Date: 19.5.2020

Väylävirasto strives to be part of the open data and open source community

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Väylävirasto) uses Oskari as a platform offering their users possibilities to view and download datasets.

In 2019 we had 22 000 visits from unique IP-address to our download and viewing service. The service was used over 40 000 times and we offered over 730 GB of data to our users, states Markku Pitkänen, Specialist at Väylävirasto.

Oskari is also used inside Palauteväylä, which is a national feedback-service for roads, tracks and waterways (operated together with Väylävirasto, Centre of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and Traffic Management Finland Group).

At the moment (spring 2020) Väylävirasto is doing a POC (proof of concept) with Oskari. In this project they are testing how to implement Oskari in a AWS cloud service. Within the POC they are also testing how new API formats, 3D modelling and images are shown and handeled within Oskari map UI.

We at Väylävirasto see that it is important to be part of the open data and open source development community. The close interaction with the community offer possibilities to implement new technologies and features in agile manner. Also doing things together brings cost savings to all the organisations involved and enables the efficient use of resources, Pitkänen continues.

Väylävirasto is also currently involved in a governmental project aiming for opening and utilization of information. In this project we are creating a operational model that supports more systematic publication of public information as open data. The aim is to enable more widescale use of data. Developing and using Oskari and being part of the open source community is strategically in line with the governmental project, concludes Pitkänen.

Markku Pitkänen, Specialist, Infrastructure Data Väylävirasto - The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency