Lack of spatial soil data in digital form has been a primary obstacle in establishing European policies on land use and environmental protection. Abundant data on soil characteristics exist in Finland but have been scattered among various sources, making it difficult for authorities to make country-wide presentations and predictions.The objective of the project was to create georeferenced soil map and database according to the instructions of the European Soil Bureau using data from existing databases and collecting some new data. The basis of the work was a geological map of quaternary deposits, which describes the soil at a depth of 1 metrem (parent material) according to the Finnish classification based on the concentration of organic matter and the texture of mineral material. Primary research topics included generalization methodology of soil polygons with GIS technology, calculation of soil characteristics needed in the database and computerizing the existing non-digital soil information. It was proved that aerial geophysics can be used for separation of shallow peats from deep peat soils and muddy soils and other wet areas can be identified. Soil names according to the FAO/Unesco system and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB-2014) were derived from the soil names of the Finnish soil classification system and geophysical data. Soilscape (Soil Mapping Units) of Finland with WRB-2014 soil classification, intented to be used in European scale e.g to delineate risk areas mentioned in soil framework directive proposal.

The 1:100 000 scale bedrock map data of the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) include material produced during 1948-2007 for the needs of the mapping of mineral resources, for the sustainable exploitation of aggregate resources and for scientific research. These data include lithological information as polygons, bedrock observation points and drilling sites as well as essential tectonic observations, and information on lithological primary structures, ore minerals and metamorphic index minerals. Some 1:100 000 map sheets give both stratigraphical information as well as lithological data. An explanatory text accompanies most map sheets.

The Rock Geochemical Database of Finland data set describes the concentrations of major and trace elements in the bedrock of Finland. In all, 6544 samples were analysed for the total and partial concentrations of 57 elements using several different methods (XRF, ICP-MS, ICP-AES, GFAAS). The samples were taken during 1990-1995 with a mini-drill from rock that was as unaltered as possible. The sampling density varies between one sample per 30 km2 and one sample per 120 km2. The chemical analyses of the data were performed during 1992-2001. The reproducibility of the analytical results and the analytical drift were estimated using 375 duplicate sample pairs. The lowest reliable concentration was determined for each element and analytical method. In addition to the chemical concentrations, the database contains spatial data and several geological attributes for each sample. The data set and its manual were published in 2007 and they are available via the web site of the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).

The GTK’s Mineral Deposit database contains all mineral deposits, occurrences and prospects in Finland. Structure of the new database was created in 2012 and it is based on global geostan-dards (GeoSciML and EarthResourceML) and classifications related to them. The database is in Oracle, data products are extracted from the primary database. During 2013 GTK’s separate mineral deposit databases (Au, Zn, Ni, PGE, U, Cu, Industrial minerals, FODD, old ore deposit database) were combined into a single entity. New database contains extensive amount of information about mineral occurrence feature along with its associated commodities, exploration activities, holding history, mineral resource and re-serve estimates, mining activity, production and geology (genetic type, host and wall rocks, min-erals, metamorphism, alteration, age, texture, structure etc.) Database will be updated whenever new data (e.g. resource estimate) is available or new deposit is found. Entries contain references to all published literature and other primary sources of data. Also figures (maps, cross sections, photographs etc.) can be linked to mineral deposit data. Data is based on all public information on the deposits available including published literature, archive reports, press releases, companies’ web pages, and interviews of exploration geologists. Database contains 33 linked tables with 216 data fields. Detailed description of the tables and fields can be found in separate document. (http://tupa/metaviite/MDD_FieldDescription.pdf) The data products extracted from the database are available on Mineral Deposits and Exploration map service (http://gtkdata.gtk.fi/MDaE/index.html) and from Hakku -service (http://hakku.gtk.fi).

The data set relating to overall mapping of national peat resources contains by focus area those mires over 20 ha in extent that are most important from a peat production perspective. Since 1975 additional smaller areas have been included as required. For each mire, there are data on mire type, peat type, peat reserves, peat physical properties, mires that are suitable for peat production, peat quality and exploitable peat reserves. This information is published in municipality-specific peat investigation reports that present general information on each mire investigated and their applicability to energy, horticultural and environmental peat production as well as to protection purposes, among other uses.

NLS-FI INSPIRE Geographical Names Theme Dataset is a dataset depicting the Named Places and Geographical Names covering the whole of Finland. It contains the following INSPIRE feature types: NamedPlace The elements are updated weekly. The dataset is based on the Geographic Names Register of the National Land Survey of Finland: http://www.paikkatietohakemisto.fi/geonetwork/srv/fin/catalog.search#/metadata/eec8a276-a406-4b0a-8896-741cd716ade6 The dataset is available via the NLS-FI INSPIRE Download Service (WFS) for Geographical Names Theme and it can be viewed via the NLS-FI INSPIRE View Service (WMS) for Geographical Names.