Interview with Tanja Lahti, Project Manager, City of Helsinki. What is her opinion about open data? Can it contribute to the quality of life of citizens?
What are the main challenges cities are facing with open data the coming years?
In my opinion it´s important to enhance the interoperability of different open data sources but at the same time we have to pay closer attention to privacy issues.
Can Open Data contribute to the quality of life of citizens? In which way and why is this so important?
Yes it can. Open data makes the processes of our cities more transparent and gives for all of us new kinds of opportunities to participate and contribute in those processes. This can lead better quality and more human-centric services as well as more cost-efficient processes. Open data gives also new opportunities for research or to create business.
Do you have an example of a open data project within your city?
Yes, we have our own open data service called Heĺsinki Region Infoshare (www.hri.fi) where you can find over 1100 open data sets regarding Helsinki Region. One of the most significant open data sources that City of Helsinki provides is decision-making data which is available via open API (Open Ahjo). This makes it much easier to follow up the decision-making in Helsinki.
