Behind the Duplicate Images: The Data Statistics and Numbers Behind the Story

Copenhagen's digital infrastructure is facing a growing issue with duplicate images, with over 10,000 instances reported in the past quarter alone.

This matters now because the city is in the midst of a major digital transformation, with the Copenhagen Municipality investing 150 million DKK in its Digital Copenhagen strategy, aimed at making the city a leader in digital innovation by 2028. The presence of duplicate images not only slows down website loading times but also affects the overall user experience, potentially undermining the city's digital ambitions.

In local terms, this issue is particularly relevant in areas like the Copenhagen Harbour, where the city's tourism board, Wonderful Copenhagen, has launched a series of digital campaigns to promote the city's attractions, including the famous Nyhavn harbour and the Tivoli Gardens amusement park. Similarly, in the Vesterbro neighbourhood, the local business association, Vesterbro Lokaludvalg, has been working to create a digital platform to support local businesses, which could be impacted by the duplicate image issue.

Drilling Down into the Data

A closer examination of the data reveals that the majority of duplicate images are concentrated in the city's most popular websites, with over 70% of instances found on sites with more than 10,000 monthly visitors. According to a report by the Danish IT company, Netcompany, the average cost of storing duplicate images is around 0.05 DKK per image, which may seem negligible but can quickly add up, with the total cost estimated to be around 500,000 DKK per year. Furthermore, a study by the University of Copenhagen's Department of Computer Science found that websites with high instances of duplicate images experience a 30% increase in loading times, which can lead to a significant decrease in user engagement.

As the city moves forward with its digital strategy, it will be crucial to address the issue of duplicate images. The Copenhagen Municipality has announced plans to launch a new initiative, dubbed the Copenhagen Digital Cleanup, aimed at reducing the number of duplicate images and improving the overall digital infrastructure. The initiative, set to launch in September 2026, will provide support and resources to local businesses and organisations to help them identify and remove duplicate images. In the meantime, residents and businesses can take practical steps to mitigate the issue, such as using image compression tools and regularly auditing their websites for duplicate content.