The City 4.0 project

What

The City 4.0 project enables digitalization and the realization of carbon neutrality goals in the development of the Riihimäki station area. The main implementer of the project is the Finnish Environmental Institute SYKLI Oy. Partial implementers are the city of Riihimäki and Hämeen Ammattikorkeakoulu Oy

When

The project starts on July 1.7.2021, XNUMX and lasts two years.

Funding

Union of Uusimaa, REACT-EU-EAKR.

About the project

The City 4.0 project enables digitalization and the realization of carbon neutrality goals for the development of the Riihimäki station area.

With the general plan of the Riihimäki station area, the area is becoming a significant innovation environment for the digital transition. Considerable additional and supplementary construction is planned for the area, for example apartments for around five thousand new residents.

Part of the goal of the master plan is to develop the digital infrastructure of the urban area by creating an information system that collects and shares real-time sensor data.

The construction of the digital infrastructure will be started in the project. The goal of the project is to implement the start-up phase of the Internet of Things (IoT) operating environment of the Riihimäki station area. The Internet of Things and the frequently updated (real-time) sensor data infrastructure with applications is the cornerstone of smart city development.

It enables the creation of a resource-efficient and low-carbon urban environment. At the same time, it offers a digital platform for comprehensive resident services and companies' own service development. The development of the general operating environment of companies is also possible.

The project will shape the future, and the experiences and results gained will be significant also when starting to concretely implement the development work of the Riihimäki station area.

In the development of a low-carbon, resource-efficient and resident- and business-oriented urban environment, digital solutions are at the center. Without a digital transition, it is remarkably difficult to implement other transitions effectively, such as the energy transition or the transition to a circular economy.

"Open data is the basis of a carbon-neutral urban environment"
"Open data and the Internet of Things will be the basis of smart and carbon-neutral urban development. Without data collected from the environment, it is not possible to achieve national carbon neutrality goals and to take the right actions to achieve these goals," says Tapio Pelto from the Finnish Environmental Institute Sykli.

The Finnish environmental institute Sykli brings know-how to the project, e.g. Experiences gained from applying IoT technology and data analytics.

These experiences have been gathered especially from the ERDF-funded project Artificial intelligence-assisted decision-making in the energy efficiency work of large real estate portfolios coordinated by Sykli (KIINTÄ, A74095).

The Union of Uusimaa has granted funding for the project City 4.0 – Measuring infrastructure, managing data flows and directing operations from REACT-EU-EAKR funds. The project is financed as part of the actions taken by the European Union due to the covid-19 pandemic. The project is aimed at a special goal: "12.2. Development of research and innovation activities, especially from the point of view of promoting digitalization and realizing society's goal of carbon neutrality."