IoT-TICKET, Barcelona

The international competition attracted 533 entries from 68 countries. The award-winning concept helps cities adapt existing digital applications to their local needs using AI, rather than developing the same services from scratch.

The award was presented on 4 November at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The Enabling Technologies category recognises innovative ways of using data and technology to improve cities and their services.

Open City Innovation Engine builds on IoT-TICKET‘s capabilities for connecting data sources, analysing information and developing digital services. Its central idea is application reuse: with AI, an application developed for one city can be adapted for use in another.

One example is Traffic Scout, a traffic analytics application that can use a city’s existing cameras and other data sources to monitor traffic volumes and forecast traffic patterns. Its dashboards and analytics can be adapted to local traffic conditions, allowing the same application to be used across different cities without rebuilding it from scratch.

The award builds on years of collaboration with Finnish cities, particularly Tampere and Vaasa.

In Tampere, IoT-TICKET is used for traffic flow analysis and visitor forecasting. The Tampere Pulssi service, for example, helps the city plan events and public services while supporting local businesses.

In 2023, the City of Tampere won the same Enabling Technologies category with a solution in which IoT-TICKET played a central role. This year’s winning Open City Innovation Engine takes that work further, opening up opportunities to adapt applications developed in Finland for cities around the world.

“This award is a significant recognition of years of collaboration, particularly with the City of Tampere. Cities face many similar challenges, yet solutions are often developed separately. We want to change that. If an application works in one city, why not use AI to adapt it for another? This speeds up the development of new services and helps cities get more value from their existing investments,” says Jari Kuusisto, Director, Smart City Business at Wapice.

IoT-TICKET is already used in the public sector in Finland and Estonia, and we also work with Telia in Sweden.

Open City Innovation Engine:
https://iot-ticket.com/open-city-innovation-engine/

Traffic Scout:
https://iot-ticket.com/traffic_scout/

World Smart City Awards 2026 winners:
https://www.smartcityexpo.com/world-smart-city-awards-finalists/