Digital Helsinki Service Map enables new services for consumers
The Helsinki area digital Service Map is opened for smaller application developers. In the digital Service map, implemented by the City of Helsinki, Affecto and SITO, it is now possible to develop a wide range of new services for consumers.
A good example of the kind of services that can now be developed is mobile service map www.tassa.fi, and its mobile version m.tassa.fi that show the shops, restaurants, and other public and private services as well as events near a given address.
”Open data provided by the government increases transparency in administration and supports the utilization of information wherever it is needed. Now the huge amount of data compiled into the Service Map is available to new users and developers,” says Mirjam Heikkinen, the project manager in charge of developing the Service Map.
The Service Map data has already been accessible through a web service interface based on SOAP, but for small application developers this has proven too unwieldy a solution. The new REST architecture compliant interface eliminates this problem.
The Service Map provides application developers with public administration data not only from Helsinki but now also from Kauniainen and, as newcomers, from Espoo and Vantaa, extending the coverage of the map to the whole of the greater Helsinki area. The map has information on services and their availability for this region of over one million residents.
”Opening the digital map now provides application developers with a great opportunity to create new applications and services – the only limit is their own creativity. One example would be a mobile service map, which uses the information about offices and outlets found on the Service Map,” says Affecto’s project manager Esa Savolainen.
The information retrieved from the Service Map will always stay up-to-date in the applications utilizing its data.
The new revised Service Map and interface will be available to everyone on Thursday, June 9th at noon.
Affecto has implemented a data warehouse, and the Service Map has been built on its foundation. When data from different sources is stored in one format in one data warehouse, the data is consistent and its management becomes straightforward. This creates reliable, up-to-date data that is simple to process and easy to develop further.
For further information, please contact:
Ray Byman, Country Manager, Affecto Finland Ltd
tel. +358 40 5920, email ray.byma(a)affecto.com