Avointaikat

Avointaikat is a term used in Finnish-language discussions to describe designated time periods that are open for access, participation, or data exchange within digital services and public systems.

The word is a compound of avoin (open) and aika (time). It is not a formal standard, and its exact meaning can vary by context; avointaikat appears most often in discussions about open governance, data portals, and collaborative platforms.

Origins trace to late 2010s civic-tech discourse in Finland, where communities and municipalities experimented with transparent, time-bounded processes. The term has gained occasional use in blogs and project documentation but has not become a regulated or universally adopted concept.

Characteristics include explicit start and end times, time zones, and rules governing who may access or contribute during the window. Applications span data submission windows, maintenance periods for services, and scheduled community events that rely on shared access.

Examples include a municipal data portal that publishes avointaikat for quarterly data uploads, or a public library digital resource that opens avointaikat for member-driven digital programs.

Related concepts include open data, hours of operation, and time windows.