Meetings and mobility in the 2000s (Feasibility study)

Role: author with support from Jeanette Hemmingsson (SIC) and Annika Bondesson (SIC)

Summary
This feasibility study proposes the creation of a web-portal for optimised meetings and mobility. By using new information technology in an easy to understand way that helps government agencies to make strategic choices based on scientific fact, a portal of this kind will contribute to significantly more efficient and less expensive meetings. The portal could also contribute to achieving the environmental objectives formulated by the Government and the EU.

The procurement investigation (Swedish Government Official Reports 2013:12) has identified meetings and mobility as an area where there are many new opportunities and where the goals require transformative changes.1 The starting point for the procurement investigation was that the coming years will involve major changes for government agencies. Technological development, for example, provides entirely new opportunities in a range of areas, from virtual meetings to tools that make it easier to analyse the consequences of different choices. At the same time, the government and the EU's ambitious goals when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions require transformative solutions.

The feasibility study indicates that the portal could contribute to more transformative solutions that can help government agencies to optimise their meetings and mobility. This could allow the government agencies to achieve their goals and reduce their costs by, among other things;

1. That government agencies receive scientifically verified data when it comes to various environmental and economic consequences of the meetings.

2. That government agencies can obtain customised information when they need it in the format they require.

3. That the platform can connect to existing initiatives at the government agencies and build on existing systems for the collection of data enabling the platform to reduce the workload of the agencies.

4. The platform makes it easier to develop strategies for an increased share of virtual meetings.

5. Creating a better understanding of all the elements of an agency by allowing customised information to be generated can clarify the consequences of individual choices.

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Offentlig upphandling: Möten och mobilitet på 2000-talet (Förstudie)

Role: author with support from Jeanette Hemmingsson (SIC) and Annika Bondesson (SIC)

Summary
Denna förstudie föreslår att en portal för optimerade möten och mobilitet etableras. Genom att använda ny teknik som på ett lättförståeligt sätt underlättar för myndigheter att göra strategiska val baserade på vetenskapliga fakta kan en sådan portal bidra till betydligt effektivare och billigare möten. Portalen skulle även kunna bidra till att de miljömål som regeringen och EU formulerat uppnås.

Upphandlingsutredningen identifierade möten och mobilitet som ett område där många nya möjligheter finns och där mål finns som kräver transformativa förändringar. Utgångspunkten för upphandlingsutredningen var att de kommande åren innebär mycket stora förändringar för myndigheter. Teknikutvecklingen ger t.ex. helt nya möjligheter inom en rad områden, från virtuella möten till verktyg som gör det lättare att analysera konsekvenserna av olika val. Samtidigt har regeringen och EU ambitiösa mål då det gäller minskade utsläpp av växthusgaser som gör att transformativa lösningar krävs.

Förstudien indikerar att portalen skulle kunna bidra till fler transformativa lösningar som kan hjälpa statliga myndigheter att optimera möten och mobilitet. Detta skulle kunna resultera i att myndigheterna kan uppnå sina miljömål och sänka sina omkostnader genom bl.a.

1. Att myndigheter får vetenskapligt verifierade underlag då det gäller olika miljömässiga och ekonomiska konsekvenser av möten.

2. Att myndigheter kan få skräddarsydd information när de behöver det i det format som de önskar.

3. Att plattformen kan knyta an till existerande initiativ på myndigheter och bygga på existerande system för insamlande av data vilket gör att plattformen minskar arbetsbördan för myndigheter.

4. Att plattformen gör det enklare att utveckla strategier för en ökad andel virtuella möten.

5. Att skapa en ökad förståelse inom alla delar av en myndighet genom att skräddarsydd information kan genereras som tydliggör konsekvenserna av enskilda val.

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From Workplace to Anyplace: Assessing the Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions With Virtual Meetings and Telecommuting (Report)

Role: Co-author with Marco Muttazzoni, Andrea Rossi and Suzanne Pahlman

Summary
This report focuses on the opportunities to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in work-related contexts, thanks to the deployment of IT solutions that enable one or more individuals to work or collaborate remotely. In particular the report analyzes the potential associated with teleworking and virtual meetings to reduce carbon emissions from daily commuting by car and business air travel, and the conditions under which such potential could be realized. The goal of the report is to gain an understanding of the scale of the opportunities available while identifying the key drivers that may enable or hinder the full achievement of such opportunities. By analyzing different trajectories of possible future developments, this report provides insight into a future in which maximum GHG emission reductions could be achieved.

The premise for the analysis is that IT is best seen as a catalyst that can either be used in ways that reduce our environmental footprint or can be deployed within systems that ultimately result in an increased environmental footprint. Because the policy and economic environment in which IT technology is deployed largely determines its net impact on GHG emissions, this report outlines four scenarios for possible future developments, characterized by different roles and attitudes in policy makers and IT industry

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