The development and administration of Vilnius is unthinkable today without advanced technologies and smart data management. These are the aspects that are consistently strengthened by ID Vilnius, a company managed by Vilnius City Municipality, which is preparing to become the capital’s centre of technological excellence. From data analysis tools to the use of autonomous drones for the maintenance of the city’s infrastructure, ID Vilnius acts as a strategic partner to the Vilnius Municipality and its companies in order to create a modern, efficiently managed city. Together with the team of city managers, the company is entering a new phase based on transparent data management and the integration of digital solutions into the daily life of the city. “ID Vilnius is currently in the phase of purifying the company’s core business areas and deepening the company’s strengths in data management, as well as strengthening corporate governance. Over the past years, ID Vilnius has accumulated a wealth of experience that allows it to effectively support Vilnius City Municipality and its businesses in making data-driven decisions. The company will strive to be a data technology partner in the city in order to enable and develop the developed tools and make the city’s governance even more efficient.
Paulius Samoška (ID Vilnius Acting CEO)
We are currently looking for a new CEO of ID Vilnius, who will have to bring best practices in management, use innovative thinking and together with the Board and the team will shape the company’s goals for the future,” says Paulius Samoška, who is acting as the company’s interim CEO.
Data management contributes to urban prosperity
All data collected and used by ID Vilnius is stored in the Data and Competence Centre established by Vilnius City Municipality in 2021. Stasys Savilionis, Head of the Data Management Group, says that strategically it was a perfect decision, because with the continuous growth of both the number of data-driven solutions and the overall amount and need for data for city planning and development, an efficient solution had to be found to manage, open and share it between companies. One of the main objectives of the data centre is to provide fast, easy and simple access to the data needed by the Vilnius City Administration, its subordinate companies and institutions. Now, all the information needed in the capital is collected not only from the usual data sources such as public registers or private businesses, but also through innovative technologies such as autonomous drone stations or IoT sensors. “Based on all the data collected, we can identify and develop new solutions that are needed when dealing with both the municipality and various businesses and institutions.
Stasys Savilionis (Head of Data Management Group, ID Vilnius)
Developing strong competences in data science, data engineering and analytics and programming enables the municipality’s businesses and institutions to use these competences to develop the tools they need. For example, together with the municipality’s company Susisiekimo paslaugos, we are currently working on an interactive map of Vilnius city, which will predict the movements of the city’s inhabitants by all their modes of travel. Taking into account the needs of the municipality’s company Vilnius Waste System Administrator, a tool has been developed that monitors untidy waste collection sites with the help of artificial intelligence and provides insights and recommendations for changes in this area,” Savilionis shares examples. In essence, he says, the goal of data analytics and the solutions being developed is to make city management more efficient and to identify problems and provide information to the responsible company or institution in each area before they are identified to the city’s citizens.
GIS solutions strengthen urban planning and the public sector
After the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Unit was established in Vilnius City Municipality and is now in its third decade of existence. During this period, a base of GIS technologies and specialists has been created, providing virtual tools for more efficient city administration. “Aurelijus Deksnys, Head of GIS at ID Vilnius, says that GIS now helps the capital to solve a wide range of everyday problems, to analyse development and planning processes, to forecast future needs and to inform the public about the city’s development processes by opening up the data and creating added value.
Aurelijus Deksnys (Head of GIS Department, ID Vilnius)
“Modern GIS technologies allow us to efficiently collect, process, analyse and visually present a wide range of data. For example, LiDAR optical technology, hyperspectral or thermal imagery collected by drones, allows us to quickly spot changes in the city and react quickly to challenges related to infrastructure or environmental conditions. Artificial intelligence solutions further enhance the capabilities of GIS – automated data collection and analysis not only speeds up processes, but also ensures higher data quality and accuracy, so that decisions are based on reliable facts and the most up-to-date information,” says Deksnys. Since its inception in 1996, GIS has gradually become not only a planning and management tool for the city of Vilnius, but also a valuable public information channel, opening up data and involving the public in the process of learning about the city and participating in its development.
Innovative tools and the power of new technologies
ID Vilnius, an organisation at the forefront of the digital transformation of Vilnius, develops tools that facilitate the work of the municipality and contribute to improving the city’s environment. While most of their solutions are aimed at streamlining internal processes, they also create benefits for citizens by offering public tools such as interactive maps or environmental monitoring systems. According to Donatas Gudelis, Head of Product Development, most of the innovative tools and applications developed by ID Vilnius are aimed at the internal needs and functions of the Vilnius City Municipality administration and its employees, while others are open to the public. “Although the products developed by Vilnius City Council professionals are not visible to the public, they have a direct impact on the quality of life and the urban environment. For example, these tools determine which streets will be cleaned each year, and they are used to coordinate work between different organisations in the city.
Donatas Gudelis (Head of Product Development, ID Vilnius)
Also for inventorying and maintaining a wide range of assets, from underground utilities to road signs and plantations, and for working with contractors and accounting for their work. We also pay attention to the sustainability of the products and technologies we develop – each product has its own place in the overall ecosystem, thus ensuring that there is no overlap, and that data, functional components and infrastructure are reused,” says D. Gudelis. According to him, almost all of the products currently being developed by ID Vilnius are dedicated to the capital, but Vilnius is open to cooperation with other municipalities, which are often dealing with the same problems, and Vilnius has already built up a strong track record. In addition to the technologies used within municipal organisations, ID Vilnius has developed and supports a number of public tools – for example, maps.vilnius.lt, a portal for interactive maps of the capital, 3D models of Vilnius city 3d.vilnius.lt, a tool for monitoring the city’s air pollution, pollen and noise miestoplauciai.vilnius.lt, virtual gateway to Vilnius history vilniusdnr.lt or Vilnius Cemetery Register.
