Vangin, integration of social services into a single citizen portal

Aina Relats on 18 July 2023

Portal that brings together in one place all the digital services of the various public institutions of the Faroe Islands (Denmark), including social services, to provide citizens access to information and management of all types of procedures.

Vangin has become an example of digitalization in the public sector worldwide, placing the Faroe Islands in a leading position. Vangin centralizes all services in this Danish territory and is available to everyone over 15 years of age with a Faroese personal identification number. The previous and key step to use this tool is the registration through Samleikin, which is the electronic authentication used in the Faroe Islands.

Vangin offers a wide range of self-service services from various providers, and social and welfare services are included in them. Thus, citizens can easily carry out often complex online procedures, such as applying for official documents, registering for social programs or submitting applications for public services, without having to physically travel to the institutions. It also offers a personal calendar that allows to keep track of appointments, facilitating the organization of citizenship from reminders of relevant deadlines. Furthermore, Vangin provides a secure mailbox called Mínboks, which allows receiving and sending messages related to the issues that are of interest to each individual, guaranteeing at all times the confidentiality and security of communication.

Characteristics of innovation

Bank of innovations, Cross-cutting intervention, Information and planning, New service, Personalization of the service, Process simplification, Right of choice of the user, Self-management and participation, Speed up response times, User empowerment

Localization

Feroe Islands, Denmark

Partners / Funders

Akstovan, Almannaverkio, Apoteksverkio, Eidis Kommuna, Eysturkommuna, Ílegusanvio Genetic Biobank, Funglafjardar Kommuna, Fugloyar Kommuna, Hvannasunds Kommuna, Klaksvíkar Kommuna, Kunoyar Kommuna, Kvívíkar Kommuna, Runavíkar Kommuna, Sjóvar Kommuna, Sjóvinnustrýrid Faroese Maritime Authority, Skúvoyar Kommuna, Studni, Sunda Kommuna, Sorvágs Kommuna, Taks, Samleikin, Tórshavnar Kommuna, Tunnil, Umhvorvisstovan, Vestmanna Kommuna ¡

Genesis

In 2015, the digitalization of services for citizens, industry and the public sector began in the Faroe Islands with the idea of modernizing the welfare and services of the population. Thus, services were developed that finally since 2019 are agglutinated in the same platform, Vangin, making it easier for citizens to access and manage digital services offered by public institutions and municipalities where they reside.

Level of implementation

Vangin has become an example of digitalization in the public sector worldwide, placing the Faroe Islands in a leading position. This technological tool has achieved the adaptation to digital services of the population since its launch, which is very positively observed and gives strength to Talgildu Føroyar to continue developing and adding digital services to Vangin while outlining a new digital strategy for the future.

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LifeCompanion, a customisable assistant for people who have difficulty communicating orally

Aina Relats on 11 July 2023

Personalised digital assistant that provides communication assistance and access to information technologies. It is free and open source and facilitates oral communication for people with difficulties.

LifeCompanion is a highly customisable and flexible assistant, so it can be used in different contexts, but it is mainly intended to facilitate computer access and communication. In fact, one of the outstanding features of LifeCompanion is its integrated speech synthesis, which allows users to communicate using speech. LifeCompanion thus aims to promote the social participation and autonomy of its users in areas such as communication, access to information technologies, education and employment. It also contributes to establishing social links, especially with caregivers and professionals close to them.

LifeCompanion works in such a way that it adjusts to the individual’s motor, visual, auditory or cognitive abilities and development. For example, it enables pictographic and phonetic communication, as it includes a vocabulary tree with pictograms and pictures and a customised phoneme communication keyboard. Digital keyboards can also be customised and typing can be accelerated with advanced word prediction. Among other functions, LifeCompanion also facilitates motor accessibility, anticipating movement and with advanced configurations in this area. In this regard, it is important to note that it has been co-designed by and in close collaboration with end users.