There are a limited number of digital goods for common use → Ecosystem growth should be accelerated through initial investments and functional interfaces

Challenge 1. A limited number of digital goods for common use

• The amount of open data, source code and model interfaces is limited. Shared digital goods are needed for launching platform business, developing it and accelerating innovations. Examples of shared digital goods include a jointly developed open-source code, model interfaces and joint investments in data services (travel data and consignment notes, data on traffic conditions and traffic situations, and real-time vehicle data). This deficiency slows down development, for instance in route planning and traffic optimisation.
• Insufficient quality of interfaces. Slow de facto standardisation, technical challenges and lack of competence result in interfaces that do not support the functionalities needed for the growth of the ecosystem. Since data have no value without a use case, the interface functionalities should support the purposes and solutions to problems for which they are needed.

Recommendation: Ecosystem growth should be accelerated through initial investments and functional interfaces

• Initial investments should be targeted at shared digital goods and collaboration projects. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, Fintraffic, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and Business Finland are needed to facilitate initial investments in shared digital goods in the mobility sector and in cooperation projects that support the development and growth of platform-based corporate solutions. The aim of the cooperation projects should be to form a digital infrastructure that develops the platform economy and to trigger network impacts to enable corporate growth. Innovation funding in the mobility sector (e.g. the development of technology and service models) should aim for large-scale experiments, the creation of new market-based service models as a result of corporate strategic choices, and support for the commercialisation of internationally vital companies close to the market.
• Functional interfaces should be created. Innovation funding is needed for developing functional interfaces. We also recommend that in connection with facilitating the creation of rules in the sector, a neutral operator (such as Fintraffic or ITS Finland) promotes the definition of model interfaces and their functionalities. The functionalities will contribute shared digital tools to the development of platforms and the integration of service solutions between different operators. Through dialogue between the operators, a common understanding should be reached of what is produced at the ecosystem level and what should be market based.