Kotikatuportaali, Home Street Portal - Espoo
City / Region
Espoo (Finland)
In a nutshell
Kotikatuportaali, Home Street Portal is an online service developed by the public works department and serves residents by providing diverse information about public works and city planning in their neighbourhood. The purpose of the portal is to gather up-to-date information on matters and services "close to home." The website enables city residents to follow the changes and repairs in their neighbourhood and planned street projects.
The Home Street Portal provides information on
- current street repairs
- ongoing planning projects
- up-to-date snow ploughing, salting and sanding data
- playgrounds, public car parks, dog parks, outdoor fitness equipment, and green spaces nearby
- valid street plans
- neighbourhood news and tweets
The material used by the portal is automatically collected from the city's information systems and is updated daily. Monthly portal users vary around 1000-2000.
What makes the service user-centric?
• Digital Interaction
Citizens can digitally contact Public Works Department via the portal (feedback).
• Accessibility, security, availability and usability
the website meets the critical accessibility requirements of the applicable legislation in accordance with WCAG 2.1 level AA
It makes map-based information available and usable for those who are not used to reading maps. There is a section for frequently asked questions to help with terms.
Service promise is stated on the site, for example in the wintertime for snow plowing.
• Reduction of the administrative burden
The portal offers proactively, personalised (home street) information about what happens near your home street in digital form, (no need to ask). The information utilised in the service is based on existing data available and there is no need for additional work to create data to the portal. The portal is an efficient way to communicate with citizens. It reduces similar inquiries over the phone and workload in the contact centers.
• Citizen engagement
Citizen can give feedback in the portal about public works but also about the portal itself. Citizens were involved in the experiment phase of developing the service. It includes Twitter feed, so citizens can see the ongoing discussion about the area.
• Protection of personal data and privacy
The service is planned according to GDPR. Privacy policy is stated on the feedback form where personal details are asked.
Citizens can digitally contact Public Works Department via the portal (feedback).
• Accessibility, security, availability and usability
the website meets the critical accessibility requirements of the applicable legislation in accordance with WCAG 2.1 level AA
It makes map-based information available and usable for those who are not used to reading maps. There is a section for frequently asked questions to help with terms.
Service promise is stated on the site, for example in the wintertime for snow plowing.
• Reduction of the administrative burden
The portal offers proactively, personalised (home street) information about what happens near your home street in digital form, (no need to ask). The information utilised in the service is based on existing data available and there is no need for additional work to create data to the portal. The portal is an efficient way to communicate with citizens. It reduces similar inquiries over the phone and workload in the contact centers.
• Citizen engagement
Citizen can give feedback in the portal about public works but also about the portal itself. Citizens were involved in the experiment phase of developing the service. It includes Twitter feed, so citizens can see the ongoing discussion about the area.
• Protection of personal data and privacy
The service is planned according to GDPR. Privacy policy is stated on the feedback form where personal details are asked.
What impact has the service had?
There is lot of information available about the streets, public works and city planning in Espoo, but before it had to be found in different websites or map-based interfaces. Home street portal makes the information more accessible and user-friendly for the citizens and yet is cost-efficient to upkeep since the data is gathered from different sources.
Home street portal is not the only channel to find the information or contact the public works, but it complements the other channels and has reduced the number of inquiries coming to customer service about the public works and city planning.
Home street portal is not the only channel to find the information or contact the public works, but it complements the other channels and has reduced the number of inquiries coming to customer service about the public works and city planning.
How was the service co-created?
Home street portal development started as an experiment in the digital agenda program. Through the agenda Espoo promotes the digitalisation of municipal services, utilisation of new technology, bringing services online and adoption of new operating methods. Digital experimentations are used in Espoo as a way to introduce new digital services to citizens and employees and to establish experimental culture in Espoo. Through experimentation new ideas are tested with citizens and co-created to better answer their needs.
After the experiment Home Street portal was piloted and 2018 launched as an ongoing service.
After the experiment Home Street portal was piloted and 2018 launched as an ongoing service.
