Denmark

Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. It’s linked to Malmo in southern Sweden by the Öresund Bridge. Indre by, the city’s historic center, contains Frederiksstaden, an 18th-century rococo district, home to the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace. Nearby is Christiansborg Palace and the Renaissance-era Rosenborg Castle, surrounded by gardens and home to the crown jewels.

DENMARK WELFARE SYSTEM

DID YOU KNOW THAT? 

Danes are the happiest people in the world despite paying some of the highest taxes. Taxes ensure that all Danes have access to high quality social services from cradle to grave:

• Free high quality health care 
• Subsidized nurseries and kindergartens 
• Free access to education from primary school to university 
• Stipends for all college and university students 
• Intensive support for disabled people – including advanced technology at home 
• World class road infrastructure and subsidized public transport 
• Unemployment benefits and social safety system securing basic life necessities for all 
• Old age pension for all and access to home based care or special homes for elderly people

DENMARK HAS TO FOCUS ON HEALTHCARE & INNOVATION

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

• Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products is the biggest export industry in Denmark accounting for more than 15% of all Danish export. 
• Healthcare is public, free and for all citizens in Denmark 
• Denmark has one of the most cost-effective health systems in the world. 
• Denmark is transforming the healthcare system to future demands – for instance by developing solutions for tele-medicine and increasing efficiency in large specialized units 
• Innovation and new solutions are developed in an inter-disciplinary cooperation across sectors between the public hospitals and the private sector 
• The users – doctors, nurses and patients – are involved when the private companies develop, test and mature the new products for the market. Examples of innovative solutions: 
• Ambulances are directly connected to the hospital through internet solutions, which enables registration of patient data and initial diagnosis and treatment in dialogue with doctors before the patient reaches the hospital. This saves crucial time and lives! Paramedics working on-line from the ambulance with early registration and communication with receiving hospital. 
• Each Dane is assigned to a general practitioner, who has electronic access to comprehensive medical information about the patient, including information about previous medication and hospital treatments. Quick access to medical records saves time and is important to reach the correct diagnosis. 
• Internet-based solutions are increasingly used to support home-based care of patients with chronic diseases. Patients can make simple tests at home, send them to the hospital via their computer and receive advice from the hospital via video links. This saves travel and waiting time for the patients and also enables high quality service in remote areas.

INNOVATIVE DENMARK

INGE LEHMANN 

Seismologist & Geophysicist

• Inge Lehmann (May 13, 1988 - February 21, 1993) was a Danish seismologist. 
• In 1936, she discovered that Earth has a solid inner core inside a molten outer core. Before that, seismologists believed Earth’s core to be a single molten sphere, being unable, however, to explain careful measurements of seismic waves from earthquakes, which were inconsistent with the Earth having a single molten core 
• Lehmann analyzed the seismic wave measurements and concluded that Earth must have a solid inner core and a molten outer core to produce seismic waves that matched the measurements. Other seismologists tested the results and then accepted Lehmann’s explanation. 
• Lehmann received many honors for the outstanding scientific achievements, among them the Gordon Wood Award (1960), the Emil Wiechert Medal (1964), the Gold Medal of the Danish Royal Society of Science and Letters (1965) and the William Bowie Medal (1971) as the first woman. 
• The Asteroid 5632 Inge Lehmann was named in her honor. In 1997, the American Geophysical Union also established the Inge Lehmann Medal to honor “outstanding contributions to the understanding of the structure, composition, and dynamics of the Earth’s mantle and core. “

JANUS FRIIS 

Co-Inventor of Skype

• The Danish IT entrepreneur Janus Friis (Born 26, June 1976 in Copenhagen) worked together with Swedish Niklas Zetterstrom on development of several innovative IT systems. 
• In 2003 they introduced Skype that offered free basic telephone services through the Internet. Skype’s earnings comes from fees levied on services (such as voice mail, call waiting and downloaded ring tones) and imposed on calls placed to land-based telephones 
• In 2005 Skype was sold to e-Bay (an online auction Web site) with an initial payment of $2.6 billion; more would be paid if Skype subsequently met various performance benchmarks. 
• Two years later e-Bay announced plans to sell Skype, and subsequent maneuvering resulted in Skype’s sale in late 2009, with majority ownership going to an investor group; Friis and Zennstrom acquired a minority stake. In 2011 the American company Microsoft Corporation bought Skype for $8.5 billion. 
• By 2015 Skype had more than 300 million users all over the world and the Skype mobile application has been downloaded more than 750 million times. 
• Friis and Zennstrom also developed Joost - a software application for distributing TV and video content over the Web. This service was sold to Adconion Media Group in November 2009. Independently, Friis founded video streaming startup Vdio in 2011.

OLE KIRK CHRISTIANSEN 

Founder of LEGO

• Ole Kirk Christiansen (7 April 1891 - 11 March 1958) was the founder of the Danish construction toy company the Lego Group. He was the 10th son of an impoverished family in Filskov in Jutland in Weston Denmark. 
• Ole Kirk Kristiansen was a trained master carpenter and joiner, but started making wooden toys to make a living after having lost his job during the depression. Soon after, Christansen’s wife died, leaving him to raise his four sons. 
• He established his own business in 1932 in the village of billund, Denmark, where he manufactured stepladders, ironing boards, stools and wooden toys. He constructed a small wooden duck toy for his children and decided to put the ducks into production, using the leftover wood from his old business. 
• In1934 the company had 6-7 employees and Ole Kirk Christiansen came up with the brand name “LEGO” from the Danish words “leg godt” - meaning “play well”. It was later realized that Lego means “I put together” in Latin. 
• In 1947 the LEGO Group was the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection-molding machine for toy production. By 1949 the company produced around 200 different plastic and wooden toys, including Automatic Binding Bricks, a forerunner of the LEGO bricks we know today. 
• Today LEGO has almost 14.000 employees and a turnover of 14 billion DKK in 2015. It is estimated that there are around 300 billion Lego bricks in use around the world.

LARS & JENS EILSTRUP RASMUSSEN 

Google Map Makers

• Google Maps began as a C++ desktop program designed by two Danish brothers Lars Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen between 2002 and 2005. 
• In 1998 the two brothers joined the US based company Digital Fountins, where they took part in development of a number of IT services, but the company went bankrupt in 2000 during the so-called IT-bubbles. 
• In early 2003, the brothers co-founded a mapping startup, “Where 2 Technologies”, in Australia. They worked hard on developing their new idea of interactive maps and presented the idea to Google. 
• They sold the company to Google in October 2004. The siblings joined Google as lead engineers in the team that turned the acquisition into Google Maps, now used by millions of people around the world. 
• Google Maps is a desktop web mapping service offering satellite imagery, street maps, 360o panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions (Google Traffic), and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle (in beta), or public transportation. 
• Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen is also the inventor of Google Wave and designed the Google Maps pin. Google Maps won two webby Awards in 2006, one in the General Website Services category and another in the Best Practices category. The Pearcey Foundation notes that the invention of Google maps motivated Google to start a research and development team in Sydney, Australia.

NIELS CHRISTENSEN 

Inventor of O-Ring

• Niels Christensen (16 August 1865 - 5 October 1952) was a Danish-American Inventor born on a farm in Torring-Uldum Municipality, Denmark. He showed an early aptitude for mechanics, he entered the Technical Institute of Copenhagen. 
• In 1891 at age 26 he immigrated to USA, where he became a leading draftsman at Fraser and Chalmers in Chicago, a manufacturer of machinery for industry, mining and transportation. 
• In 1933, working in his basement, Christensen discovered by trial and error that a ring-shaped piece of rubber in a groove one and a half times as long as the inner radius of the ring made a reliable, tight seal for a piston sliding in a cylinder. He applied for a U.S. patents in 1937 and it was granted two years later. 
• The O-ring is used worldwide for sealing in all types of cylinders and hydraulic and pneumatic systems. An O-ring is a doughnut-shaped object, usually made from different types rubber, but can also be made from plastic or metal. An O-ring gasket is a means for closing off a passageway preventing an unwanted escape or loss of fluid. Generally, it is used in the way that it is pressed between two parts to create seal.
• Niels Christensen also developed and took out patents for a new type of propelier, a power controller for vehicle brakes, an air compressor and two brake mechanisms for trains and cars. 
• After Pearl Harbor, the United States government bought the rights to many war-related patents, and made them available for manufacturers royalty-free. Christensen was paid $75,000. When the war ended and the patent rights were transferred back to him, the patents had only four years left. Litigation resulted in a $100,000 payment to his heirs in 1971, 19 years after his death in 1952

BJARKE BUNDGAARD INGELS 

Architect 

• Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels (born 2 October 1974) is a Danish architect. He is the founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) since 2005. 
• Known for his innovative and ambitious designs and projects, many of his buildings defy traditional architectural conventions and dimensions. His projects are often highly photogenic, [1] ranging from representations of mountains to snowflakes. He often incorporates sustainable development idea and sociological concepts into his designs. 
• Since 2009, Ingels has won numerous architectural competitions and has grown in international scope and acclaim. In October 2011, the Wall Street Journal named lngels the Innovator of the Year for architecture and, in July 2012, cited him as “rapidly becoming one of the design world’s rising stars” in light of his extensive international projects. 
• Amongst his work are Islands Brygge Harbor Bath, a series of five open-air swimming pools in Copenhagen Harbour (2003) and three major housing projects in Orestad on the southem outskirts of Copenhagen: VM Houses (2005), multi-family housing in V and M shaped apartment buildings; Mountain Dwellings (2008), an extensive parking facility combined with terraced housing; and 8 House (2010), a large mixed-use housing development. He has also designed the much praised “Superkilen, a recreational urban space in Copenhagen. 

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels rockets through photo/video-mingled stories of his eco-flashy designs. His buildings not only look like nature - they act like nature: blocking the wind, collecting solar energy - and creating stunning views.” TED.

VALDEMAR POULSEN 

Magnetic Storage

• Valdemar Poulsen (23, November 1869 - 23 July 1942) was a Danish engineer who invented the magnetic recorder in 1898. His ideas were the basis of magnetic recording and led to crucial developments in communications and computer technology. 
• Poulsen exhibited an early interest in science and studied various aspects of science in depth, though he never earned a degree. He joined the Copenhagen Telephone Company as an assistant engineer in 1983. It was while working there, at the age of 20, that he developed the telegraphone, a machine that recorded sounds magnetically on a wire.
• Poulsen conceived the telegraphone initially as a message-taking machine for use with telephones; messages could be erased at will. He applied for a patent on the device in 1898. Poulsen could not find financial backers in Europe and moved to the United States in 1903, where investors helped founded the American Telegraphone Company to produce and sell his machine. 
• The telegraphone did not find wide application, but Poulsen’s system was sound in principle laid the basis for later inventors to develop commercially successful magnetic recorders. 
• Poulsen also described methods to magnetize steel or paper tape coated with magnetic powder. With these methods, the recording medium could be erased and reused many times without loss of sound quality. He thus helped pave the way for the development of modern recording tape. 
• In 1908 Poulsen developed an arc converter (“The Poulsen Arc Transmitter”, which was widely used in radio before the advent of vacuum tube technology. The U.S. Navy adopted his arc generator as standard equipment in 1912. However, subsequent devices by other inventors in the 1920s would rapidly make Poulsen’s arc generator obsolete. 
• Poulsen continued his research into radio communications until his death in Copenhagen in July 1942.

DENMARK – BECOMING THE STATE OF GREEN

Security of energy and water supply while tackling global warming are among the greatest global challenges today – and key to achieving sustainable economic growth.

• Strict regulation, green taxes and public support for research has been a driving force of innovation in sustainable technologies in Denmark since 1971. 
• Denmark has shown that economic growth and sustainability can go hand in hand. The Danish economy has grown by almost 80 per cent since 1980 without increasing gross energy consumption. At the same time water consumption has been reduced by 40%. 
• In 2015, 27.2% of the energy consumption in Denmark came from renewable energy. 
• More than 50% of electricity production is based on renewable sources, mainly wind and biomass. 
• Denmark will be entirely independent of fossil fuels by 2050. 
• 66% of all solid waste in Denmark is recycled and 27% is used for energy production. Only 5% of the waste ends up at landfills. 
• A mandatory deposit and return system for cans and bottles for beer and soft drinks ensures almost 90% reuse or recycling of beverage containers. 
• 8% of all food sold in Denmark is organic and exports are increasing rapidly. 

Denmark is a global leader in the development of new sustainable technologies and solutions. The strongholds are:

• Energy efficiency • Renewable energy solutions 
• Waste and resource management 
• Clean air and water technologies 
• Sustainable cities Denmark has become a global leader in producing integrated end-to-end solutions to match the growing needs internationally. Denmark is proud to be able to share its solutions and inspire nations, companies and citizens all over the world to invest in green growth.

Energy Efficiency

The Global demand for energy is increasing across all sectors and industries. Thus, using energy more efficiently in both housing and production is an obvious step towards becoming independent of limited energy sources such as fossil fuels. Denmark is one of the most energy efficient countries in Europe and has developed an industry focusing on energy efficiency. 

Heating & Cooling 

While many countries have opted for individual, on-site heating and cooling solutions, Denmark decided to focus on collective heating solutions after the oil-crises of the seventies. Today, 98% of the Danish capital of Copenhagen is supplied by district heating. 

Wind Energy

Denmark was the first country to install wind turbines more than 30 years ago and has been first mover in the wind industry for decades. On-and offshore wind turbines provide more than 40% of Denmark’s electricity consumption today.

Solar & Other Renewables

The Sun, wind, waves and geothermal heat are energy sources that are perpetual or self-renewing. Used in a cost-efficient way, they can contribute to securing energy supplies and smoothen the transition to a fossil-free economy. Danish photovoltaic technology and solar thermal energy systems offer reliable and cost-efficient methods of generating electricity and heat.

Water

According to the UN, the global water consumption will increase by 30% by 2030 due to population growth and increased wealth. It has therefore never been more important to find new solutions, and climate changes only increase the need for proper management of water resources. Water consumption in Denmark comes entirely from ground water that is clean, safe and drinkable - even tap water is not chlorinated.

Bioenergy 

Until today, most of the world’s energy supply has come from scarce resources like coal, oil and gas. In a future low-carbon economy, bioenergy can play a significant role and contribute substantially to the global energy supply. Denmark is among the leading developers of enzymes for second-generation bioethanol.

Climate Adaptation 

Climate change is one of the most serious global challenges facing our society. Its consequences impact populations all over the world who need to adjust to increasing temperatures, rising sea water levels, longer periods of drought as well as stronger storms and other extreme weather incidents. Danish experience shows that climate adaptation can also present an opportunity, e.g. surface water can be led to green beds, canals and lakes around the city.

Resources & Environment 

With limited resources and a global population expected to rise to 9 billion by 2050, taking care of the environment will only become more essential in the future. It is therefore necessary to create sustainable economic growth and new jobs on a global scale while tackling environmental challenges. Denmark has developed knowledge and skills within waste prevention, collection sorting and treatment. Today, less than 5% of all waste in Denmark ends up in landfills.

Sustainable Transportation

Transport is the backbone of our economy and society. It enables trade, which is essential for societal growth and development. Every day, we move ourselves through means of transport. The challenge is not to curb transport but to make it sustainable, thus independent of fossil fuels. Denmark has decoupled transport emissions from increase in transport demand, e.g. in urban areas bicycles is a preferred mode of transport.

INNOVATION & LIVABLE CITIES

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

• Many diseases are related to lifestyle and environmental problems – diabetes, allergy, cancer, heart problems etc. 
• Changing lifestyles can reduce health care costs and sick leave - creating tangible economic benefits for society 
• In Denmark urban development, lifestyle and health go hand in hand. It is good for the people and for the economy 
• The Cities in Denmark are increasingly planned in innovative ways with focus on healthy lifestyles, environment, life quality and economy at the same time. 
• Copenhagen combines different functions when new public spaces are designed. Playgrounds are at the same time protection against climate changes, heavy rains and floods. 
• Cycling in Copenhagen means that we have a million fewer sick days per year in Copenhagen 
• Copenhagen has more than 390 km of dedicated bicycle lanes – making bicycling both safe and fast. 
• City gardens in Denmark are another way of encouraging a healthy lifestyle and growing vegetables on rooftops is increasingly popular. 
• Swimming is healthy. In Copenhagen we swim in the Harbor - in clean water. 
• Efficient waste management and recycling makes the city a cleaner and nicer place.

Copenhagen Becoming a Smart City

IT IS A CITY WITH 

• High quality of life 
• Healthy lifestyles 
• Good job opportunities 
• Sustainable growth 
• Smart use of resources 
• Widespread use of innovative technological solutions

How is Copenhagen smart?

• Copenhagen is investing heavily in digital solutions. 
• Creates a lot of new jobs - and generate a sustainable economy. 
• Enhances wellbeing and health 
• Reduces costs and resource consumption for its citizens and companies.

Copenhagen has innovative digital solutions in: 

• Transport 
• Energy management 
• Smart lightning 
• Healthcare using digital solutions in homes 
• Water management 
• Heating/Cooling systems 
• Waste systems 
• Smart home management 

Examples of digital solutions: 

• Free Internet on buses and trains 
• Green waves of traffic lights customized bikes and buses 
• Mobile tickets for metro, busses and trains 
• Waste is registered and weighed at source and data used for billing and statistical analysis

Examples of resource efficient solutions: 

Local re-use of rain water for toilets and showers. 

• Saving good quality drinking water 
• Saving energy by reducing need for pumping water over long distances. 

Smart centralized heating and cooling systems. 

• Cooling of hospitals, companies and shops using the cold water in the harbor. 
• Sea water is cooling 40 Copenhagen enterprises. 
• The excess heat -from the national bank’s server room - heat up Copenhagen’s largest department store. 
• Systems save energy and are both economically and environmentally a good solution.

Old cloth material is reused in new smart fashion.

The “Copenhagen Connecting” project

The “Copenhagen Connecting project uses a selected area of Copenhagen as a full scale test lab for new innovators - creating a new sustainable, livable city -using all the new technical possibilities. 

The goals are: 

• Reducing traffic congestion 
• Reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions 
• Making life easier for citizens and companies 
• Creating new jobs 
• Creating smart solutions for the future

What is going on in the “test lab”? 

Big data are being collected and analysed and innovative professional people are developing new solutions for the future.

What kind of data is collected?

• The number of bikes and cars parked in that area 
• The amount of waste generated 
• Number of pedestrians 
• Power consumption for heating of buildings 
• Electricity use in houses and for street lights

How are the Big data collected? 

From sensors and wireless systems in:  

• Mobile phones and GPSs in buses
• Sensors in garbage bins and in the sewage system 
• Heating systems 
• Light systems 
• Everything collected wireless based and connected into one system.

How is Big data used? 

All the big data is analyzed and the smartest, sustainable, money saving and energy efficient solutions are selected.  

• Winner of the World Smart City Award 2014. 
• In 2014 Copenhagen was awarded The World Smart City Award by the World Smart City Expo in Barcelona. According to the jury: 
• Copenhagen has the best plan in the world for collecting and using data to create a greener city 
• Copenhagen has a higher quality of life for its citizens and a better business climate. 
• Copenhagen has an intelligent use of wireless data from cell phones, GPS’s in busses and sensors in sewers and garbage bins. The data will assist the Copenhagen politicians in achieving the city’s objectives of reduced congestion, air pollution and CO2 emissions. 
• Use data to lead the city in a greener direction is precisely one of the reasons why Copenhagen wins with the prize for best Smart City project in the world.

Lord Mayor Frank Jensen says. 

“Every day we strive to make Copenhagen a better city to live in and at the same time we create more jobs for the Copenhageners. We do that by – among other things – using new technological solutions so that it is easier to be both a citizen and a company in Copenhagen. It is a great recognition of our city that international experts find that we are in the lead, when it comes to creating a smart city,” 

“Copenhagen has not only a ‘smart plan’ but is already well ahead with the investments to implement it. The City of Copenhagen has invested 34 million Euros in new streetlights and more than DKK 100 million (EUR 13 million) in new traffic lights and intelligent traffic management. This means that the City of Copenhagen can now promise cyclists and bus passengers that by 2018 they will have their travel time reduced by 10 percent while the travel time for motorists will stay the same.”