When a city gains a digital heart – the era of Citiverse begins

“What is now proved was once only imagined,” wrote William Blake back in 1790.

The idea resonates in an era when cities are also being built in the digital dimension. Citiverse is European term for interconnected virtual and digital urban environments. It combines the physical environment, services, and real-time information into a whole that adapts to the needs of residents and businesses.

Before Spotify, people bought music as individual albums or songs. Each song had to be purchased separately, making it costly and slow to build a personal music collection. Spotify changed everything by offering an almost unlimited amount of music for a monthly fee. In practice, music went from being owned to being listened to. It was no longer necessary to buy one song at a time. All you had to do was pay a small monthly fee, and you could listen to anything, anytime. This also changed the way artists earned money: instead of one-off sales, income began to be based on the number of plays. In addition, playlists, algorithms, and easy sharing influenced how new music was discovered. Spotify revolutionized both how people consume music and how it is sold and distributed. Citiverse is currently changing everyday life in cities just as inevitably.

Tampere shows the way

Tampere has long been known as a pioneer in digital solutions. The new digital vision is built on strong technological expertise, a bold culture of experimentation, and a research and business ecosystem. In line with its data strategy, the city is developing a knowledge base that will enable new types of digital service experiences in the future and support timely decision-making. Tampere wants to be the best place in Finland for turning data into tangible benefits.

Tampere Pulse predicts visitor flows and compiles events in the city centre on an intuitive map. New use cases are built on the platform continuously. The latest, developed with the emergency medical services of the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, aims to shorten response times and improve the use of resources by predicting emergency situations.

The Tampere VIP pilot takes the city experience to a new level. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft and corporate partners, the Venue Assistant implementation combines data, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and location information. It provides visitors with real-time guidance, smoother services, and a personalised way to experience Nokia Arena and the city.