Join the next big leap in drone innovation – Drone Hackathon 2026 at Nokia Arena
02.12.2025
Make A BIM: Revolutionising 3D Building Modelling with AI
11.12.2025
Location Finland – a new test platform helping businesses and the public sector make better use of data
The Location Innovation Hub has launched a test platform that combines location data from Finnish organisations and makes it available through a single interface. The Location Finland platform aims to accelerate the utilisation and integration of data in the development of new solutions. The platform provides a robust foundation for the development of digital twins, which are becoming increasingly essential across diverse sectors. It uses modern Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards.
The Location Finland platform is part of Location Innovation Hub’s test infrastructure, aiming to support the development of location-based services and speed up experimentation.
"Location Finland is the first Finnish platform where data from multiple providers can be integrated under a single API, thereby simplifying application development. Data integration is crucial for the data economy, as without it, data remains siloed and its value remains unrealised. Combining data creates value — for example, combining 3D building data with IoT sensor data enables energy simulations and the development of digital twins," explains Antti Jakobsson, Project Manager at Location Innovation Hub.
The platform was developed by the Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) of the National Land Survey of Finland in collaboration with Finnish data providers. Datasets are available from the following organisations: the National Land Survey of Finland, the Finnish Environment Institute, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Forum Virium Helsinki, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the City of Helsinki, and Telia.
The Location Finland platform aims to support the development of location-based services and speed up experimentation. The platform is in English.
Practical data utilisation through examples
Location Finland provides sample data across various themes, including the built environment, agriculture and food production, forestry, transport, health and wellbeing, and climate. Users can explore data through practical examples that demonstrate how businesses can leverage location-based data to develop services.
For instance, in agriculture, location-based data is a key tool for optimising operations. By combining, yield data, aerial imagery, and field maps, it is possible to visualise clearly how different areas perform.
"Production inputs are used most effectively when applied as timely and location-specific as possible - that is, where they are needed most," says Senior Researcher Katariina Pussi from Natural Resources Institute Finland.
Location Finland’s Smart City datasets, including Telia’s mobility data for Helsinki and Espoo, support smart urban planning.
A national test platform complementing Location Europe
Location Finland follows the same principles as the previously launched Location Europe platform. Both provide free access to geospatial datasets via APIs, but while Location Europe harmonises data across Europe, Location Finland focuses on datasets produced in Finland. It also includes data from geographically limited test areas that are not easily available elsewhere.
The development of test platforms continues in Location Innovation Hub’s next phase towards data spaces. In data spaces, the key is that data producers and owners can decide who can access the data and under what conditions. They also provide a secure solution for sharing data and data-driven analyses.
Getting started with Location Finland
- Explore the platform: locationfinland.fi
- Benefit from data: Get a free API key and start testing.
- Develop your own use case: Location Innovation Hub offers free consultation on how the platform can be used for your purposes. We can also support funding applications. Contact us.
- Share your organisation’s data: Make data more accessible through APIs. Contact Location Innovation Hub: locationinnovationhub(a)nls.fi
- Join the webinar on 29 January 2026: Learn more about using Location Finland and see the platform in action. The event is open to both data users and producers. The detailed programme and registration will be published soon.
More information
Antti Jakobsson, Location Innovation Hub, firstnam.lastname@nls.fi
