council promotes the use of data as a driver for development
The Santander Center of Excellence and Data Office is a new space designed to promote the use of data as a key tool for urban innovation, the improvement of public services, and local economic development.
Santander City Council presented its project within the EDINT – Data Spaces for Smart Urban Infrastructures initiative at the Business Initiatives Center. The event featured the participation of the Mayor of Santander, Gema Igual; the Regional Minister of Industry, Employment, Innovation, and Trade of the Government of Cantabria, Eduardo Arasti; the Director of RedIRIS and Digital Public Services at Red.es, Francisco Javier García Vieira; and the General Director of Organization and Resources of the FEMP, Jaime Carnicero, as well as municipal officials and representatives from the local business ecosystem.
Mayor Gema Igual emphasized the value of data as the foundation for better decision-making: Cities need data to be predictive and make the right decisions. If we don’t know what the city consumes or what it needs, we cannot project it into the future or manage it properly. In this regard, she highlighted that the CEOD will improve the design and delivery of municipal services.
From Red.es, Francisco Javier García Vieira focused on the potential of data spaces to foster innovation and productivity, noting that the goal is to put data to work to generate economic and social value.
The Santander CEOD is part of a network of 12 local entities that already have their own centers, each involving collaboration with private companies from the technology and data sectors. In Santander’s case, companies such as Movus, Urbaser, El Diario Montañés, LIS Data Solutions, and Software Quality Systems are participating alongside the municipal team.