Paikkatietohin

Paikkatietohin is a Finnish neologism referring to the practice or discipline of directing, integrating, and utilizing spatial information (paikkatieto) within information systems and public services. The form reflects the illative suffix -hin meaning "into/toward," used to emphasize the movement or application of geospatial data in workflows, services, and policies.

In practice, paikkatietohin is not a standalone formal standard but a conceptual umbrella used in discussions about making spatial data interoperable across agencies, sectors, and platforms. It encompasses data catalogs, APIs, and workflows that enable developers and decision-makers to access, join, and analyze geospatial datasets.

Core principles include interoperability through open standards (for example, OGC web services such as WMS and WFS, GeoJSON, GeoPackage), robust metadata (ISO 19115), licensing clarity, and governance to ensure data quality and privacy.

Applications span urban planning, transportation, environmental monitoring, emergency management, and public services. A well-known Finland-wide portal is Paikkatietoikkuna, which provides access to geospatial data from multiple authorities; paikkatietohin concepts support integrating data from such portals into services and applications.

See also: Paikkatieto (geospatial data), Paikkatietoikkuna, GIS, Open Geospatial Consortium.