Sitra has studied the present status of environmental measuring and monitoring and development in the field in Finland and elsewhere. Sitra now proposes a new “road map” for developing and boosting business operations in this sector in Finland. The aim is to become a market leader, both in terms of technical applications and in new business models. The road map is being presented today at Heureka, Vantaa on 29 January 2007 to businesses, research institutions and authorities in the sector.
A new proposal is the construction of a joint platform for measuring and monitoring the environment. Platform here refers to a joint operating method that would facilitate the gathering, processing, sharing and utilisation of information, a joint resource of technical data and an open marketplace. The platform would act as a facilitator for new business operations and business concepts and services vis-à-vis companies. The road map comprises a proposal for constructing this platform over the coming years.
Concerns for the state of the environment, and particularly as regards climate change, have given rise to a growing need to monitor changes in the environment. The increasingly stringent demands of legislation have also resulted in a growing need to monitor and report on various emissions to the atmosphere, water and soil. The needs for measuring and monitoring the environment range from a worldwide scale to specific industrial processes and microscopic natural phenomena.
Sitra as part of its Environmental Programme and in conjunction with its partners arranged a seminar for companies in the environmental measuring sector about a year ago. The companies were unanimous in wanting closer cooperation to reinforce the sector. Finnish expertise and market growth were regarded as opportunities. The challenges for development in the sector were felt to be the discontinuity of the field, and cooperation between the public and private sectors and commercialisation. The message sent by the companies in the sector led to the initiation of a new project for the commercialisation of value chains in measuring and monitoring the environment. The aim set for the project was to draft an action plan for the commercialisation of Finnish expertise in measuring and monitoring the environment.
Despite its broad area of application, measuring and monitoring the environment is a strictly limited field of environmental technology requiring a very high level of expertise. Finland possesses top expertise in this field within both the public and private sectors.
As a further measure to develop environmental business operations, a national action plan for the cleantech sector will be published on 13 February 2007; the plan has been drafted in cooperation with environmental companies, NGOs, authorities and research institutions in the sector.
Further information
Jukka Noponen, Executive Director, Sitra
Tel. +358 40 587 4323
Lauri Hietaniemi, Managing Director, Green Net Finland
Tel. +358 40 553 2764
Risto Oikari, Project Manager, Measurepolis
Tel. +358 44 710 0095
Publication details (in Finnish)
Ympäristömittauksen ja -monitoroinnin arvoketjujen tuotteistaminen
J. Vanhanen, P. Mikkanen, J. Nikula, J. Hiltunen
ISBN 978-951-563-556-3
Download pdf (in Finnish) »