tiekarttien

Tiekartta is a map that shows a road network, used for navigation, route planning, and transportation planning. The form tiekarttien is the genitive plural in Finnish, indicating possession or relation to multiple road maps, for example in phrases like “tiekarttien päivittäminen” (updating of road maps).

Road maps can be produced as printed atlases, folded sheets, or compact pocket maps, and they are published by national, regional, or municipal authorities as well as by private publishers. Typical contents include road numbers and names, junctions and interchanges, lane directions, one-way streets, toll routes, public transport hubs, and symbols for services and points of interest. Maps may also show topography, land use, and administrative boundaries. The level of detail varies from city-scale maps to regional or national overviews, with scales chosen to match the intended use.

Digital development has transformed tiekartat into online services and GIS layers. Modern road maps are often integrated into navigation apps and map platforms, enabling interactive routing, live traffic updates, and integration with logistics systems and emergency management. Official road map data can serve as a common foundation for commercial products and public services, helping to ensure consistency across providers.

In Finland, official road network information is produced and distributed by Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), with historical roles previously filled by Väylävirasto. The term tiekartta remains the general label for road maps, while specific products and services may use brand names or digital formats. The inflected form tiekarttien appears in contexts discussing multiple road maps or their collective updates.