At the CSH, state-of-the-art data-driven analysis methods and models are developed to address questions about major societal challenges from the economy, health, environment and public administration using scientific methods of the digital age and to identify scenarios for transformative developments. To do this, large data sets and scientific and technical expertise in dealing with big data must be brought together. The findings should be accessible to decision-makers and the public.

The immediate benefit for the city of Vienna is the presence of up to 100 highly qualified people who can systematically generate meaning and benefit from big data for the benefit of society and take significant steps in innovative digitalization. Objective and transparent data bases should be created for decision-making that are of particular interest to the city of Vienna:

• Protecting democracy, recognizing and combating fake news, explaining emotions online, preserving humanistic ideals in times of digitalization
• Decay of society: early recognition of the emergence of parallel societies; Influence of urban planning and topography on the formation of social networks and the expression of inequality
• Medicine and health: monitoring and capacity planning in the healthcare system
• Green transformation in urban areas