Cities around the world are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery will most likely be much longer and more challenging than initially expected, with vaccines only covering parts of the populations and new COVID-19 strains and other diseases emerging concurrently.

Consequently, many cities will have to develop new means of safeguarding citizens’ health and livelihoods in both the shorter- and longer-term, which takes into consideration the need for social distancing, online services, and protective measures for the most vulnerable groups.

Digitalization and online services have been crucial components in supporting healthcare systems and communication with citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digitalization, online and touchless services, etc. are expected to remain crucial components of future-proofed, resilient societies and help them to “build back smarter.” To be truly resilient and smart, cities need to ensure that the accessibility and inclusivity of solutions are given the highest priority.

Open-source data has proven to be considerably valuable, particularly in the context of the pandemic and in light of the need to increase accessibility and transparency of data. Open-source data can be an important component for countries’ digital transformation to enhance their ability to respond to-, recover from- and transform in the wake of the current pandemic.