Geospatial research and education networks in Finland
The Finnish University Network for Geoinformatics (FIUGINET) is the collaboration forum for academic research, teaching and interaction with the society in the field of geoinformatics.
The networks consists of seven universities and also involves the IT Center for Science (CSC) and it organizes annual the National Geoinformatics research days.
Finnish Research Institute Partnership (Tulanet) is the cooperation body of ten public research institutes.
The aim of Tulanet is to promote co-operation between its members and with other actors in research sector. Tulanet also aims to influence the Finnish research policy. Cooperation takes place at several levels: management – researchers – experts. The members of Tulanet are Finnish Food Authority, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), National Land Survey of Finland (NLS), Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Finnish Meteorological Institute, Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH).
Other national networks and societies
The Academy of Finland provides funding for nationally and internationally significant research infrastructures for different fields of science.
Research infrastructures consist of instruments, equipment, information networks, databases, material and services that enable the high-level research to be conducted. The research infrastructures working also with geospatial issues are highlighted below:
- oGIIR is the Open Geospatial Information Infrastructure for Research that also host the Geoportti service. More information can be found from the about page.
- FIN-EPOS is the national infrastructure for the European Plate Observing System (EPOS)
- FINMARI is the research infrastructure for the national marine research community.
- ICOS FINLAND (Integrated Carbon Observation System) is the national chapter of the European research infrastructure focusing on quantifying and studying the greenhouse gas emissions and sinks.
- IODP (Internatonal Ocean Discovery Program) is the National chapter of the international network focusing on marine research.
- FinBIF (Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility) collects Finnish biodiversity information to one open access service.
Geodesian ja Fotogrammetrian Seura (GFS) promotes the use and supports the development of photogrammetry, laser scanning and other similar remote sensing methods and research in Finland.
It organizes biannually thematic days on the topic.
Lounaistieto is a regional information service of the Southwest Finland.
They provide spatial and non-spatial data and online services, promote the use of open data and arrange networking events and courses.
MIL is the Finnish Association of Geodetic and Land Surveyors and it supports the development of their field of expertise in multiple ways.
The Society also publishes the magazine Maankäyttö in Finnish.
The goal of OSGEO Finland is to promote and support the development of open source geospatial software and their use.
It works as a national chapter of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) by supporting their actions, goals and principals in Finland. It organizes the FOSS4G Finland conference annually.
The goal of the Oskari network is to support the development of the open-source Oskari-software.
The goal is to create a versatile and user-friendly tool for the use of geospatial data in for example map services. The network supports the implementation of the INSPIRE-directive in Finland.
GeoForum Finland is a non-profit organisation aiming to enhance cooperation between different geospatial actors.
These include actors within private and public sector and in the fields of education and research.
PATINE (Paikkatietoasiain neuvottelukunta) is a national actor which coordinates and evaluates the development of the national spatial data infrastructure and the implementation of the INSPIRE-directive in Finland.
The advisory board consisting of experts from the public, university and private sectors.
ProGIS is a Finnish non-profit organization, whose objective is to promote the use of geospatial data and GIS for the benefit of the Finnish society.
It operates as a link between producers and users of geospatial data and vendors of geospatial services and software. ProGIS also organizes seminars and hands out awards for theses.
Rakennetun Ympäristön Tutkimuksen seura supports research and networking within their field of interest.
It organizes annually the Rakennetun Ympäristön Tutkimuksen päivät in collaboration with the Suomen Maanmittausinsinöörien Liitto. The club publishes the Nordic Journal of Surveying and Real Estate Research (NJSR).
The Geological Society of Finland (SGS) promotes geological and mineralogical research in Finland.
It organizes meetings and scientific lectures on the topic and publishes the magazine Geologi in Finnish.
The Cartographic Society of Finland (SKS) promotes the education, research and the profession of cartography and geoinformatics in Finland.
It represents Finland as a part of the International Cartographic Association.
Suomen Kartoittaja Yhdistys (SKY) is the national organization for people working with surveying.
It promotes and supports professional development in the surveying field.
The Finnish Remote Sensing Club supports the networking of organizations and experts working in the field of remote sensing and image processing in Finland.
The club organizes the annual Finnish Remote Sensing Days.
The Geographical Society of Finland supports networking in geographical research and education.
The society publishes two peer reviewed geographical journals: Terra in Finnish and Fennia in English. It collaborates with two other Finnish societies, Society for Regional and Environmental Studies and Finnish Society for Environmental Social Science to publish Versus. It organizes the annual meeting of Finnish geographers.
International networks and societies
AGILE is the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe. It facilities networking of research and education actors through workshops, meetings, presentations and an annual conference.
They organize initiatives to influence European geographic information research agenda in the future.
The Copernicus Academy is a network of universities, research institutions, business schools, private and non-profit organisations within the European countries and beyond.
The goal of the network is to link actors from different field of the society to promote and enhance the use of Copernicus data and information services.
The European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL) is a scientific network of European remote sensing institutes, coming from both academia and the commercial/industrial sector.
EARSeL aims to support education, training and application-oriented research in remote sensing and Earth observation through networking, promoting co-operation and carrying out joint research projects. It supports the interest of the institutes rather than individuals.
EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) is a network representing National Geological Surveys and some Regional Surveys in Europe.
It provides the participating surveys with advice and information to aid problem-solving, policy, regulatory and programme formulation on different topics.
The European environment information and observation network (Eionet) is a partnership network of the European Environment Agency and its member and cooperating countries.
Eionet activities include the following elements: supporting institutional cooperation within societies and across multiple levels (national, regional, European, international), development of common content (data, information, indicators, analysis) and up keeping shared infrastructure, standards and tools.
The European Umbrella Organisation for Geographic Information (EUROGI) is the network for national GI associations and pan European sectoral organizations.
It supports and develops the use of applications and technologies related to geographic information, projects and research that contribute to the development and dissemination of geographical information and the definition of a European policy for creating a geographic information infrastructure at the European level. In general it represents the common interest of the European geographical information community.
Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a global network focused on solving the challenges of exponential data growth, human development and climate change that go beyond national and disciplinary boundaries.
The GEO community is building the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) with the goal of integrating different observation and data sharing systems by promoting common standards.
GI Norden is a Nordic network for geodata and Geographic Information Science (GIS).
The network aims to increase and improve the use of geodata for the benefit of the society. The network organizes Nordic events and promotes networking within the field. ProGIS is the participating organization from Finland.
The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society focuses on the theory, concepts and techniques in remote sensing of the earth, oceans, atmosphere and space.
Members come from both engineering and science backgrounds. GRSS supports the annual International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS).
International Association of Geodesy (IAG) is a scientific organization focusing on the field of geodesy.
The organization promotes the scientific cooperation and research in geodesy at the international scale.
The the International Cartographic Association (ICA) promotes the disciplines and professions of cartography and GIScience internationally.
The association sets multiple visions that promote the field ranging from the use of cartography and GI science in decision-making to participation of the association in different events to promote the visions.
The International Geographical Union (IGU) is an organization focusing on the development of the discipline of Geography.
The primary activity is to promote geography by initiating and coordinating research and education activities globally.
The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) is a non-governmental organization that supports the international cooperation in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing and their applications.
The principle activities of the society are supporting the formation of national or regional societies, coordinating research, promoting cooperation and organizing international symposia and congresses.
The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGEO) is a non-profit organization that supports the use of open geospatial technology.
It organizes the FOSS4G event annually. Geo for All is the OSGEOs committee for geospatial education. It seeks to provide education opportunities to all by working with open principles in education of geospatial issues.
The United Nations initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) aims to set the agenda for the development of global geospatial information and to promote using geospatial information when facing global challenges.
It enables and coordinates the cooperation among and between member States and international organizations. They organize the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress.