Geoinformatics

Research themes

Geoinformatics studies cartography, Geoinformation systems (GIS), geocoding and basic and applied research of location based services.

Staff

Professor PhD Rusanen Jarmo
Research professor PhD Toivo Muilu
Research Applicant Lic.Phil. Antikainen Harri
Research Applicant university student Ossi Kotavaara
Research Applicant university student Tiina Lankila
Research Applicant university student Heidi Määttä-Juntunen
Project researcher Mikko Tervo

Research projects

Dynamics of regional structure
Dynamics of regional structure is nearly 20 years old umbrella research programme aiming to analyze different aspects of Finnish regional structures and different phenomenon of human actions on all regional levels. The research has been financed from several external sources. contact persons: Jarmo Rusanen and Toivo Muilu

GIS-based terrain path optimization
The project is part of environmental informatics with strong emphasis on methodological development. The project seeks to investigate and implement methods for the determination of optimal movement paths in the cross-country terrain context by utilizing GIS-based terrain data. Several methods have already been developed and evaluated in the project, and they have been applied to planning of optimal forest inventory tours. Other prospective applications include nature tourism and location-based services (LBS). The project has received funding from the KIRSU graduate school and it has been carried out in co-operation with the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla).
contact persons: Harri Antikainen and Jarmo Rusanen

Regional Distribution of the University graduates in Finland
The goal of the research is to find out how the Finnish university graduates are distributed regionally. A large amount of human capital spreads around with these people affecting regional development and that is why it is important to understand these flows better. Data used in the research covers university graduates of 1990-1994 (their location 1994 and 2004) and graduates of 2000-2004 (their location 2004). Research in funded by the Ministry of Education and report will be completed in the spring 2008.
contact person: Jarmo Rusanen

Transport Accessibility at Regional/Local Scale and Patterns in Europe (2010-2012) (TRACC)
TRACC project pages
The ESPON project TRACC aims at taking up and updating the results of existing studies on accessibility at the European scale, to extend the range of accessibility indicators by further indicators responding to new policy questions, to extend the spatial resolution of accessibility indicators and to explore the likely impacts of policies at the European and national scale to improve global, European and regional accessibility in the light of new challenges, such as globalisation, energy scarcity and climate change. The project of seven partners and six EU countries is led by Spiekermann & Wegener Urban and Regional Research (S&W). contact persons: Ossi Kotavaara, Jarmo Rusanen and Harri Antikainen

Regional well-being and health
Research is carried out in co-operation with Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine. Study material is Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The aim is to study regional well-being and health using georeferenced grid data, GIS-methods and statistical methods. Georeferenced 1 km x 1 km grid data can be classified to different residential environments by using population density produced by Statistics Finland. Health and well-being can be studied in these one square kilometre grid areas. Larger administrative areas e.g. municipalities can be used, as well. Interesting themes are health and well-being in rural-urban continuum in one square kilometre grids and association of migration and periphericy to health and well-being.  Research is funded by Academy of Finland, Responding to Public Health Challenges Research Programme (SALVE).
contact persons:Tiina Lankila and Jarmo Rusanen

Accessibility of large retail units and traffic emissions in Oulu region, Finland
Accessibility is very often viewed as saving time or other costs, but with the location planning traffic emissions might as well be minimized. In this ERDF-project CO2 emissions related to the accessibility of large retail stores is evaluated with GIS tools. Using and developing existing tools, aim is to develop a method with which location of retail stores can be compared. Comparable CO2 values based on the distribution of population and workplaces will be calculated. Instead of Euclidean distance the real road network is used. Aim is to show the optimal location in Oulu region where carbon dioxide emissions resulting from shopping trips could be as low as possible.
contact persons: Heidi Määttä-Juntunen and Jarmo Rusanen

GIS method for optimization of public service accessibility
Aim of the project is to develop a GIS method that can be used in optimization of public service accessibility. Accessibility is examined in relation to spatial census data and locations of different public service units. Method can be then applied into decision making situations in which reorgan-ization needs concerning public services have risen due to changes in municipal structure. Project is a part of Innovative GIS Network in Oulu Region -project (InnoGIS), which is funded by European Regional Development Fund.
contact persons: Mikko Tervo and Jarmo Rusanen

Regional typology
Regional typology project pages
The project is leaded by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The aim of the project is seek to define new regional typology to Finland. Previous typologies are enhanced with grid data based approaches.
contact persons for accessibility analysis: Ossi Kotavaara, Jarmo Rusanen and Harri Antilainen
contact person for rural research Toivo Muilu

Closed Projects

Finnish Railways in the Nordic and Russian context (FiRa)
FiRa project pages
The study relies analytically on GlScience in the innovative applying and development of accessibility analyses in GIS environment. Theoretical base is in the central-periphery theories reorder within New Economic Geography related to economist Paul Krugman. Key issues are GIS network model based potential accessibility analyses. Especially multimodal combinations of the networks are analyzed.  The main themes of the research are: 1) varying accessibility of railways and their long term meaning in context of remote and sparsely populated areas in 1880-2007, 2) accessibility by railways analyzed with accessibility by road network and their change in relation to population distribution using the municipality level data and 1 x 1 km data, 3) potential of the applied and developed analyses into the European infrastructure context.
contact persons: Jarmo Rusanen, Ossi Kotavaara and Harri Antikainen

Main publications

• Antikainen, H., D. Bendas, K. Marjoniemi, M. Myllyaho, M. Oivo, A. Colpaert, N. Jaako, P. Kuvaja, K. Laine, J. Rusanen, E. Saari, and J. Similä (2004). Mobile Environmental Information Systems.  Cybernetics and Systems: An International Journal, Volume 35, Numbers 7-8: 737-751, 2004. Taylor & Francis Inc.

• Antikainen H., J. Rusanen, S. Vartiainen, M. Myllyaho, J. Karvonen, M. Oivo, J. Similä ja K. Laine (2006). Location-based Services as a Tool for Developing Tourism in Marginal Regions. Nordia Geographical Publications 35:2, 39-50. NGP Yearbook 2006. Theme Issue on Northern nature and Human Activities.

• Hiltula, J. & J. Rusanen (2006). Maankohoamisrannikon dynaaminen maisemamalli. Paikkatietotyökalu alueiden käytön suunnitteluun. Pohjois-Suomen maantieteellisen seuran ja Oulun yliopiston maantieteen laitoksen julkaisuja 1/2006. 47 s. + CDRom.

• Kauppila, P., J. Rusanen & T. Muilu (2005). Pohjois-Suomen suurten matkailukeskusten ja niiden sijaintikuntien väestökehitys: paikkatietonäkökulma. Matkailututkimus 1, 26-45.

• Kurikka H. ja Rusanen J. (2006). Oulun yliopistosta vuosina 1970–2004 valmistuneiden alueellinen sijoittuminen vuonna 2005. Oulun yliopisto, Hallintopalvelujen lausunnot, muistiot, selvitykset ja tilastot nro 56. 55 s.

• Kurikka, Heli (2008). Suomen yliopistoista valmistuneiden alueellinen sijoittuminen 1990-luvulta 2000-luvulle. Hallintopalvelujen lausunnot, muistiot, selvitykset ja tilastot nro. 58. 143 s. Oulun yliopisto, Oulu.

• Muilu, T. & J. Rusanen (2004). Rural definitions and short-term dynamics in rural areas of Finland in 1989-1997. Environment and Planning A 36:8, 1499-1516.

• Rusanen, J., T. Muilu, A. Colpaert & A. Naukkarinen (2004). Georeferenced data as a tool for monitoring the concentration of population in Finland in 1970-1998. Fennia 181:2, 129-144.