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| Carlo Cammelli |
Interview by Fabrizio Ulivieri
English
version by Louisa Loring
Would you start by telling us a bit about your
job and what you do here?
I
specialize in all things technology, which includes information, communication,
and technology. I don’t only work with
computers and all that revolves around them but also, telephony and all forms
of communication and services. I work in
very specific area - multimedia which includes everything that happens in the
Consiglio (Tuscan regional government) - production and postproduction. They also gave me the responsibility for all
that is printed, the typography. The world of communication and technology has
changed. Today it means being able to primarily give people the ability to
connect and interact, which is what we do.
What is the aspect most difficult about your
job and what you do?
The hardest
thing about my job is understanding what exactly people are asking me for and
how to respond to them in the right way.
Often, people will ask me for a service to help them and I need to find
the best one that will work the best for their situation. Often, I need to use my judgment and make an
assessment based on my knowledge of technological methods.
Yes, you really need to understand the market
and follow their trends.
Yes,
exactly. In fact, this is exactly what I
do and the role of the CIO has changed a lot in recent years. Now we have to understand how suitable
technology is for how people live and use it.
You are a bit of a ‘boarder-line’ man because
on one side you work for the Consiglio della Regione Toscana and so you have to
meet that demand. On the other side, you
are faced with the city of Florence. How can you facilitate the demands of both
the Consiglio della Regione Toscana and all the technological aspects and the
relationship with the city?
Today, this
is one of the most important questions that you could have asked me because the
idea of the presence of this institution, which is public and represents the whole
Tuscan society, is very significant.
This is an idea where technology can be used to communicate beliefs and
opinions and to make the citizens understand exactly what is happening. Lets use the recent example of the expansion
of the airport. It has been a long
battle. This is not something that we
advise on but rather, we look to understand how destructive or positive it is
for Florence. Technology permits us, in my opinion, to have
a clearer idea of what is going on; it allows us to see the whole picture. This is the most critical point that we work
on continually– to try to make people understand fully what is going on and
thus, they can learn how best to move forward.
Also, to understand the type of position the citizens take to these
changes. I think it is very important
for the opinions of the Florentine citizens to be taken into consideration.
Do you have any examples of specific projects
to give us an idea of how you work to connect the Consiglio and the city?
There are
two branches of this. The first is to
‘rendere manifesto’ (to inform people), that which is decided and that which is
actually achieved by the Consiglio.
Using the network, we make available a whole list of everything that is
going on and thus, anyone who wants can follow. We have also made it possible
to take part in the events going on here through the web in a very easy
way. If you have something else to do
and can’t participate in an event, you can search for exactly what you would
like to see by theme and this new system will steam that specific part of the
event. This makes everything clearer and
simpler. This is the first level. The second is that of interaction. A while back, we started a blog about the
health care plan that is important for many reasons, to hear the opinions of
the citizens. In this way, voices were
heard and some problems came out and were solved. Now we are working on the open data, which
is a huge initiative that allows citizens to see information about government
projects such as healthcare projects or urbanization projects without
mediation, which allows for collaboration.
What are you still working on and what would
you like to further change? Are you working towards a specific goal?
The
solution that I am trying to find is to raise the level of digitalization of
the organization. Digitalization is
really two things. Firstly, it doesn’t
mean using less paper and saving trees, it is not this. It is rather, a method to make information
visible and available faster and at our fingertips so we can share it. There are many institutions and systems that
rely heavily on paper but all the most important things cannot be accessed
solely in print form today because it slows the process of sharing and the idea
of rapid distribution. This is one of
the areas we are working very hard on.
This leads me to another question. Obviously, politicians aren’t always
‘digitalized’ or aren’t always up to speed with the most current method of
technological developments. How does
this pose problems for you?
Our system
of the Consiglio is made up of two main groups: the politicians and those who
offer services, or work at the Consiglio.
There are those who are always using technology in their work and making
sure all that is done is connected to the web.
And then there are those who don’t.
This creates a problem because those things that get accomplished and
worked on by those who are not ‘digitalized’ does not become identified and
acknowledged and they become marginalized.
What are some of the best parts of your job and
what are the parts least interesting?
I consider
myself fortunate because I have a job that I love. This is one of the most important things to
consider about work. A challenging
aspect is seeing the difference between what you think is happening and then
what is actually being done to change or not change things. Sometimes I see work being done as if our
work finishes within these walls but our work at the Consiglio should just be a
launching pad to jump off and move forward.
I believe that those as me, who believe and want to share information,
are working to find new ways to make information rapidly available but there
are still those who are scared and want to resist this technology and hide
information as if it was theirs alone to access.
To finish, can you give us a piece of advice as
how to face technology today and move forward?
Technology is a point of departure because you can grow, learn and understand its potential. This question ties into the story of the CIO that I spoke of earlier. Some years ago, CIOs would compete for who had the best, newest computer but it didn’t help anyone because it was for personal use and didn’t make the general population more technologically savvy. Today, CIOs need not be afraid of change to new methods of technology but rather, see its power and share them with others to help connect everyone. Always be open and willing to try new thing. Understanding what kind of information you are being given and how you can make it accessible is fundamental.
