Tilatieto

Tilatieto is a Finnish term used to describe data about space and location that is managed in information systems. In practice, tilatieto refers to spatial data describing physical spaces such as rooms, buildings, and outdoor areas, as well as the positional information needed to locate these spaces within broader geographic contexts. The concept combines geometric representations (points, lines, polygons) with semantic attributes (name, function, capacity, accessibility) and metadata (coordinate reference system, accuracy, provenance).

Tilatieto is typically assembled from diverse sources, including architectural drawings and BIM models, land surveying data, indoor positioning systems, and sensor networks. It is stored in geographic information system databases and integrated with related datasets such as cadastral, transport, and utility information. Ensuring data quality, versioning, and governance is central, especially with regard to privacy, access control, and licensing.

Applications of tilatieto span urban planning, facility and asset management, emergency response, navigation and wayfinding, and real estate information systems. In practice, organizations use tilatietoa to analyze spatial relationships, manage built assets, optimize space usage, and improve service delivery.

Interoperability relies on standardization, with references to international standards such as ISO 191xx for geographic information, OGC specifications, and the INSPIRE framework, as well as Finland’s national spatial data infrastructure. Challenges include data fragmentation, keeping datasets up to date, semantic alignment across domains, and balancing openness with privacy.

See also: geographic information system, building information modeling, NSDI, cadastral data, BIM.