Archive: Point of views
Showing 10
articles from
July—September 2012
Headlines
Thu, 27 Sep, 2012:
Information on public services in the form of open content
The website suomi.fi provides citizens with information on public services. It contains a wide range of national and municipal services as well as a map that covers a substantial number of the State’s local public service points. Here at suomi.fi we believe that the value of information comes from its use, and since we have amassed a lot of... Read moreThu, 20 Sep, 2012:
Open data apps competition polishes diamonds in therough
Apps4Finland is a competition that encourages the sharing and utilisation of open data. It is being held for the fourth time this year. Last year, 140 entries were submitted – more than for any other open data competition anywhere in the world. The participants ranged from apps developers and data visualisers to public sector organisations... Read moreThu, 13 Sep, 2012:
Team Finland pulls together
The atmosphere at Finlandia Hall last Monday was charged with excitement. The hall was filled with representatives from more than 1 400 internationalising SMEs and their supporting organisations. The occasion was the launching of the new Team Finland, the objective of which is Finnish export promotion and internationalisation. Also in... Read moreThu, 06 Sep, 2012:
Finland – a pioneer of open democracy?
Social media services such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have enabled the real-time, uncensored communication of information as well as the rallying together of the masses in many developing democracies. This has, in part, contributed to the new wave of democracy dubbed the “Arab Spring”. At the same time, demands have increased in the old... Read moreThu, 30 Aug, 2012:
The blind leading the seeing – no problem!
A few months ago, tram passengers in Helsinki noticed something strange. A blind girl sitting on the tram with her white cane was able to identify exactly where the tram was at any point in time despite being visually impaired. She told her fellow passengers about the buildings, roads and squares they were passing, and even about locations... Read moreThu, 23 Aug, 2012:
Openness will be embedded in our everyday lives
The terms ‘participation’ and ‘openness’ have been used a lot during the year — the theme of Helsinki World Design Capital 2012 is “Open Helsinki”, and every other ad campaign on the streets is an invitation for people to participate. I believe this is not just a short-lived trend but a profound cultural change that is here to stay. In future,... Read moreThu, 16 Aug, 2012:
Seeking philanthropy in the Olympic spirit
The tremendous success of the host country’s Olympic team – Team GB – managed to get even the critical Brits to love their Olympic games. The UK amassed 29 gold medals in the recently ended games – compare that to the single one they won in Atlanta in 1996. Amid the exhilarating success, there is now praise in the UK for the early-1990s... Read moreThu, 09 Aug, 2012:
Russia’s WTO membership demands reforms
Russia’s accession to the WTO, resolved at the end of 2011, is entering a concrete phase with the ratification of the agreement by President Putin in July. A nearly two-decade-long negotiation phase has finally ended, indicating a positive development in Russia’s willingness to implement reforms. Unlike with China, Russia’s WTO membership will... Read moreThu, 02 Aug, 2012:
Bolshaya dacha
“This sunny, green city of Imatra is like a bolshaya dacha, a huge summer cottage, for us Russians,” says a school principal from St. Petersburg when we ask her what exactly draws Russians to our relatively small border town. Over the past decade, Imatra, just like many other southeastern Finnish cities, has seen a significant increase in the... Read moreWed, 11 Jul, 2012:
Happy summer!
Our column takes a summer break for July. Enjoy fresh points of view again in August. Wishing you sunny summer days, Good News from Finland -staff Read moreShowing 10 articles from July—September 2012