With the emergence of new methodologies and technologies it has now become possible to manage large\r\namounts of environmental sensing data and apply new integrated computing models to acquire information\r\nintelligence. This paper advocates the application of cloud technologies to support the information,\r\ncommunication and decision making needs of a wide variety of stakeholders in the complex business of the\r\nmanagement of urban and regional development. The complexity is evident in the socio-economic and\r\nenvironmental interactions and impacts embodied in the concept of the urban-ecosystem. This highlights the\r\nneed for more effective integrated environmental management systems. A key to understanding the nature of\r\nintegrated environmental management systems is the identification of the need for horizontal integration of\r\ninformation across sectoral inter-agency boundaries at the local level, and the need for vertical coordination\r\nbetween levels of governance. This paper offers a user-oriented approach to the specification of requirements for\r\nthe effective management of urban areas and the potential contributions that can be supported by cloud\r\ncomputing. The commonality of the influence of the drivers of change at the urban level offers the opportunity for\r\nthe cloud computing community to develop generic solutions that can serve the needs of hundreds of cities\r\nthroughout Europe and indeed globally. In this respect, different cloud based architecture scenarios are presented\r\nwhich utilise capabilities compliant to various standards in generating information and intelligence for urban\r\ngovernance.
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