The core ambition of XGain was to develop a cost-effective and environmentally friendly ecosystem of technologies, to assess the socio-economic and environmental effects associated with them, and to develop innovative business models in accordance with the assessments, integrated into a Knowledge Facilitation Tool intended for non-scientists.
Concept & Methodology
Concept and Motivation
New trends, such as teleworking and e-commerce, as well as the need for a further increase of digital tools in all sectors (i.e. health, education, transportation, farming, etc.) demanded by the Covid-19 pandemic, are once again pointing out digital territorial inequalities, supply-chain disruptions and deficiencies in economic opportunities, which hamper resilience and prosperity of rural communities. Yet, the urban–rural digital gap and the lack of high-speed connectivity remain strong. Rural communities that, with the appropriate means, could have been the primary guides in managing, protecting, and using natural resources are lagging not only in technological infrastructure but also in equal opportunities and socio-environmental sustainability. Accessibility and connectivity are key issues to mitigate this erosion of socio-territorial cohesion. As the rural and coastal citizens are among the most vulnerable populations, every community’s resilience, competitiveness, and capacity need to be enhanced to contribute to and benefit from the upcoming transitions in a fair manner. However, identifying a common solution to equip rural communities with increased access to services, opportunities, and adequate innovation ecosystems, while ensuring that no one is left behind, is a challenging task, mainly due to the diversity of challenges and needs across different locations.
In this respect, XGain fostered sustainable, balanced, and inclusive development of rural, coastal and urban areas by facilitating access for relevant stakeholders (such as municipalities, policymakers, farmers, foresters and their associations) to a comprehensive inventory of smart XG, last-mile connectivity and edge computing solutions, and related assessment methods. The overall objective of XGain was to deliver a Knowledge Facilitation Tool that facilitates business model development and supports decision-making in selecting an ecosystem of technologies comprising connectivity options and edge processing solutions. This was achieved by following a multi-actor and practitioner-oriented approach and by coherently assessing their socio-economic and techno-environmental effects, aiming to increase systemic resilience and energy efficiency, contribute to climate mitigation, and reduce digital divides between different types of citizens, farms, sectors, and regions.
Methodology
XGain analysed a portfolio of connectivity and edge computing solutions to address the diverse requirements and challenges that existed across different application verticals (e.g. health and wellbeing guidance, livestock, agriculture, etc.) in rural communities. The assessment of different high-tech solutions at community, regional and farm levels applied future-oriented (foresight) methods to assign a series of assumptions regarding inclusiveness to each high-tech development.
Accordingly, social exclusion analyses were conducted, including indicators for income, education, race, and age. Social innovation analyses were also conducted, including indicators covering scale (the number of people and networks involved), scope (institutional and policy settings), and resonance (the ability to change existing habits and imagine possibilities beyond the present scope). These analyses supported co-creation dialogues among multiple actors in each case. A techno-economic analysis of the technical solutions enabled the development of the most appropriate business models. The methodology took into consideration various aspects necessary for evaluation, such as demand forecasting for services (logistic models), estimation of the evolution of network component prices (learning curves), operation, administration and maintenance costs, and forecasting of expected revenues.
Another essential element involved the dimensioning rules defined for each network topology and access technology. The methodology included a detailed cost analysis of components using a bottom-up approach. Its strength lay in comparing different technical alternatives and scenarios and selecting the most attractive option using economic indicators. These analyses were complemented by environmental indicators and Green ICT analytics to assess the environmental and climate impacts of the proposed interventions. All components were compiled into a single Knowledge Facilitation Tool, enabling non-experts to assess this new ecosystem of technologies more effectively.
The XGain Knowledge Facilitation tool provided:
- User Input and Personalised Solutions Recommendation
- Connectivity and Edge Processing Enablers Stocktaking
- Service Optimisation Enablers
- Business Models Development and Dynamic Selection
- Environmental, Climate, Social and Economic Analysis
XGain followed an iterative multi-step development approach in which user requirements and corresponding solutions evolved through multiple collaboration rounds among stakeholders, taking into consideration the outcomes of the Knowledge Facilitation Tool. The core of the methodology was based on an agile approach, adaptive development, and continuous improvement through iterative rounds, including the following four phases:
- Definition phase
- Testing of Technologies and the first version of the Knowledge Facilitation Tool
- XGain Tool Testing and Technology Validation
- Implementation Phase
In the video below, the project coordinator, ICCS, introduces the XGain Project: