Issues from municipalites

Regional Issues地域課題

Regional issues presented by municipalities

Hokkaido Muroran-city
Tohoku Fukushima-ken, Aizuwakamatsu-city
Kanto Ibaraki-ken, Mito-citySaitama-ken, Kasukabe-cityChiba-ken, Mobara-cityMatsudo-cityNagareyama-cityTokyo-to, Nakano-kuKanagawa-kenYokohama-cityYokohama-city, Kanazawa-kuKawasaki-city, Miyamae-kuKamakura-city
Hokuriku Nigata-ken, Nigata-cityFukui-ken, Sabae-city
Chubu Shizuoka-ken, Shizuoka-cityKakegawa-citySusono-cityMakinohara-city
Kinki Shiga-ken, Omihachiman-cityKusatsu-cityOsaka-cityOsaka-city, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-kuHyogo-ken, Kobe-citySanda-cityNara-ken, Ikoma-city
Chugoku Yamaguchi-ken, Ube-city
Shikoku Ehime-ken, Matsuyama-city
Kyushu Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-citySaga-ken, Ogi-cityMiyazaki-ken, Nichinan-city

Applying citizens/students should keep the following in mind.

<For citizens/students>

  • 1. Application requirement: A team leader must live in, commute to, or attend school in an applicable municipality.
  • 2. Expectations for ideas: We are looking for ideas regarding social public services to solve regional issues. Specify the issue to deal with by effectively using data and materials, and create a story with ideas for a solution (description, grounds, and implementation timetable). Although certain data-based apps may be used as secondary enablers, the mere development of such apps is not the purpose of the Challenge. If there is any missing data or material, you are advised to add the missing information independently or ask for help from municipalities as appropriate.
  • 3. How to evaluate: Evaluations of idea presentations (description, grounds, and implementation timetable) will be conducted using evaluation criteria (issue selection, novelty, effectiveness, applicability, and feasibility). Present ideas and make self-evaluations with data and supporting materials for application.

<For municipalities>

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Application Requirements
for Municipalities
自治体募集要項

Application period (expired)

June 1 to August 31, 2016

Contents of application

  • ・Regional issues for which municipalities encourage the involvement of citizens/students in finding solutions
  • ・Published data and information about the issues presented (collectively, the “Data”)

Application requirements

Municipalities (or relevant departments) that meet the following requirements:

  • ・Municipalities (or relevant departments) must be eager to think about the regional issues and find solutions by collaborating with citizens/students
  • ・Municipalities can apply for the Challenge as a team of staff members from relevant departments (e.g., those in departments providing supporting data).
  • ・Staff in supporting departments (planning, public relations, citizens, and data management) join the team as supervisors/coordinators.
    (This is not mandatory depending on individual situations, but this aspect is evaluated positively in terms of in-house cooperation.)
  • ・Applying municipalities (or relevant departments) select any one of the following seven issues/themes and present it (an interdepartmental issue is acceptable). In selecting the issue/theme, municipalities can make selections independently or based on requests from local communities.

* Issues and themes are categorized as follows:

  1. 1. Aging society, elderly care, medical, health care ・・・ 6
  2. 2. Childcare, family, education ・・・ 6
  3. 3. Local community, local transportation ・・・ 12
  4. 4. Environment, energy ・・・ 3
  5. 5. Disaster prevention, crime prevention ・・・ 6
  6. 6. Local industrial promotion ・・・ 2
  7. 7. Local societal promotion ・・・ 7
  8. 8. Tourism ・・・ 6
  9. 9. Civic action to open data ・・・ 5
  10. Total proposed issues/themes ・・・ 53

Considerations for application and required responses (improvements and additions made to (2) in STEP 2)

(1)Regional issues and relevant (supporting) data

  • ・Relevant data should be stored in the municipality database so that they are accessible by hyperlinks on the website. Presentation of the existing site URL or paper-based documents, both containing such data, is also acceptable. (It does not matter if the open data format is used, but this requirement is considered in evaluations.)
  • ・Citizens/students and municipalities may work together to identify regional issues to deal with before September, when solicitation of solution ideas begins. (Issues will be made available to the public after application, and any group of citizens/students can freely submit their ideas if they meet certain conditions/application requirements.)
  • ・A single municipality (or relevant department) may present as many issues as desired.

(2)Support for citizens/students who submit ideas (improvements made in STEP 2)

  • ・Municipalities are required to establish a support system for responding to inquiries from applying citizens/students about the issues and available data.
  • ・When citizens/students request additional data to analyze issues and develop ideas, municipalities are expected to respond according to the appropriate legal extent and the necessity and relevancy of such requests.
    At the notice of a municipality, any additional and publishable data will be posted on the COG2016 website at the time of regular updating (semimonthly, in principle) and with prompt notifications on the COG2016 Facebook page (“Latest news”).
    Municipalities are also expected to make prompt announcements regarding additional data.
  • ・Municipalities are expected to effectively use open communication forums with citizens/students.
    A model of an open communication forum
  •  This is just for your reference. It is important to facilitate smooth communication between citizens/students and municipalities.

(3)Reaching out to citizens/students (additions made in STEP 2)

We have prepared an informative leaflet that should help you approach citizens/students. Download this resource from the link on the Facebook page (i.e., “Latest news”) as necessary.

You are also encouraged to promote the Challenge across local communities and solicit ideas from citizens/students. Municipalities may freely decide how to publicize (e.g., municipal head briefing, municipal government newsletter, PR website, and other approaches).
It is also advisable to publicize an open communication forum in a creative way.
Additional information will be posted as links on our Facebook page (i.e., “Latest news”).

(4)Announcement of applying municipalities (see the results in “Regional issues presented by municipalities”)

Announcement was posted on the website on September 16, after the deadline at the end of August.

Application form

Download from “1. Download application form” and complete the form; send as an attached file via e-mail to the Secretariat (“2. Apply”).

[End of application acceptance] [End of application acceptance]

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