APPLIED GEOINFORMATICS
Society is constantly generating and utilizing large quantities of georeferenced data – data linked to concrete places or areas, and geoinformatics is the branch of science devoted to the computer processing of such data. The Department of Geography in Turku, backed up by the university's UTU-LCC laboratory, is a major centre for applications of this science.
Topics of research in applied geoinformatics include the development of information services in an internet environment and in mobile terminals, making use of automatic positioning systems. The opportunities for utilizing techniques of this kind are enormous. Networking is also an important aspect, and the department's research personnel have been engaged in numerous joint projects to develop information systems based on georeferenced data. Examples of these include the regional geographical information portal Lounaispaikka, joint projects with Turku City Council, the national spatial data lending facility Paikkatietolainaamo and diverse international environment and biodiversity information services that employ map interphase.
The department provides a wide range of teaching in geoinformatics and participates in the national Virtual University in this field. Applications of geoinformatics are also of importance in most of the department's other areas of focus.
Contact person for applied geoinformatics:
Professor Risto Kalliola, risto.kalliola@utu.fi, +358 2 333 5577