The first DEMOS prototype was tested in Bologna, from Jan. 10th to Feb. 20th 2002, on the Municipality of Bologna - Iperbole Civic Network web site (www.comune.bologna.it). The prototype was fully implemented and hosted by Nexus-IBA (www.nexus.org) which also provided the moderation team, avoiding the opinion scattering, and allowing the discussion to focus on the actual relevant topics for the benefit of the whole community.

Iperbole Civic Network users were invited by email: up to 362 citizens subscribed to DEMOS and posted 713 messages. The first prototype is still available at
www.bologna.demos-project.org/index.jsp

The chosen topic was the traffic/mobility (private-public transports) situation in Bologna, so sensitive and up to date for the city. It surely meant a real challenge to the spirit of analysis of the involved citizens. The opinions of the citizens were indeed fair and forerunners of new solutions for improving the traffic situation in Bologna.

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