Fintraffic

Janne Lautanala

Janne Lautanala is the Chief Ecosystem and Technology Officer at Fintraffic, where he leads national efforts to develop interoperable, real-time mobility infrastructure. With deep experience in digital ecosystems, public-private collaboration, and transportation innovation, he drives Finland’s strategic transition toward data-enabled, multimodal transport systems.

In a world increasingly shaped by interconnected services, real-time data, and collaborative ecosystems, the CIO’s role is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Beyond leading internal IT operations, today’s CIO must act as a strategic orchestrator of shared digital infrastructure, especially in contexts where public and private sectors must collaborate to deliver societal impact.

At Fintraffic, our mission is to enable safe, smooth, and sustainable mobility across all transport modes in Finland. To achieve this, we’ve had to move beyond conventional IT management into the domain of nationwide digital infrastructure coordination, partnering with hundreds of stakeholders, from mobility providers and logistics companies to municipalities and startups.

This shift has highlighted a new reality: scaling digital infrastructure in a public-private context isn’t primarily a technology problem, it’s a leadership and governance opportunity.

Shared Infrastructure Starts with Shared Purpose

The first lesson in scaling public-private digital infrastructure is that technology follows intent. Before APIs, platforms, or real-time dashboards, there must be a shared understanding of the common problem and value proposition.

In our case, the shared purpose was clear: Finland’s mobility system needed to evolve rapidly to meet rising demands for climate action, digital services, and operational efficiency. This required new digital foundations—capable of collecting, processing, and distributing data in real time across multiple sectors, modalities and systems.

But this wasn’t something Fintraffic could do alone. That’s where the role of the CIO expanded: from internal technology leadership to ecosystem enablement.

The CIO as an Ecosystem Orchestrator

In this new model, the CIO’s role is not to own everything, but to enable everything. That means building trust across stakeholders, defining interfaces that allow others to innovate, and creating the conditions for scaling beyond organizational boundaries. Here’s what this looks like in practice:

• Standards before software: We co-develop and promote data standards that make transport information interoperable across providers, modes, and systems.

• APIs before applications: Rather than owning end-user solutions, we focus on open APIs that allow third parties to build services, from route planners to logistics platforms.

• Governance before growth: We establish shared rules and incentives for data use, ensuring privacy, fairness, and resilience as infrastructure usage grows.

This mindset shift, from control to coordination, is crucial in any setting where digital infrastructure serves the broader public interest.

Case 1: The National Traffic Data Platform

One of our cornerstone efforts has been the creation of Finland’s National Traffic Data Platform. This platform serves as a real-time hub for transport data across all modes—road, rail, air, and sea.

“Scaling digital infrastructure isn’t primarily a technology problem, it’s a leadership and governance opportunity”

Its core design principles are worth noting:

• Modularity: Services are loosely coupled and exposed via APIs.

• Scalability: The system can grow with new data sources and use cases without major overhauls.

• Openness: The platform is built with the assumption that both public and private actors will consume and contribute data.

The platform supports everything from roadworks to multimodal journey planning. But its true power lies in how other organizations build on top of it—a testament to the importance of enabling, not just delivering.

Scaling infrastructure today also means embracing architectures that support event-driven, real-time operations. Static data dumps or batch updates no longer meet the needs of dynamic systems like traffic control or mobility-as-a-service (MaaS).

We’ve transitioned to event-based data flows—where systems publish updates (like vehicle locations) in near real time, and subscribers can act immediately.

This architecture requires:

• Reliable pub-sub infrastructure (e.g., Kafka or similar)

• Clear event schemas so all participants understand the structure and meaning of the data

• Security models that protect critical systems while supporting openness where appropriate

This isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a strategic shift that positions public infrastructure as real-time, responsive, and interoperable—exactly what’s needed for today’s digital services.

Case 2: Digitransit – Co-Created Journey Planning for All Digitransit is another powerful example of what CIOs can achieve when they facilitate shared digital infrastructure rather than owning the full stack.

Developed in partnership between Fintraffic, Waltti Solutions and HSL (Helsinki Region Transport), Digitransit is an open-source, API-first journey planning engine that anyone in Finland can use.

It integrates real-time public transport data, walking and cycling routes, and even taxi and e-scoot information. Cities across Finland, from large urban hubs to rural municipalities, have adopted the platform, customizing it to local needs while sharing a common codebase and infrastructure.

The impact?

• Faster innovation cycles for local governments

• Consistent user experience across regions

• Cost-efficiency through reuse and collaboration

Digitransit demonstrates how CIOs can enable decentralized innovation at scale by leading with openness and modularity.

What CIOs Can Do Now

For CIOs looking to scale digital infrastructure in their own public-private contexts, here are a few guiding principles:

1. Design for reuse and co-creation. Build platforms others can plug into—don't lock everything inside proprietary systems.

2. Lead governance conversations early. Agree on data ownership, usage rights, and responsibilities before scaling.

3. Invest in open interfaces, not just internal apps. APIs and standards create multipliers far beyond any single solution.

4. Act as a translator. Help non-technical stakeholders understand how digital infrastructure can enable their goals, and build trust.

Conclusion: Scaling Is a Leadership Challenge

Scaling digital infrastructure across public and private domains is not just a technology challenge. It’s a leadership challenge, where the CIO must step into a broader role as enabler, connector, and strategist.

In today’s complex world, no single actor can solve systemic challenges like mobility, climate, or digital equity alone. But with the right infrastructure—shared, scalable, and inclusive— we can empower ecosystems to rise to the challenge together.

That is the new frontier for CIOs. And it’s one worth embracing.