One of the critical lessons learned from various “smart city” initiatives (e.g., Toronto and Google/Sidewalk Labs) is the need to build trust at the individual level within a community to facilitate digital adoption.  If individuals believe municipalities or companies are using technology in ways that are not directly benefitting the individual or without the individual’s consent, then trust will never be established, and the innovation potential of technology never realized.  PRF commissioned a study called the “Digital Trust Initiative” (DTI) to evaluate best-practices for building trust to avoid these challenges across the L2L innovation platform. The report offers an overview of best practices for community-centered smart city development and includes background on current state and federal legal privacy frameworks, the current state and implications of public and commercial sector privacy policies, recommendations for building trust-centric innovation communities.

The critical finding from DTI identified the potential to create a people-first, community-centric environment to facilitate individual engagement – owned and  managed directly by the individual outside the framework of an intermediary like a municipality or company.  This area of technology development is commonly referred to as Web 3.0 and represents the next evolution of the internet.  Enabled by unique digital identity processes and technology, secure data exchange (i.e., blockchain), provenanced AI, commonwealth economics, and a community-based governance model the L2L Web 3.0 engagement environment represents another novel platform for innovation and collaboration.

Our aim to build a community of purpose that includes individuals living and working at DPD and students and faculty at Purdue.  The initial Web 3.0 application is to enable individuals to engage and participate in the evaluation and testing of innovations on the L2L platform.  In addition, PRF is evaluating the potential across the broader community of Purdue alumni as part of “Purdue Innovates” by engaging individuals in other strategic innovation activities and programs.