D14

This report considered the user requirements (in D1) and expectations related to the services to be supported by the services platform as suggested by VisionAIR (in D2) and the specification of the services (in D3) and trials (in D4) and defines a global validation plan for the project. A multicriteria assessment approach is proposed including end-user acceptance, socioeconomic evaluation (considering stake-holders views) and technical adequacy evaluation.

The primary task of a multi-criteria analysis is the selection of an optimal realization scenario for a specific problem (e.g. in case of VisionAIR, to conclude which should be the elements of the VisionAIR platform (ViPL) to be implemented and business model to be adopted by a given municipality or municipality own enterprise based on a given set of services, end-user group size (population in the municipality) and requirements and infrastructure costs. The selection of a scenario should ensure that the needs and realistic expectations of all parties (end-users and stakeholders) are met.

A multicriteria assessment is conducted in four steps: Definition of the evaluation case (dealt in deliverable D4), Selecting the analysis methodology (evaluation criteria, indicators to be used to measure end-users and stakeholders acceptance, methods to collect data for the analysis) dealt in this report. Collecting the data necessary to develop the analysis (this is to be the prime goal of the following months work under WP6), Conducting the analysis of the data, identify the best solution (s) and document the results (in the deliverables D15,16, 17 and 25).

One should note, at this point, that the scope of D14 is much wider than the one defined in the contracts technical annex (which was limited only in providing a plan for the end user assessment). This was deemed essential in order to demonstrate more clearly the interdependencies among the tasks in WP6 as well as the binding logic and rationale for including business case analysis in WP2. Thus, it is anticipated that the D14 in its present form, along with the D4 report that includes descriptions of the service framework for the trials, provide a solid basis for planning the whole of the remaining work in the VisionAIR project

Going through the report one should pay attention to the following:

• The methods adopted (see section 3.4) for conducting the multicritera assessment analysis (a mixture of qualitative/ subjective methods such as questionnaire based surveys, interviews and "walkthrough" workshops) and objective measurements (primarily concerning the performance and availability of the ViPL).
• The wide range of criteria (see table 5) to be used for conducting the analysis (related to usability, user satisfaction, usability of client interfaces/ APIs , platform configurability, economic efficiency, enabling/ facilitating citizens access to services offered or supported by the municipalities, socioeconomic benefits, user willingness to pay, service provider willingness to join, conformance with requirements and specifications)
• The indicators to be used for assessing the various criteria (qualitative and/ or quantitative based on the criterion assessed) and the mapping of the evaluation methodology to the four trial sites (see tables in appendix A)
• The templates of questionnaires (generic and/ or indicative service specific) to be used for assessing user acceptance (included in the appendix C).