Cities’ Dashboards as Civic Technology Platforms: A Scalable Model for Smart Cities through Integrated Governance in LUNGSOD, SMART METRO, and FASTRAC

Abstract. The transition toward smart and sustainable cities in the Philippines requires both technological innovation and institutional coordination. This paper presents the integrated development and deployment of smart city platforms under three major initiatives— LUNGSOD, SMART METRO, and FASTRAC—led by the University of the Philippines Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry (TCAGP) and supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). LUNGSOD developed city-level dashboards in Iloilo City that enabled emergency response, citizen engagement, and spatial planning through a modular WebGIS and mobile application. SMART METRO scaled this concept to a regional level, building a multi-LGU data ecosystem anchored on geospatial databases, digital twins, and regional coordination dashboards across the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC), Zamboanga City, and Bayugan. FASTRAC, through LUNGSOD-FASTRAC, further enhanced these systems with scalable software engineering, security upgrades, and tiered deployment packages, addressing the challenge of translating R&D outputs into operational civic technology solutions. Across these initiatives, the evolution from cities’ dashboards to interoperable civic tech platforms highlights the importance of user-centered design, open data architectures, and cross-jurisdictional coordination. The paper discusses key methodologies, pilot implementations, and governance models that enable these platforms to support responsive, data-driven governance. Lessons from these projects underscore the need for flexible procurement pathways, sustained capacity building, and alignment with national systems. Ultimately, the work demonstrates a replicable model for institutionalizing smart governance infrastructures at both city and regional levels, contributing to the Philippines’ broader digital transformation goals.