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Public sector Cyber security Application development Architecture design Integrations and API

Case Hätäkeskuslaitos

Having a trusted partner ensures our day-to-day operations run smoothly and improve 

The Emergency Response Centre Agency (Hätäkeskuslaitos) is an essential component of Finnish society. Together with other authorities, it has a critical role in securing the safety of Finnish society and Finnish people. Its operations are made possible by systems that are built to strict specifications and highly secure system environments, as well as new digital services that are being developed in close cooperation with carefully selected partners.

The statutory mandate of the Emergency Response Centre Agency is receiving and evaluating emergency calls and forwarding any calls that require immediate action to rescue services, the police, social services or health authorities.

“Fulfilling our mandate requires that the technologies and systems we use are reliable and that our operating environment is appropriately access-controlled and secure. We work closely with a limited number of partners, and we naturally also need them to be thoroughly familiar with our sector”, explains the Emergency Response Centre Agency’s Chief Information Officer Jesse Fågel. 

Digia has been partnered with the Emergency Response Centre Agency for about twenty years and works together with them in various solution areas. However, all of them share a common goal: to support the Emergency Response Centre Agency’s daily operations and develop and deliver new services to improve those operations.

“We have been working with Digia for a long time. Digia is one of only a few companies that have the right skill set for our operations. This makes undertaking new development projects and other solution proposals easier. It is important to the Emergency Response Centre Agency that this kind of expertise and experience is available”, Fågel says.

What we did

What we used

  • Jira+Confluence
  • React Native
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker+Podman
  • PostgreSQL+PostGIS
  • OSM+OSRM
  • Geoserver
  • GDAL/OGR
  • MapProxy
  • Oracle+PL/SQL
  • Apache http+Tomcat
  • NestJS
  • Node
  • Java/bash/php
  • Progress Sonic MQ

We have been working with Digia for a long time. Digia is one of only a few companies that have the right skill set for our operations. This makes undertaking new development projects and other solution proposals easier. It is important to the Emergency Response Centre Agency that this kind of expertise and experience is available.

Jesse Fågel, CIO, Emergency Response Centre Agency

The partner needs to know new technologies and how to apply them to emergency response operations

The day-to-day operations of the Emergency Response Centre Agency are supported by services such as expert services, architecture, integration, information management and archiving. The development process has made use of various Digia services, including the expertise of its application development experts and information security services. Outwardly, the most visible and well-known product of the partnership is the 112 Suomi mobile app, which is still being actively developed and improved.

“Something else we value in our partners is knowing new technologies and how to apply them to emergency response operations. When it comes to designing new solutions, Digia has offered us things like a fast-track cooperation model and verification of technology suitability. These have been useful in our projects because they have allowed us to try out new possibilities effectively.”

Success is guaranteed by mutual trust and a long history of cooperation

Just like organisations in other industries, the Emergency Response Centre Agency is affected by a rapidly changing operating environment and is continuously reviewing the utilisation of new technologies and applications. Like other government bodies, the organisation is taking steps in various new directions, such as cloud-based solutions. Cloud services are most notably used as development environments for new systems and in version management. Critical systems will operate in environments that conform to the requirements of security classification levels TL III and TL IV. Support systems will primarily operate in TL IV environments. Focus areas in the next few years will be the deployment of the new official radio network (Virve 2) and new emergency call channels related to emergency response operations. A real-time text (RTT) solution is also currently being designed.

“In collaboration with Digia, we have been able to undertake our development tasks in a flexible and agile manner. Success is guaranteed by mutual trust and a long history of cooperation. Future success will require familiarity with new technologies and the ability to manage them. Digia should make sure to hold on to its emergency response centre expertise. It is imperative for this partnership to continue to make new projects possible within the limits of public procurement, expanding our expertise further in the process”, Fågel concludes.