The City of Helsinki ICT programme aims to make the most of information technology to aid citizens and city development.
The ICT programme focuses on several themes, among which are open city development, open innovation, open data and open source code. It states, for example:
- Developers will be offered open innovation platforms, new open data interfaces and developer community meet-ups (e.g. Smart Kalasatama, Helsinki Region Infoshare, 6Aika Open Data spearhead project, Helsinki Loves Developers activities).
- Information about city services and decision making will be made more accessible to everyone online. The transparency of city operations will be enhanced by improving the availability of open data and further developing for example Open Ahjo, the open data interface of the city’s decision making system (e.g. Code Fellows, Helsinki Region Infoshare).
- Companies and organisations are encouraged to utilise the available data and develop new services together with the city and citizens. The city will involve new entrepreneurs and start-ups in innovating new digital services.
- The city will make it easier for citizens to directly influence decisions, give feedback and contact officials. New ways of digital interaction will be tested along with existing digital channels.
- City services will be made more user friendly and users will be invited to participate in developing digital services.
All digital services of the city will be combined into a single entity, which will be optimised to work on all devices. - Services offered to corporate customers will be collected in the city’s eServices folder. The city is digitalising its services with a focus on self service and automation.
- New programming code commissioned by the city will be released under open source license unless there is strong justification not to do so.
Regarding Smart Kalasatama, the ICT programme states for example the following:
”Forum Virium Helsinki drives a culture of experimentation in developing digital city services in Helsinki, lowering the threshold for anyone to innovate, design and test service ideas and concepts openly in a real urban environment together with city residents. The city’s Smart Kalasatama project is bringing different actors together and leading the way in new urban development.”
“The residents of an open city are involved in decision making as part of the community, with free universal access to decision making processes. Planning is made more transparent and citizens are encouraged to use electronic channels to search for data, participate and interact. The city will invest in opening up and utilising the data it produces. ICT plays a key role in helping achieve these goals. Helsinki is encouraging different actors to make use of digitalisation as well as test and develop new service innovations together with citizens. Companies are offered new opportunities to develop city services for Helsinki and other urban communities (such as the 6Aika Six City Strategy and the Smart Kalasatama project).
For more information in Finnish, please see: City of Helsinki ICT programme 2015-2017 (pdf)
Kuva: Jussi Hellsten / Visit Helsinki