Published:  10.12.2019

The City of Oulu and the technology company Digita Oy have started cooperation to extensively investigate the potential of IoT technology and digitalisation in the various operations of the City of Oulu. Digita’s IoT (Internet of Things) network based on LoRaWAN technology is to be utilised in water supply. The use of IoT in, among other things, social and health services as well as property maintenance is also being explored.

“In accordance with our city strategy, we are boldly taking advantage of the opportunities provided by digitalisation and developing ways to improve the efficiency of the City of Oulu’s operations. We have started with the digitalisation of the water supply, but we intend to expand the cooperation to include, for example, social and health services, property maintenance and facility life cycle management”, says Hannu Kallinen, ICT Solution Manager at the City of Oulu. “We want to collect data from different locations and process it to support management and decision-making. We make use of IoT terminals wherever it is appropriate and sensible. We are striving for a genuine partnership in digitalisation with Digita”, Kallinen continues.

“Digita’s LoRaWAN network is the best option of the technologies we have tested for water supply needs, as the transmission of the LoRa signal is excellent in challenging conditions. This gives us access to real-time consumption data in water supply, which allows for more efficient invoicing. We are already using sensors to measure various indoor quantities (e.g. co2) at properties. We believe that it is important to recognise the potential of technology for enhancing efficiency and improving the impact of services. We are actively exploring potential uses for IoT technology and will be evaluating, for example, the use of sensor-mediated data in elderly care”, says Kallinen about implemented and future applications.

“We are very pleased with the extensive cooperation to be started with the City of Oulu. It is great to be able to develop new, innovative solutions with the City of Oulu to improve the efficiency of the city’s operations and make life easier and smoother for the citizens. With our LoRaWAN network and the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem in Finland, it is straightforward and quick to launch pilots at different sites and evaluate the usefulness of data obtained from measurement locations”, says Digita’s Director of IoT Services Ari Kuukka.

Digita is a stable domestic operator that offers a complete infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT) as a service platform for its partners’ solutions. Digita’s network is based on its own tall radio and television masts. During 2019, the network covers more than 500 base stations and will be expanded according to customer needs.

Media contacts

City of Oulu, Hannu Kallinen, ICT Solution Manager, tel. +358 (0)50 527
6400, hannu.kallinen(a)ouka.fi

Digita Oy, Ari Kuukka, Director, IoT Services, tel. +358 (0)40 149 7942,
ari.kuukka(a)digita.fi