Tampere triumphs at global smart city awards

Tampere’s success came in the enabling technologies category, where the other finalists were Kaoshiung from Taiwan and Libelium and Zaragosa from Spain. There were over 400 submissions to different categories at the event.

In particular, Tampere was praised for how it uses data to benefit the everyday lives of its residents and businesses. The city highlighted the versatile use of its smart data centre, or an IoT platform, for applications and services ranging from security solutions to support for businesses. Moreover, the platform doesn’t only address local needs, but its methods can be replicated in other cities worldwide.

“In a competition of this high calibre, even reaching the finals is noteworthy, and winning is truly a remarkable accomplishment,” said Kalervo Kummola, mayor of Tampere. “This recognition reaffirms that our systematic development of a smart city is yielding results and supporting the city in achieving its goals.”

Tampere’s IoT platform has been developed by Finnish software company Wapice. One example of its application is the Tampereen Pulssi (‘pulse of Tampere’) service. It harnesses people flow data, weather forecasts and event schedules to predict how people move around the city centre. This allows businesses to react accordingly and plan for peaks in demand.

As part of its strategy for intelligent solutions, Tampere emphasises close collaboration between the public sector and businesses, versatile use of existing technological infrastructure, and co-operation within the city and with smart cities worldwide. The city credits its success to years of systematic work in the field.

“For example, the development of the IoT platform was the result of long-term work. Now, its benefits stem from its users: the possibilities are determined by how data is utilised,” said Teppo Rantanen, executive director of growth, innovation and competitiveness at Tampere. “It's not a coincidence that Tampere was highlighted among the world's smart cities; we have plenty of concrete evidence, and we have systematically shared our experiences with the world.”

This year marked Tampere’s third time as a competition finalist and first victory.

The city has made headlines in recent years for implementing autonomous bus operations, hosting a Hollywood production and spurring innovation on a global scale.