EU LDT Toolbox glossary
2
Displays data on a flat, two-dimensional plane, typically using maps, charts, or diagrams to represent information in a simplified format.
3
A
A user role with permissions to manage various aspects of the platform, including participatory processes, user data, and system settings.
The primary user persona (and the only) responsible for creating schemas, exporting/importing them and generating Synthetic Data.
A tool within the EU LDT Toolbox that manages the execution of AI models and algorithms for digital twins. This tool provides AI model information and triggers the execution of AI-driven simulations.
A platform used to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows within the tool.
An open-source distributed event streaming platform used as a Message Broker for high-performance data pipelines.
An easy-to-use, powerful, and reliable system for processing and distributing data, used as a Data Flow Manager and Harmonisation technology.
A set of defined rules and specifications that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs are used for configuration and integration in the EU LDT Data Space Ready deployment.
Serves as the primary entry point for all communications between the frontend and backend services of the EU LDT Use Cases & Scenarios tool. It manages secure API communications, user authentication, implements role-based access control, handles rate limiting and load balancing, and routes event-driven communications.
Software tools that users can access and interact with based on their roles and permissions through a unified interface.
A KPI that is defined in the system but remains inactive until the organisation reaches a specific required maturity threshold. The system maintains a registry of these KPIs, automatically activating them as the organisation progresses through maturity levels, ensuring strategic alignment is maintained while respecting implementation readiness.
A digital resource in Integrated Environment, such as a dataset, metadata, model, document, or configuration. It is used to organise and manage important resources, support data governance and auditing, and enable integration across tools and processes.
A set of rules and policies that define how data assets are managed, shared, and protected within the system to ensure compliance and quality.
A central catalogue where all assets (such as datasets, APIs, or applications) are registered, described, and managed.
The connections between data assets that show how information flows from one source to another, helping understand dependencies and data origins.
A comprehensive, immutable record of dispositive operations performed within the system. The minimum set of audit log information includes the description of the event, the audit date, the author (user), details of the change, and the operation type (create, update, delete). These logs ensure traceability and compliance with governance standards.
The configurable policy determining how long audit logs are stored in the system before deletion. The system implements automated data retention and cleanup processes to maintain system efficiency and data privacy compliance while preserving essential historical data.
A chronological set of records that provide evidence of data access and processing activities for accountability and compliance.
Overlays digital information or 3D models onto the real-world environment through devices like smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses, enhancing the user's perception of their surroundings by blending physical and digital information.
Overlays digital information or 3D models onto the real-world environment through devices like smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses, enhancing the user's perception of their surroundings by blending physical and digital information.
The process of determining whether an authenticated user, service, or application has the necessary permissions to perform a specific action or access a particular resource.
A feature that allows the system to connect to an existing external database, analyse its structure (tables, columns, types), and automatically generate a corresponding schema definition within the tool.
A mechanism that automatically adjusts the number of resources (e.g., containers or pods) based on traffic or workload demands.
B
The server-side architecture responsible for data management, execution logic, and integration with external systems like Data Platform. It is accessible via APIs and supports secure communication through token-based authentication.
The part of the CIP tool responsible for processing business logic, data storage, and API exposure via REST endpoints.
The part of the UC&S tool responsible for processing business logic, data storage, and API exposure via REST endpoints.
Microservices responsible for managing cases, scenarios, and experiments, supporting CRUD operations, versioning, validation of scenario configurations, and triggering executions.
An operation that allows updating multiple entities at once by modifying existing attribute values in bulk.
A feature enabling the efficient loading of large datasets—such as KPI historical data, Initiatives, Maturity Frameworks, and Strategies—using structured templates (CSV or Excel). This process includes validation schemas to ensure data integrity and reference checks before execution.
C
A layer within the EU LDT Use Cases & Scenarios tool that defines a specific urban scope, objectives, and problems, such as optimising traffic circulation or assessing the impact of a new housing project. Cases serve as a comprehensive record of urban challenges, encompassing relevant factors, scope, objective, and data.
A module composed of key components including Case Controller, Scenario Controller, Experiment Manager, and Integration Controller, which manage the lifecycle of cases, scenarios, and experiments.
Manages the lifecycle of cases, including creation, modification, deletion, and versioning, and validates case configurations to ensure data integrity.
The document used to track and communicate changes made to a software project over time.
A user persona representing the end-user of the EU LDT Participate tool, who engages with participatory processes.
A user persona responsible for creating, configuring, and managing participatory processes on the platform.
A user persona responsible for sending mass email communications on the platform.
An EU LDT Toolbox tool that can be integrated to visualise and select strategic objectives, initiatives, tasks, KPIs, and city maturity data.
The user persona representing the target user of the EU LDT Use Cases & Scenarios tool, responsible for defining cases and scenarios, and executing related experiments to test solutions for city problems or to mitigate risks.
A component that provides logging, monitoring, and accountability services in a data space, ensuring transparency and auditability of data transactions.
A software application or service that connects to EU LDT Toolbox and requires authentication and authorisation through Identity Manager.
A group of physical or virtual machines (nodes) that work together to run containerised applications managed by Kubernetes.
A Kubernetes Service type that exposes the service on an internal IP address within the cluster. This is the default service type and is used for internal service-to-service communication.
A configurable module within a participatory process, such as a Blog, Debates, Meetings, Page, Proposal, or Survey.
A Kubernetes object used to store non-confidential configuration data in key-value pairs. ConfigMaps are used to configure applications without hardcoding configuration values.
A component that facilitates secure data exchange between data space participants, often implementing identity, policy enforcement, and contract negotiation mechanisms.
A lightweight, stand-alone, executable software package that includes all necessary components to run an application (code, runtime, system tools, libraries).
The core component responsible for managing contextual entities in NGSI-LD format, including creation, update, retrieval, and deletion.
The functionality that enables visualisation, filtering, and management of contextual entities and data received from devices or external sources.
The process by which data sent by IoT devices (via HTTP or MQTT, using JSON or Ultralight formats) is received, validated, and transformed into NGSI-LD.
A mechanism that allows users to subscribe to changes in entities or attributes and receive real-time notifications when updates occur.
Temporal data that stores the historical evolution of entity attributes, including timestamps for each change.
A small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by the user's web browser while the user is browsing.
A tabular file format used to store structured data separated by commas, commonly used for data export and interoperability.
D
A visual interface that displays key information, metrics, and tools in one place, allowing users to monitor and manage their work efficiently.
An entity that retrieves or subscribes to data assets from the data space to derive value or insight.
A machine-readable agreement that defines the conditions under which data is shared or consumed within a data space.
The layer responsible for storing and managing all persistent application data, ensuring data integrity, managing relationships between entities, and providing efficient retrieval capabilities.
An EU LDT Toolbox tool that allows connecting to a city's databases and sensors. It provides access to real-time and historical data for simulations and analyses.
An EU LDT Tool that collects and organises data from different sources across cities and municipalities, making it easy to access for planning, monitoring, and visualising city services.
A functionality that allows querying data from multiple sources (files, databases, Kafka topics, APIs) using SQL as a unified query language.
A registered source of data in the platform, such as an IoT device, database, file storage, or external API.
The principle that data owners maintain control over their data, including access rights, usage policies, and revocation.
A federated infrastructure that enables sovereign, interoperable, and secure data exchange among participants, based on commonly agreed rules, standards, and governance models.
A secure data repository and exchange environment where maturity framework data and other assets can be sent for archival or integration with external systems. It supports interoperability and allows external stakeholders to access city progress data in a compliant format.
The originating location where data is stored or collected, serving as the point from which information is extracted, processed, or analysed.
A structured discussion space within a participatory process where citizens can share opinions.
The process of installing and running an application or service on a target infrastructure (e.g., Kubernetes cluster).
A software development approach that integrates development and operations teams to improve automation, speed, and reliability.
An export format that packages the data schema along with a Dockerfile and necessary dependencies. This allows the data generator to be deployed as a standalone container in any environment supporting Docker.
E
A digital representation of a real-world object (e.g. sensor, station, urban asset) defined by an ID, a type, and a set of NGSI-LD attributes.
A digital representation of physical environments used for smart urban planning.
The broader ecosystem of tools, including EU LDT Participate, is designed to advance the transformation of smart communities.
A layer within scenarios that focuses on testing specific configurations of models and data. Experiments define distinct sets of inputs, parameters, or conditions to simulate strategies and analyse results.
Oversees experiment setup, execution, and monitoring, configures data inputs and parameters for real-time simulations, and retrieves and processes results from the AI Notebook.
A user role responsible for defining and managing maturity frameworks. They specialise in configuring dimensions, levels, and weights to guide the assessment and improvement of municipality initiatives and processes.
Handles data exchange and trigger functions between internal and external systems. It supports integrating with external systems by receiving connection requests and providing information, managing user credentials, handling diverse data formats, and supporting event subscriptions.
F
A Node.js-based module offering a chatbot interface to provide real-time answers to frequently asked questions and support user interaction.
A standard API used in smart applications to manage and share information about real-world things (like sensors, devices, or vehicles). It lets apps get, update, and subscribe to data about these things in real time. It is part of the FIWARE platform for IoT and smart cities.
The micro-frontend interface exposed via module federation, integrated into the EU LDT UI, allowing users to interact with the CIP tool.
The user interface component of the tool, designed as a micro-frontend using module federation. It interacts with the broader EU LDT Toolbox through standard APIs and integrates seamlessly with other frontend applications in the ecosystem.
The micro-frontend interface exposed via module federation, integrated into the EU LDT UI, allowing users to interact with the UC&S tool.
Includes libraries like i18next for internationalisation, React for building user interfaces, and react-router-dom for routing.
G
A European initiative for building a federated and secure data infrastructure to promote data sharing and innovation with sovereignty.
A regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union and the European Economic Area.
An open standard format designed for representing simple geographical features, along with their non-spatial attributes. It is based on the JSON format.
An open-source data visualisation and monitoring tool used to track system performance, analyse metrics, and view logs through interactive dashboards.
A collection of users that share the same roles and permissions, simplifying access management.
A reusable configuration template that defines shared parameters (protocol, data model, attributes) for multiple IoT devices.
H
A package manager for Kubernetes that simplifies the deployment, configuration, and upgrade of complex applications using Helm charts.
A Kubernetes component that automatically scales the number of pod replicas in a deployment based on observed CPU or memory utilisation or custom metrics.
A communication protocol used to transfer data between devices and the platform through REST-based requests.
I
A user responsible for managing user accounts, roles, and permissions within the Identity Management system (e.g., Keycloak).
The system responsible for verifying user credentials and managing secure access. It supports both human and machine authentication through token validation and integration with EU LDT’s identity provider.
A service that authenticates users and issues identity tokens (e.g., SAML or OIDC) that applications trust for secure access, for example, Keycloak.
A Kubernetes object that manages external access to services in a cluster, typically HTTP/HTTPS. Ingress provides load balancing, SSL termination, and name-based virtual hosting.
A concrete action, program, or project implemented to achieve specific Key Results. Initiatives represent the operational layer of strategic planning (e.g., "Smart Traffic Lights Pilot Program") and include detailed timelines, budgets, task lists, and risk assessments.
Records past executions or states of an instance for monitoring and troubleshooting purposes.
An EU LDT Tool that is the central entry point where city administrators and technicians access all toolbox applications through a single interface. It handles authentication, permissions, and deployment, ensuring smooth interaction between tools.
Facilitates data exchange between internal and external systems, ensuring alignment with EU standards.
The EU LDT Integrated Environment is the overarching platform that connects various tools, including the Data Modeller component. It handles user authentication, tool federation, and data sharing.
The ability of different systems and organisations to work together seamlessly through standardised data formats, interfaces, and protocols.
An intermediary component that translates data sent by IoT devices into NGSI-LD format for the Context Broker.
J
A standard text-based format for storing and sharing data. It uses name–value pairs and arrays and is widely used for communication between web applications and servers.
A lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. JSON is used for configuration files and API interactions in the EU LDT Data Space Ready.
A set of cryptographic keys used to verify JWT tokens. The system fetches JWKS from Keycloak to validate token signatures.
A compact, URL-safe token format used to securely transmit information between parties. JWTs are used for authentication and authorisation in the EU LDT Data Space Ready, containing user identity and role information.
K
A visual project management view that displays tasks or items as cards on a board, allowing users to track progress easily.
A quantitative metric used to monitor and measure performance against defined targets. In the EU LDT City Innovation Planner, KPIs can be Standard or Aspirational and are calculated using data from the EU LDT Data Platform. They track progress toward Key Results.
An open-source identity and access management solution that provides authentication, authorisation, user federation, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.
A tool for running local Kubernetes clusters using Docker containers, for testing and development purposes.
A user role responsible for creating, configuring, and managing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This includes defining calculation rules, data sources, and update frequencies to measure municipality performance effectively.
An open-source platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications.
L
A Kubernetes health check that determines if a container is running. If the liveness probe fails, Kubernetes restarts the container.
A Kubernetes Service type that provisions an external load balancer in cloud environments. This service type exposes the service externally using the cloud provider's load balancing infrastructure.
A digital replica of the city that describes and represents the current state of the city.
M
A specialised export format designed for the EU LDT Marketplace. It bundles the schema, Docker image, and required metadata (documentation, licensing) to facilitate compliant publication and sharing with other cities.
A specific functional area within a Maturity Framework used to evaluate organisational capabilities. Predefined EU dimensions typically include Governance, Processes, Technology, and Data Management. Each dimension has its own weight and contributes to the overall maturity score.
A structured assessment model that evaluates a city's organisational capabilities across specific dimensions rather than as a global metric. It is configurable and determines which KPIs are calculated and which features are enabled based on the city's readiness.
A configurable stage of progression within a specific Maturity Dimension (e.g., Level 1 to Level 5). The maturity level determines system functionality and triggers the activation of aspirational KPIs once a threshold is reached.
The calculated numeric value representing the assessment of a framework. It is derived from the weighted average of the current levels assigned to each Maturity Dimension, providing a high-level view of organisational readiness.
Acts as a central communication hub for distributed components, handling message queuing and publish/subscribe patterns with configurable storage. It supports multiple messaging protocols and data formats, ensures message durability, provides routing capabilities, and maintains a unified API.
Descriptive information that explains the characteristics of data, such as its source, type, creation date, and relationships, helping users understand and manage it.
A frontend architecture where a single UI is composed of independent, smaller frontend applications.
A building block defined by Living-in.EU and OASC to ensure semantic and technical interoperability between systems, platforms, and services, particularly in the context of smart cities and digital twins.
A user role with permissions to review and manage reported content to maintain constructive discussions.
A JavaScript architecture allowing multiple independently built and deployed front-end applications to form a single interface.
A lightweight publish–subscribe messaging protocol optimised for IoT devices with limited bandwidth.
A local government authority responsible for managing and providing public services within a defined city or town area.
A user role responsible for managing and overseeing the implementation of municipality initiatives. They use data-driven insights to track initiative progress, manage tasks, and update risk assessments.
N
A Kubernetes mechanism for isolating groups of resources within a single cluster. The EU LDT Data Space Ready uses the `dataspaceready` namespace to group all application components.
A high-performance web server often used as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and security layer.
A standard API specification defined by ETSI for managing and sharing context information in linked data format. It enables interoperability between context-aware systems using graph-based data models.
A physical or virtual machine that is part of a Kubernetes cluster and runs one or more pods.
A Kubernetes Service type that exposes the service on each node's IP at a static port. This allows external access to the service by accessing `<NodeIP>:<NodePort>`.
O
An authorisation framework that allows third-party applications to access a user's resources without exposing their credentials (like passwords). It is widely used to enable secure delegated access to resources hosted by a service provider.
A goal-setting framework connecting high-level strategy to measurable outcomes. It consists of an Objective (a qualitative, inspirational goal aligned with city strategy) and Key Results (quantitative, time-bound targets measuring progress toward the objective).
An identity layer built on top of the OAuth 2.0 protocol, enabling clients to verify a user’s identity and obtain profile information in an interoperable and RESTful manner.
An open-source policy engine that enables fine-grained, context-aware access control by evaluating policies written in the Rego language, often used as a Policy Decision Point (PDP).
An authentication layer built on top of OAuth 2.0, providing a simple identity layer that allows clients to verify the identity of the end-user. The EU LDT Data Space Ready uses OIDC for user authentication.
P
Configurable elements used in scenario configurations that support flexibility and customisation in scenario execution.
An EU LDT Toolbox tool that integrates with Use Cases & Scenarios to help cities engage citizens in decision-making. It allows people to give feedback on city proposals and initiatives securely and transparently.
A structured initiative designed to collect feedback and engage citizens in urban planning and decision-making.
A Kubernetes object that requests storage of a specific size and access mode. PVCs bind to PVs to provide persistent storage for pods. The EU LDT Data Space Ready uses PVCs for database and Redis data storage.
A Kubernetes object that represents a piece of storage in the cluster that has been provisioned by an administrator or dynamically provisioned using StorageClasses. PVs are used to store persistent data.
An extension to the OAuth 2.0 authorisation code flow that prevents authorisation code interception attacks. The EU LDT Data Space Ready implements PKCE for enhanced security.
Play & Visualise helps cities simulate, explore, and visualise local digital twin data in real-time using 2D, 3D, VR, and AR formats.
The smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes. A pod contains one or more containers that share storage and network resources. Pods are created and managed by Deployments or StatefulSets.
A defined rule or guideline that controls access, usage, or behaviour within the system, for example, who can view or edit specific data.
A mechanism that enforces access control policies, usually at the point where data is requested or accessed.
A powerful, open-source relational database system used to store and manage structured data in the platform.
R
A method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an organisation. In the EU LDT Data Space Ready, it determines what actions users or applications can perform based on roles such as `dsr:operator`, `dsr:asset-owner`, `dsr:catalog-reader`, and `dsr:compliance-officer`.
A Kubernetes health check that determines if a container is ready to accept traffic. If the readiness probe fails, Kubernetes removes the pod from service endpoints.
An in-memory data structure store used as a database, cache, and message broker. The EU LDT Data Space Ready uses Redis for session storage and caching.
The process of recovering data or system configurations from a backup to return to a previous state.
A server that receives client requests and forwards them to backend services, often used to improve security and manage traffic.
A set of permissions assigned to a user that defines which actions they can perform within the system.
S
A scalable object storage service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for storing and retrieving any amount of data at any time. Often used for backups, archives, and data lakes.
The action of increasing or decreasing the number of running instances of an application based on workload.
A configuration of entities and relationships describing a use case within the UC&S tool, often linked to a specific experiment.
Enables the creation and configuration of scenarios within cases, handles scenario associations with experiments and data models, and facilitates integration with the AI Notebook for simulations.
(As used in the context of Use Case embedded from Tool 2) A defined configuration of models and data used to explore potential solutions to urban challenges.
A JSON Schema is a formal, machine-readable definition for JSON data, specifying structure, constraints, and validation rules for a data model.
A process where the system generates a sample of data from a schema and calculates metrics for Similarity (how close it is to real data patterns) and Quality. This helps the developer decide if the schema is ready for production use.
A logical isolation mechanism that separates data, entities, and operations across different organisations or contexts.
A Kubernetes object used to store sensitive information such as passwords, tokens, and keys in a secure way. Secrets are used to manage sensitive configuration data like database credentials and OIDC client secrets.
A set of practices and settings aimed at protecting the infrastructure from vulnerabilities and attacks.
A set of rules and procedures that define how data is protected during transmission and storage, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
A Kubernetes object that defines a logical set of pods and a policy by which to access them. Services provide stable network endpoints for pods, enabling load balancing and service discovery.
An abstraction that defines a logical set of pods and enables network access to them, either within or outside the cluster.
A Kubernetes object that provides an identity for processes running in a pod. ServiceAccounts are used to control access to the Kubernetes API and other services.
A background job processing framework used in Ruby applications to run asynchronous tasks such as email delivery or data processing.
Standardised data specifications used for interoperability within the EU LDT Toolbox. The system uses Minimum Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs), specifically MIM 2, to ensure that KPI definitions and data retrieval are compatible with external systems and the broader EU data ecosystem.
A standard programming language for managing and manipulating relational databases. It is used to query, insert, update, and delete data, as well as to define and control database structures.
A Kubernetes health check that determines if a container has completed startup initialisation. Startup probes allow applications with long startup times to avoid premature restarts.
A Kubernetes object that manages stateful applications. StatefulSets provide stable network identities and persistent storage for pods, making them suitable for databases and other stateful workloads.
A general and high-level purpose of smart City evolution that relies on Objectives that can be measured through KPI related to Key Results of an Objective
A user role that defines and manages the municipality’s long-term strategy and key initiatives. They ensure alignment between high-level goals and operational OKRs.
A configuration that defines which changes should be monitored and to which endpoint notifications are sent.
Is a software framework designed to generate synthetic data (artificially created data that mimics real datasets) - https://www.getsynth.com/
The underlying core engine (referenced as "Synth") used by the backend to process schema definitions and computationally generate the synthetic data records.
Artificially generated data that mimics the statistical properties and structure of real-world data but does not contain any sensitive or personally identifiable information (PII). It is safe for use in testing, training AI models, and public simulations.
A user role responsible for the overall functionality, security, and compliance of the system. This includes managing user access, configuring audit retention policies, and ensuring data protection standards are met.
T
Cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over a computer network, widely used for secure web browsing (HTTPS). All EU LDT Data Space Ready API communication should use HTTPS in production.
A secure digital identifier used for authenticating sessions and requests. It can represent a user or a machine process and is verified by the Identity Management system.
A component of the EU Local Digital Twins Toolbox designed to support citizen engagement through digital participation mechanisms (e.g., proposals, voting, consultations).
The ability to track the history, movement, and changes of data or assets throughout the system.
A set of policies, certifications, and technical mechanisms that ensure participants can trust the integrity, origin, and handling of data.
U
A set of internationally standardised indicators defined by the ITU-T for smart sustainable cities. They are categorised into Economy, Environment, and Society & Culture. The system allows users to create KPIs based on these templates to ensure global benchmarking capability.
A lightweight key–value data format designed for constrained IoT devices with limited resources.
A specific application or functionality of the UC&S tool, described by its entities, scenarios, and experiments.
A person with a digital identity in the system who can log in and interact with the tools in EU LDT Toolbox.
A short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the user, used to define functional requirements.
Individuals or systems that access, manage, or interact with digital resources in EU LDT Toolbox.
V
A Kubernetes backup and disaster recovery tool that provides backup and restore capabilities for cluster resources and persistent volumes. Velero can be used for full cluster backups.
Creates a fully immersive digital environment where users can explore and interact with simulated scenarios using VR headsets.
A formal representation of knowledge as a set of concepts and relationships within a domain, used to enable semantic interoperability.
A point-in-time copy of a persistent volume. Volume snapshots are used for backup and disaster recovery purposes, allowing restoration of data to a specific point in time.
A Kubernetes component that automatically adjusts resource requests and limits for containers based on historical usage data, optimising resource allocation.
W
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, Level AA, used as an accessibility standard.
Handles the ingestion, transformation, and harmonisation of data from diverse sources. It configures workflows for data integration and processing, manages real-time data streams, performs batch processing, and ensures data compatibility and integrity.
Y
YAML is a human-readable data serialisation language, just like XML and JSON, used in this case for the infrastructure installation for Kubernetes and for the pipelines.