What is Omaidea?
Omaidea – in English “Own idea” - is an online platform and provides tools for residents, organizations and various community actors to promote idea generation, interaction and social impact.
The pilot use of the Omaidea participation platform will focus on the circular economy, sustainable living and local development. These emphases are reflected in the graphical layout of the platform. The platform is open to all and can be used for any non-commercial activities that benefit decentralized participation and interaction.
What is happening on the platform?
The Omaidea participation platform is being developed in stages according to the principles of co-development. In the first testing phase, feedback will be collected on the visual layout and functions of the development version.
Later, the features of the participation platform will be tested in two different events:
- From organic waste to bio-commodities survey and discussion
- Small-scale climate action idea competition
At all stages of the development work, the purpose is to obtain content input to solving sustainability issues and feedback on the operation of the Omaidea participation platform as a participation tool.
How to use the platform?
Participation is simple and browsing the content is comparable to a regular website. You can see the planned events in the participate menu. Scrolling through the menus show when an event is active and how each event will progress in practice.
Ongoing events are displayed at the top. Select upcoming or all events to see forthcoming events. The tools used to participate an event (for example, survey, discussion, idea competition) are briefly presented here. The use of a participation tool is explained in detail once the event is active.
All content can be read without registration. Submitting, supporting, and discussing ideas requires registration. We recommend that you register and login, which allows an access to all tools.
How to register and log in to the platform?
You need an email address to register on the platform. Enter your username (nickname) and create a password. The software may provide you with additional instructions when you register. Accept the terms of use, read the registry description and privacy policy of the platform. If you wish, you can also register or log in with your social media account.
If you forget your password, it can be changed on the login page. Follow the instructions and you will receive an email describing how to change the password.
Where does the software of Omaidea come from?
The Omaidea participation platform has been modified from the open source Decidim software www.decidim.org. Decidim is created to activate the participation of residents and communities in various events, consultations and discussions. Originally developed in Barcelona, Spain, the open source software is used in various countries as well as in different organizations and communities.
The local development of the Omaidea participation platform in Finland is realised by the Interreg / NPA project Emerging Technologies for Greener Communities (EMERGREEN), http://emergreen.interreg-npa.eu and the University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute, www.helsinki.fi/ruralia. The Ruralia Institute and Metatavu Oy will be responsible for the content and management of the Omaidea platform until the end of June 2021.
Can I use the Omaidea platform to support a participation event I will initiate?
An interaction event of a third party can be, for example, a theme-specific poll, a hearing or an idea generation exercise. An authorized partner may be granted a transaction-specific tenure right, which will be valid for a specific period. It is a required that the event specific admin user maintains an participation event in accordance with the terms of use of the platform and the applicable laws.
