Newsletters 2013

Newsletter 4/2013

Season’s Greetings from Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki wishes Merry Christmas and a Successful New Year 2014! We also want to thank all our collaborators on highly fruitful cooperation during 2013. Read more >>>

Stormwind Simulator victorious in the Open Data Innovation Contest Apps4Finland
The winners of the annual Apps4Finland contest have been awarded. Apps4Finland has stimulated again creative & inspiring ways of utilizing open data. Read more >>>

The Guardian: “Helsinki, a truly Smart City”
The respected Guardian has featured two articles on the importance of holistic approach to Smart City planning. The city of Helsinki has been highlighted as an example of a truly Smart City, which other cities should follow. Read more >>>

Joint strategy of Finland’s six largest cities
The six largest cities in Finland join their forces to enable better services and new business. The network has been chosen to implement the national sustainable urban development strategy.
Read more >>>

Open Source Co-operation Platform for Citizens
A new initiative called D-CENT will provide free digital tools for social movements, civic innovators and civil society groups for direct democracy and economic empowerment. It’s an open, decentralised and non-commercial alternative for non-profit sector to organize its activities. This EU-funded project started in late 2013. Read more >>>

Helsinki Region Infoshare’s Open Data publication now available in English
Now also in English: Helsinki Region Infoshare’s publication providing stimuli for unlocking public data. The publication describes how Open Data has made its breakthrough in the public administration in Finland and gives numerous examples of how public data actually has been made open. Read more >>>

Pre-commercial procurement process of SILVER project has started
The phase 1 of the SILVER Pre-Commercial Procurement process is enrolling. During this phase, the successful tenderers verify the technical, economic & organizational feasibility of their ideas. By the completion of the entire SILVER project, there will be a fully documented PCP process, capable of being run as a joint cross-border PCP Call for Tender within the different participating countries of the project.

Children’s Statistical Yearbook in Support of Pupils’ Wellbeing
The Children’s Statistical Yearbook is a concept that aims to inspire children to examine their daily life and to produce data on it by utilizing statistical methods. Several schools in Helsinki have been piloting the Yearbook and their experiences have been positive. Read more >>>

How to keep talents in the Baltic Sea Region
How to attract and keep international talents, students and professionals in the Baltic Sea area was the topic of the 3rd ONE BSR Policy Round Table discussion held in Gdansk, Poland, in October. Experts and young talents were brought to the same table to discuss the challenges of keeping international talents in the area, and finding solutions for better co-operation.
Read more >>>

400 000€ in prizes in Europe’s biggest app challenge
Do you have an innovative idea for an app for Smart Cities or Smart SMEs? 400 000€ in prizes will be awarded for these themes in Europe’s biggest app challenge. Deadline for competition entries is the 20th of December. Read more >>>

HRI as a finalist in the Eurocities 2013 Awards
The Eurocities Awards recognized outstanding achievement in improving the quality of life for citizens. Helsinki Region Infoshare was a finalist in the competition. Read more >>>

Newsletter 3/2013

Apps4Finland Contest 2013 public voting period begins
Apps4Finland, organized now for the fifth time, is an open data innovation contest. All the entries for the contest have now been collected and the jury will start its work on November 11th. The public voting period commences at the same time and everyone can cast a vote for their favourite entries.Read more >>>

Launching the Kalasatama Smart City Living Lab
Kalasatama is as smart as they come – and green to the core. This emerging district is Finland’s key smart urban construction project and in the following year, Forum Virium Helsinki is managing Fiksu Kalasatama -project. The aim of the project is to ramp up the living lab activities in the area as well as create a “kick-off” smart city development project portfolio to be run in the area. Read more >>>

Better daily life for the elderly with care management
For the elderly, a clear service system and easy accessibility to services are the factors that best support living at home independently. User-driven service models in the services for the elderly (KÄPI) is a project piloting new kind of care management and so-called personal budgeting in collaboration with the Department of Social Services and Health Care of the City of Helsinki.

Forum Virium Helsinki strengthens international networks
Forum Virium Helsinki is now a member of EBN, a European joint venture of business and innovation centers. The network offers its members information about international projects and programs. It helps businesses to start international cooperation and projects. Read more >>>

”FixMyStreet” service in active use in Helsinki
Citizens of Helsinki can report non-emergency issues, such as potholes and broken street signs to the City of Helsinki using a new service. Helsinki’s “FixMyStreet” service was opened last March, and it received positive feedback both from the media and citizens. “FixMyStreet” is the first service to utilize the open issue reporting API opened by the City of Helsinki.

Growth Coaching Helps in Launching New Products
Etevä Tietopalveluyhtiö has great expectations for its new Koho software that makes life easier in businesses. Launching the company’s first own software product is boosted by Forum Virium Helsinki’s Growth Coaching. The coaching offers innovative companies concrete help in developing their business.

E2C Book out now – focusing on connectedness
Europe faces the challenge of preventing loneliness and isolation amongst a growing group of senior people. While working in the field of technology and aging, the Express to Connect project consortium discovered that there is a whole new field to be explored, namely the phenomenon of connectedness.
Based on this finding, the consortium wrote a book on designing for connectedness which answers the question how to support behavioural change that increases connectedness in day-to-day routines.Read more >>>

Call for new bloggers from the Baltic Sea Region
New bloggers wanted! If you live in the Baltic Sea Region and you are a skilled writer, this is your chance. We are especially looking for photo- and video-bloggers who want to post about their daily lives and share their views on a regular basis in the ONE BSR blog, but all applicants are welcome.Read more >>>

Summer school focused on smarter and more creative cities
The summer school of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) network discussed smart and creative cities. Forum Virium Helsinki was involved in activating the open data ambassadors. We also presented the Open311 feedback interface to be advocated in the CitySDK project, which is a fine example of a participation channel for citizens. Read more >>>

Newsletter 2/2013

Finnish open data service wins European Commission prize for innovation
Helsinki Region Infoshare project is the winner of the 100.000 € European Prize for Innovation in Public Administration.
Read more >>>

Newsletter 1/2013

Helsinki pilots a new feedback channel
City of Helsinki and Metro Magazine together with Forum Virium Helsinki are piloting a new issue-reporting channel that enables citizens to give feedback on the faults they have observed in the public environments.
Read more >>>