Digitalisation of public transport and the urban environment

Tampere Region Public Transport, Nysse, is moving to an account-based payment system. In this new system, information related to tickets and customer groups will be stored in the back-end system,  rather than on the travel card itself. This means, for example, that tickets purchased online for a travel card are available immediately without the previous two-hour delay.

The account-based payment system will be introduced in phases during 2025. Customers are not required to take any action for the transition. The travel card will not be replaced, but its content will be automatically converted to account-based.

Account-based payment will improve the customer experience

The move to an account-based payment system will enhance the reliability of the payment system and improve the customer experience:

• Tickets purchased through the Nella.fi online service will be transferred to the travel card immediately, eliminating the two-hour delay.
• If a travel card is lost, the customer can close and open the closed travel card in Nella himself.
• Customers can also change their default travel zones at any time, not just when making a purchase.

Once the account-based payment system is fully implemented, it may be developed further in the future. For instance, the Nysse Mobiili app could be used as a payment identifier instead of, or in addition to, the travel card.

Tampere will modernise its land use processes in phases between 2023 and 2027, with the aim of integrating all land use processes into a single digital platform, starting with property formation, land use planning and building control.

Having all the information together on the same platform will make it possible to streamline processes. One of Tampere's goals is to speed up the process of land-use planning. The development will also respond to the obligations of the Building Act, which will enter into force in 2025, and prepare for joining the national information system for the built environment (RYHTI project).

 Learn more about RYHTI project from Ministry of Environment web pages.

• IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to connecting objects to the internet, enabling automatic data collection from them or remote control of these objects. 
• City IoT in turn refers to the installation of Internet of Things technology within a city's infrastructure.

How can City IoT be utilised?

In Tampere, City IoT has been used, for example, for traffic monitoring through camera sensors. The camera footage can identify different types of vehicles and count the number of pedestrians. The footage is anonymised, meaning that individual people cannot be tracked. Data gathered on traffic volumes is used in the planning of the traffic system and the Tampere Pulse service, which predicts visitor flows in the city centre.

Learn more about Tampere Pulse service

Tampere is also planning to expand the Internet of Things to areas such as sports and playgrounds in the city centre. This would allow users to check, for example, how busy a playground is via the Tampere.Finland app.

The city model is a three-dimensional simulation of Tampere. The model includes terrain features, vegetation, and various objects such as buildings, all in accurate scale. When different types of data are connected to these 3D objects, a city information model is created. For example, buildings can be linked with information such as their address and intended use.

Tampere’s city information model is based on the city's mapping and geographic information systems, registers, point clouds obtained via laser scanning, aerial imagery, and building information models.

The model is continuously updated. In the future, new sections will be added to the information model, such as roads and pathways, traffic lights, street lighting, and other infrastructure assets.

Why is the city information model being developed?

A three-dimensional view helps to better account for all factors influencing planning. The model enables the creation of more accurate digital twins, which can be used in city planning, traffic analysis, and even virtual events.

Tampere’s digital twin combines various types of data with 3D objects to create a comprehensive representation of different scenarios. The digital twin can also be linked to real-time data from various sensors, measuring, for example, traffic volumes.

In the future, the city model will also serve as the foundation for Tampere’s Metaverse development. 

Explore Tampere's city information model: Tampere 3D