Nestled in the scenic Stockholm archipelago, Österåker Municipality has long been known for its natural beauty, archeological finds and strong community. But in recent years, this idyllic region — home to over 49,000 residents — has taken firm steps to shape a digitally empowered future. 

At the heart of this transformation is the municipality’s innovative use of digital twins: a real-time, photorealistic virtual model of Österåker, designed to bring smarter planning, faster services and more responsive public infrastructure. And behind the scenes, one key piece is making the vision work: a low-code and visual integration platform.

Building a smarter municipality

“We’re not just working with data. We’re trying to visualize our entire municipality in real time,” says Pontus Gustafsson, Data-Driven Innovation Manager at Österåker Municipality’s IT department. 

Gustafsson is part of a broader scientific initiative alongside other Swedish municipalities. Their mission is clear: to harness AI and machine learning within a digital twin model to unlock a wide range of urban insights, from identifying green areas to analyzing asphalt coverage and even enhancing public services. 

To bring the digital twin to life, Österåker uses Unreal Engine for its high-fidelity visual rendering. But there’s a catch: Unreal Engine isn’t built to natively handle complex real-time data from external sources. 

That’s where Frends iPaaS comes in. 

The bridge between systems 

As Gustafsson explains, “Frends is a really good tool for us to actually change the data in a way that Unreal Engine can read it.” 

Österåker sources real-time data from various services, like the Swedish train authority. But the APIs often return data for the entire Stockholm region—far more than the municipality needs. Frends allows the IT team to filter, transform, and route only relevant data, like departure times for local trains at Österåker’s own stations, and feed it directly into the digital twin. 

“It’s about building bridges between systems,” he adds. “With Frends, we can grab almost any type of data and convert it to a format we want. That way, we can create a flow of data in a very easy-to-build environment.” 

Beyond the prototype: an everyday tool 

While digital twins are often used as pilot projects in many cities, Österåker is pushing for practical, everyday applications. The goal, Gustafsson says, is not just to build a cool model, but to embed it across the municipality’s operations. 

“I want us to achieve the most photorealistic digital twin. But more than that, I want all departments to use it, and not think of it as a separate project. It should be something we use regularly,” he says. 

By enabling real-time data integration through Frends, Österåker is laying the foundation for departments to: 

• Monitor sensor data
• Optimize public transport
• Track maintenance needs
• Plan urban development
• All within one unified system

A small team with a big impact 

Österåker is not a large IT hub. Like many public sector organizations, its resources are limited, and its technical team must stay lean. That’s part of what makes the Frends platform a game-changer. 

“We don’t need to write complex custom code or build every connector from scratch. Frends gives us flexibility and transparency without a heavy development burden,” says Gustafsson. 

That low-code environment means fewer bottlenecks, faster iterations, and ultimately, more value for the citizens of Österåker. 

What’s next? 

As Österåker continues its digital journey, the municipality's relationship with Frends develops. More than just a connector, it’s become the nervous system behind a new way of operating — one where real-time insights and automation power smarter decisions. 

From AI-enhanced planning to IoT integration and real-time public service visibility, the future looks connected and contextual. For Österåker, the digital twin is just the beginning — and Frends is helping make it real.