The DVECE project is building a bridge between the City of Helsinki digital twin and the Decidim participatory platform.
Residents of Helsinki can be engaged in different development processes with the help of new technology. The DVECE (Dynamic Visualizations to Enhance Citizens’ Engagement) project will be piloting the use of innovative and dynamic visualisation tools within the context of traffic and mobility. The project will be testing whether feedback data, ideas and suggestions concerning traffic and mobility can be collected through the City of Helsinki 3D model on the Decidim platform. Decidim is an open-source participatory democracy tool, which is also used by the City of Helsinki.
The 3D model of the City allows users to view buildings, roads and the shape of the terrain, for example. The 3D model is used as the basis in the development of the Helsinki’s digital twin. In other words, the project is building a bridge between the digital twin of Helsinki and the Decidim feedback channel and experimenting with the practical implementation of their integration. Co-creation workshops will also be used to collect ideas for providing feedback. The project will focus on vulnerable groups.
Objectives
The objective of the project is to determine how the Decidim feedback channel can be utilised as part of the digital twin. The aim is to facilitate the provision of feedback, as well as to make the needs of those moving in the city easier for decision-makers to examine through visualisation. The residents will be involved in developing the mobility and traffic arrangements in their own districts and making them run more smoothly as well as observe vulnerable groups better. The project creates the first prototype combining a Decidim platform and a digital twin. The technical integration will be carried out by using the xD Twin solution, developed by xD Visuals.
The feedback platform will be piloted and resident workshops organised in three cities: Helsinki, Breda in the Netherlands and Thessaloniki in Greece.
Duration, partners and funding
- The project will run from 1 January to 31 December 2022.
- The project is supported by EIT Urban Mobility, and Helsinki’s pilot is also co-funded by the City of Helsinki. The project has a total budget of EUR 186,825, of which Forum Virium Helsinki’s share is EUR 61,825.
- In addition to Forum Virium Helsinki, project partners include the Breda University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands) and the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, CERTH as a coordinator (Greece).
The role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki represents the City of Helsinki in the project. Helsinki serves as a pilot site as well as the implementer of the digital twin and the Decidim platform integration. The City of Helsinki is already using the Decidim platform in various participatory projects and decision-making processes. The project will create added value through the pilot as well as an opportunity to utilise Decidim in new ways. The objective is to further expand the experiment to an international context.
Benefits for Helsinki
Helsinki will be piloting the mobility and traffic feedback channel as part of the City’s digital twin.
This project is supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. EIT Urban Mobility acts to accelerate positive change on mobility to make urban spaces more liveable. Learn more: eiturbanmobility.eu
Photo: Maija Astikainen/Helsinki Partners