Because of his sporting, economic and social commitment to Amsterdam and the region, and in particular to the Zuidoost district, Henk Markerink was awarded the Frans Banninck Cocq Medal. Deputy Mayor Victor Everhardt presented the award to the outgoing director of the ArenA on 30 June.
Alderwoman Digital City Touria Meliani presented Amsterdam's first Data Strategy this year. In this interview she explains why Amsterdam is committed to an inclusive digital city in which everyone has equal rights and opportunities. Striving for a society based on ethical values is a task that concerns everyone. She therefore invites Amsterdammers to monitor the impact of the Data Strategy and to sound the alarm if certain groups of citizens are disadvantaged by new ways of working digitally. She also calls on everyone to take part in this process.
No less than 90% of Dutch people use the internet every day. We all want to continue Netflixing, streaming music, zooming and apping. As a result, the amount of data used will grow – possibly up to twenty times as much by 2030. Ever-expanding data centers are already finding it increasingly difficult to integrate into the energy system and landscape. Critical materials are also becoming increasingly scarce.
In large parts of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, only zero-emission vehicles will be allowed to drive around. Working on a good charging infrastructure around logistics hubs, distribution centers and regional business parks is therefore crucial. At the seventh meetup about the Green Deal ZES, we saw what is already happening, but also what challenges still lie ahead. “Power is not the problem, capacity is.”
After seven years, Health Lead Jeroen Maas is leaving the Amsterdam Economic Board. Part of his legacy is a soon-to-be-released report that offers a clear roadmap to establishing a Health Data Infrastructure. Aiming to build a healthier future for the region’s citizens, the plan is backed by a diverse consortium. “This is really where the Board can continue to play a major role: bringing together all these very different parties, showing them the value of collaboration, and coaching them on how to best work together,” says Maas.
From next year, researchers from universities will be able to share their research data under their own conditions. For this they use the AMdEX application Research Data Exchange (RDX), which SURF and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are currently developing.
Digital infrastructures have to deal with massive amounts of data. High bandwidth data transfers, affordable data plans, cloud migrations and the increasing popularity of streaming services mean data consumption is growing at unprecedented rates. While over the past few decades the energy efficiency of computing hardware has drastically improved and software performance and usability have become far more effective, they still cannot keep up with demand. The growing energy needs of ICT are especially important in the Netherlands - a prominent European 'data hub' distributed over a relatively small geographic area.
From next year, researchers from universities will be able to share their research data under their own conditions. For this they use the AMdEX application Research Data Exchange (RDX), which SURF and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are currently developing.
Circular workwear can make an important contribution to the great ambitions of the Green Deal Circular Textiles. During the first Meetup Circular workwear, it appears that many players in the chain are already working on the subject and that there is a lot to learn from each other.
How are health inequalities related to socioeconomic status? And how can we change this? The three speakers at Zorg2025 agree that customization is the key to success. “Now is the time to do even more prevention.”
