Digital technology is not a tool for the exclusive use of the public authorities: the private sector, academia, civil society and citizens make use of it spontaneously. On the one hand, the local authorities are not specialists in digital solutions; on the other hand, the stakeholders of digital technology are not always fully aware of all the territorial issues at stake. It is therefore up to the former to tell the latter which subjects to deal with.

This means is it imperative to follow a rationale of partnership and openness from the very start. Cooperation between the innovators of digital technology and the users will ensure that the new digital services are appropriated and used.

Private sector

The local authorities can avail themselves of private sector technical expertise, innovative ideas and funding capacities to develop viable initiatives. Different types of stakeholders can be identified.

• The traditional private sector (industries, banks, services, etc.) can be positioned as clients or funders: to improve operations or seize a market opportunity, they call upon the digital technology stakeholders to develop a solution, creating complementary services.
• The traditional telecommunication sector (infrastructure operators, Internet service suppliers, mobile network operators, etc.) possesses data that is potentially useful to the public authorities or innovators. They may wish to expand their range of services to consulting and strategy thanks to the data at their disposal.
• The digital sector, often small, young, dynamic enterprises who develop applications or services on niche markets. They are more oriented towards seeking finance and investments to develop their products and they possess technical skills.

Civil society

Civil society makes use of digital technology as a tool of knowledge, to build capacity, for participation in decision making or even social protest.

• The NGOs and CBOs readily adopt ICT to increase the impact of their actions: communication campaigns, advocacy towards the media and the decision-makers. Their proximity positioning makes them preferential relays for raising the awareness of the population about the new tools. They can also position themselves as innovators, like the social and solidarity entrepreneurs who develop non-profit services to foster sustainable urban development.
• The universities, research and education institutes are particularly mobilised in the development of ICT and data management. Their capacity to generate knowledge and manage data makes them significant partners. Students – often well connected – are also possible relays for informing the population, carrying out user surveys, conducting awareness raising campaigns.
• Citizens, as inhabitants, entrepreneurs or customers, make use of digital technology to communicate and find information, express themselves and participate (civic tech Civic tech
  The use of technology to strengthen democratic bonds between citizens and government and improve the political system. This encompasses any technology allowing an increase in the power of citizens on political life, or making the government more accessible, efficient and effective.
  
  ). The users are also, passively or actively, generators of data (crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing Consists in the use of information, creativity, expertise or intelligence of a large number of people through the intermediary of a platform. From an economic approach, it may be a question of distributing a large number of tasks for the lowest cost. From a collaborative, social or altruistic approach, it is a question of making use of the specialist or volunteer networks of the general public to collect or process information. ). The digital services to be envisaged must therefore match their practices and uses.