Spatial statistics on the web: A joint project between Finland's National Statistical Institute and National Mapping Agency to improve usability of spatial statistics

Issue title: Special Section on Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tammilehto-Luode, Marja

Affiliations: Statistics Finland, FI-00022, Finland. Tel.: +358 29 5513244; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Statistics Finland published datasets via the Finnish National Geoportal, Paikkatietoikkuna, for the first time in 2013. The Geoportal provides spatial data discovery and viewing services based on standard Web Map Service interfaces (WMS). In addition, the Geoportal enables standard Web Feature Services (WFS) and browsing of features in an integrated view where data are visualised as maps and tables of attributes. Today, Statistics Finland provides more than 200 WMS and WFS datasets for browsing and integrating on the Finnish National Geoportal together with about 2,000 other national geospatial datasets. Spatial Statistics on Web was a joint project by Statistics Finland and the National Land Survey of Finland to improve the national geoportal services from the viewpoint of statistical data users. The project followed the European Union's INSPIRE Directive (2007) obligations and received a grant from Eurostat. The project implemented an open source web application (Oskari) to tailor spatial analysis tools to statistical data and focused on developing tools for analysing grid-based data (although most of the developed analysis methods can be used for other kinds of spatial data as well). The application, including the user guide, is in three languages: Finnish, Swedish and English. The paper describes how the joint project between the National Statistics Institute and National Mapping Agency in Finland was inspired by the expansion of open data and open source development.

Keywords: Spatial statistics, spatial analysis, grid-based data, open source application

DOI: 10.3233/SJI-161032

Journal: Statistical Journal of the IAOS, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 497-501, 2016