Evaluation period

January to March 2018

What to evaluate

• - Content of the dea (document screening + final open review)
• - Status of citizen/student and municipality partnership (additional research + final open review)

Evaluation process

(1) Document screening (scheduled for January 2018)

Ideas are evaluated through a document screening and then short-listed for the final open review (See "07. Evaluation Criteria").

(2) Additional questions for the final open review (February 2018)

The citizen-government partnership is key to open governance. To that end, additional research will be conducted to observe the actual status of regional partnerships for the teams selected for the final open review, as well as the activities of applying municipalities. Research findings are used for the final open review.

(3) Final open review and award presentations (March 4, 2018)

Submissions selected for final open review will be evaluated based on presentationss and open questioning by committee members, and then winners will be chosen.

(4) Release of evaluation results (results will be posted on the website soon after the final open review is finished)

Recommendations for Improvement and Follow-up

(1) Recommendations for improvement: April 2017

The review committee will provide advice about short-listed ideas and partnership schemes for further improvement.

(2) Follow-up

We hope that short-listed ideas (including partnerships) will bear fruit, and will ultimately help to resolve regional issues. Toward that end, we require one-year and two-year reports on progress and implementation processes.

Events held alongside the final open review

As with COG2016, ideas that have not been short-listed will be selected for either a mini presentations or a poster exhibition to be held alongside the final open review.

Proposed ideas and status of citizen/student and municipality partnership are two major criteria for evaluation.

Evaluation of ideas

(1) Evaluation points

The following will be evaluated, based on the submitted documents and the presentations during the final open review:

1. - Documents submitted to describe ideas (submitted documents)
2. - Documents submitted to conduct a self-evaluation on items other than the above (submitted documents)
3. - Presentations for the final open review (citizen/student team PowerPoint)

(2) Evaluation criteria

Evaluations will be conducted using the following criteria:

The focus of the evaluation will be on the idea itself:

1. 1. Is the idea an excellent way to resolve the regional issue?
2. 2. Is data used effectively to support the idea?
3. 3. Is the implementation process shown to be realistic?

The following points will also be evaluated:

1. 1. Focus
2. 2. Effectiveness
3. 3. Novelty
4. 4. Applicability to other regions (self-evaluation)

See the citizen/student application form for details.

Evaluation of partnership scheme

(1) Evaluation points

Actual status of the partnership between citizen/student and municipality is to be evaluated.

(2) Evaluation criteria

Evaluations will be conducted based on the following criteria:

1. 1. Are relevant data (including responses to inquiries) made available in the proper manner?
2. 2. The municipality’s support for initiatives of citizens/students in generating a proposed idea
3. 3. The municipality’s attitudes toward collaboration with citizens/students in refining the idea and putting it into practice
4. 4. Use of an open communication forum between citizens/students and the municipality to discuss the proposed idea

Date & Time

March 4 (Sunday)
9:15–18:30

Venue

Takeda Hall at the University of Tokyo

How to Participate

The final open review is open to the public. Concurrent events will also be held.
We hope that many people interested in the open governance of a civic participation-style society will attend. Please apply below if you would like to attend (reservation required in advance; first-come-first-served basis).

Program^*1

Click here for details

8:45

Doors open

9:15

Opening

9:30

Final presentations from short-listed teams and related municipalities

11:50

Lunch break

13:00

Final presentations from short-listed teams and related municipalities

15:40

Concurrent events (planned mini presentationss, etc.)^*2

16:40

Presentations of evaluation results/commendation ceremony

17:30

Closing

17:45

Informal chat in foyer, poster exhibition <interested parties>

18:30

Final close

Held concurrently
29 posters exhibited

• *1 The schedule for the day of the event may be changed without advance notice.
• *2 Committee members will not attend due to final selection.

Apply here to attend

Application period (closed)

June 1 to August 31, 2017

Contents of application

• - Regional issues for which municipalities encourage the involvement of citizens/students to find solutions
• - Published data, information, and materials about the issues submited (collectively, the “Data”)

Application requirements

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

• - Municipalities (or relevant departments) must be keen 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 nine issues/themes and submit a certain regional issue (multiple issues/themes or those that cross relevant departments are also acceptable). In selecting the issue, municipalities (and relevant departments) can make selections independently or based on requests from local communities.

* Issues are categorized as follows:

Considerations for application

(1) Regional issues and relevant data

• - Relevant data should be stored in the municipality database so that they may be accessed through hyperlinks on the website. It is also acceptable to submit an existing URL with data or paper-based documents that have already been released. (Open data format is preferred but not required.)
• - Before September, when solicitation of solution ideas begins, citizens/students and municipalities may work together to identify regional issues to be addressed. (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 submit as many issues as desired.
• - Municipalities that applied for COG2016 may also apply this year. Municipalities may submit another issue or the same issue. In the latter case, municipalities should modify their presentations based on their experience during COG2016 for the benefit of citizens/students.

Future support requirements (enhanced/additional content from STEP 2)

(1) 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 extent that is legally appropriate and the necessity and relevancy of such requests.

1. * After application, at the notice of a municipality, any additional and publishable data will be posted on the COG website at the time of regular updating (semi-monthly, in principle) and with prompt notifications on the COG Facebook page (“Latest news”). Municipalities are also expected to make prompt announcements regarding additional data.
2. * Municipalities are also 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.

(2) 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 if required.
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.

(3) Announcement of applying municipalities

See “Issues from municipalities” for results.

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”).

Application period

Mid-September to December 20, 2017 (closed)

Application details

We are looking for ideas that use open data and materials to identify and resolve issues facing regions. (Ideas in which the public can also be actively engaged are desirable. Improved or renewed versions of existing measures are also acceptable.)

• - We are looking for ideas regarding social public services to solve regional issues.
  Specify the issue to be addressed and develop a story (description, grounds, and implementation timetable) by effectively using data and materials to support your idea.
  Certain data-based apps may be used as secondary enablers.
  Any missing data and materials can be supplemented freely as appropriate. You are encouraged to ask the municipality for additional data. In the absence of necessary data, work with published information.
• - Public service in this context does not simply refer to accepting complaints or leaving them to relevant departments; it also refers to the active involvement of citizens.
• - However, some services require collaboration with governments or full provision by governments. First, consider what you can personally do to improve ideas. It is important to keep the following priorities in mind: self-support, mutual help, and public assistance.
• - Once your idea is fully refined, work out the details of citizen-government collaboration to implement it.

<Idea categories>

Ideas to solve regional issues fall into one of two categories: 1. new ideas that could be used in social solutions (activities) to determine actions to help resolve issues, and 2. new apps developed or used in social solutions (activities).

<Data usage>

Data should generally be used to either analyze issues or enter information into apps. Open data (including materials) should preferably be used for this contest, but other data may also be used. Open data refers to data in an open format that is suitable for machine interpretation in the digital age (such as TXT or CSV), and that is suitable for entry into apps.
There are two types of data used to understand social realities: 1. thin data (used to understand social realities) and thick data (used to understand the context or background of these realities). This data should be used effectively to analyze issues and generate ideas.

<Reference> Design thinking

When creating something (such as a building, city, product, poster, or website), people have traditionally taken something that already exists (such as blueprints or a model), and then revised it, arrived at a decision on ease of use and overall impression, and attempted to create something that appeals to users. This method applies not only to things but to services as well. Leveraging this method to design services that appeal to users is called "design thinking." Plainly stated, design thinking means thinking of something useful you want people to use. When thinking of ideas to solve regional issues, use this methodology to identify ideas that would appeal to users when implemented.
Once you have refined your idea, verify how practical it is. Finally, use the application form to finish your idea. Ideas must be solidly backed with data.

Design thinking begins from a citizen's viewpoint, and is supported by an expert's viewpoint. Assume the provider's viewpoint when verifying an idea's practicality. This does not mean that a team must include an expert (such as an IT engineer or expert on the issue you are tackling). Rather, this is a way to arrange your thoughts.

During the "exploring ideas" stage, you should value imagination, inspiration, and intuition. Be sure to effectively use data to support your case when describing your idea.

Application requirements

Citizen/student teams must meet the following requirements:

• (1) A team of citizens/students (*2) living in or commuting to an applying municipality or with a certain connection to the municipality, with a strong desire to tackle a problem and contribute to its resolution from the viewpoint of residents (*1). The team leader must live in or commute to the applying community.
  1. *1 Viewpoints from residents who use public services and who are also taxpayers are considered.
  2. *2 Students include high school students, vocational school students, and university undergraduate and graduate students.
     (No team consisting only of junior high school students can apply, but junior high school students can join a citizen/student team, for example, when their viewpoints are required for idea generation.)
• (2) A team can consist of citizens only, students only, or both.
• (3) Team members must be individuals (citizens/students) who meet the requirements in (1) above, regardless of their occupation (see the attachment to the application form). Citizens or students who meet the requirements in (1) above and who are willing to contribute to problem resolution for a particular area can join a team even if they live in other areas.
• (4) Applications from individual applicants will not be accepted.
• (5) The 13 teams with ideas selected for final open review during COG 2017 will transition to the next follow-up, so applications from these teams will not be accepted for the same regional issues. This does not apply to other teams.

Application form

• - Complete the prescribed application form and submit via email. An application form includes the following: name of the team, name of the idea, description of the idea (① idea description, ② idea grounds, ③ implementation timetable), and self-evaluation (① issue, ② effectiveness, ③ novelty, ④ applicability). See the application form for instructions and precautions. Download, read through, and apply for the Challenge.
• - Download from “1. Download application form” and complete the form. Send your application as an attached file to the Secretariat from “2. Apply.”

• * If the email application does not start when clicked, manually send the email to admin_padit_cog2017@pp.u-tokyo.ac.jp.