The University of Turku's interdisciplinary collaboration spanning geographers, biologists, linguists, and archaeologists has yielded a rich tradition of studying language evolution and human diversity. Over 15 years, our efforts have culminated in the creation of the Uralic Historical Atlas (URHIA, meaning “brave” in Finnish dialect), a dynamic spatial platform that provides open access to spatial databases focusing on human diversity in Finland and Northern Eurasia. This platform emphasizes the commitment of the University of Turku to making data accessible that contributes to transparent science and effective collaboration for a wider range of insights and perspective
URHIA, built on open-source spatial infrastructure GeoNode by GeoSolutions and integrated into UTU's spatial infrastructure (https://geospatial.utu.fi/resources/utu-geospatial-data-service/), goes beyond being a conventional data repository. It is designed as an interactive spatial platform (https://sites.utu.fi/urhia/) for researchers and lay audiences. Currently hosting the Uralic Language Atlas and the Archaeological Artefact Atlas of Finland, URHIA transforms into a live data showroom, presenting thematic spatial datasets through interactive online maps. In addition to these achievements, the impact of other similar initiatives that use UTU’s spatial infrastructure is noticeable worldwide, especially on those that aim to improve the skill of university students which provide more employment opportunities, build the capacity of university staff, promote open access to digital e-assets and improving student digital skills and competences.
This presentation delves into the development of the framework and sharing of groundbreaking new open data through an online spatial data platform, emphasizing platform development and data-specific challenges. The presentation showcases a) The Uralic Language Atlas (distribution of Uralic language speaker areas), an initiative digitized by the interdisciplinary BEDLAN (https://bedlan.net/) research team, and b) the Archaeological Artefact Atlas of Finland, an initiative from over 10-year effort of collaborative research groups to digitize Finnish archaeological artefacts, made available just in the end of 2023. The participatory design and user-centric principles adopted during the URKO project (2020-2022) laid the foundation for this inclusive approach. and c) a list of initiatives that use UTU’s spatial infrastructure for digital skills development for Geospatial Employment
The first interactive map URHIA's Language maps, represents a significant leap in digital linguistics. In a landscape where extensive databases of geographical language distributions are often missing, URHIA stands out as a pioneering initiative. Developed collaboratively at the University of Turku, the Uralic Language Atlas provides a groundbreaking open dataset. The second showroom is a workflow in progress, the Archaeological Artefact Atlas of Finland. Presenting data from the Archaeological Artefact Database of Finland (AADA), this atlas provides comprehensive information on over 49,000 collection entries of Finnish archaeological materials. AADA represents a pioneering effort, being the first database of its kind in Finland and possibly globally. Its creation marks a milestone in the digitization and accessibility of archaeological data, setting the stage for similar initiatives worldwide. The third showroom is the list of initiatives with their process and cases that use UTU’s spatial infrastructure for enhancing digital skills for geospatial employability.
URHIA has evolved into a dynamic tool that caters to diverse research needs through collaborative teamwork and a commitment to user-centric design. Highlighting the unique open dataset within URHIA, this presentation underscores the concept of following scientific FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. The Uralic Language Atlas and the Archaeological Artefact Atlas of Finland exemplify the commitment to making data findable and accessible, contributing to the larger vision of transparent science and promoting effective collaboration, leading to a broader and more diverse range of insights and perspectives.