Don't feed the recession - use the elevation model

While writing this article, the first working day of the week has already been referred to as the "Black Monday". Newspapers are filled with news about lay-offs and cuts in jobs caused by the recession. An advertising agency in Helsinki has initiated a campaign "don't feed the recession" to remind the public about the effects bad economic news have on consumption, and before long the consumers fall into a vicious circle. Without further reflecting on the agency's motives the essential message of the campaign is to maintain as many jobs as possible. 

Leading politicians have set forth measures to resuscitate the economy. When Prime Minister Vanhanen presented his suggestion for an employment and future program "Finland's Third Way" during the nine o'clock news, I was somewhat amazed how familiar the list of possible investment objects sounded: development of road and railway networks, energy projects, especially bio-energy projects, expansion of broadband services, development of mining industry and so on. Where had I seen such a list before?

Next morning I found the answer at work. I had previously compiled an almost similar list of objects, in which the NLS new elevation model and data sets acquired using laser scanning could be employed. Laser scanning provides valuable additional information to be used for planning infrastructure, mapping peat reserves and calculating excavation amounts, just to name a few applications. We should by no means forget the applications that aim to predict exceptional circumstances such as mapping areas at risk of flooding or planning emergency landing zones close to airports.

Representatives of various fields and authorities have participated in planning the production of the elevation model and the areas to be laser scanned in the near future. The parties hope that co-operation provides elevation data that is to serve many different purposes. According to the response received during the first year of production we have succeeded with this task. The interest towards the new elevation model and the data provided by laser scanning has exceeded our expectations, and the data has also been employed in various projects. As regards co-operation and elevation model production, we will be carrying on in a similar manner this year.

Geographic data sets, such as accurate elevation models, allow us to carefully plan various projects.  Detailed planning often results in savings and hopefully provides several job opportunities. The new accurate geographic data may encourage collaborators to start new projects or to come up with entirely new innovations. 

The topographic data and the new elevation model produced by the NLS are valuable assets in the economic recovery package. Whether you need to find the Third Way or highway number three the accurate and up-to-date geographic data provides the answer. Don't feed the recession; take a step back and return down to earth.

Heli Laaksonen
GIS-specialist
The Aerial Image Centre