The Digital Geography Lab (DGL), part of the Department of Geosciences and Geography in the Faculty of Science, celebrated its 15th anniversary on February 7th. The DGL is an interdisciplinary and international research team focused on analyzing spatial big data on a human scale to promote fair and sustainable societies. Their goal is to understand interactions among people and between people and their environment, providing valuable insights that could inform policymakers and drive societal transformation.
As Professor Tuuli Toivonen explained, the group was initially named the Accessibility Research Group, with its early research focusing on accessibility challenges in both the Peruvian Amazon and the Helsinki region. In 2016, the group officially adopted the name Digital Geography Lab.
Speakers: Elias Willberg, Silviya Korpilo, Robert Klein, and Henrikki Tenkanen
Accessibility has been one of the central research themes for the Lab, and the first part of the seminar was dedicated to exploring this topic. The shared definition of accessibility is «the potential for opportunities for interaction» (Hansen, 1959). Accessibility is connected to a broad range of factors and can influence climate change, well-being, land use, societal development, and sustainability transformations. As Postdoctoral Researcher Elias Willberg points out, the most difficult step in their research is figuring out how to measure accessibility. It is a multidimensional concept that includes multitemporal aspects and is influenced by individual sensitivity.
Accessibility is closely tied to mobility, which is why Postdoctoral Researcher Silviya Korpilo and Doctoral Researcher Robert Klein discussed their ongoing research on the effects of everyday travel on people's lives. Silviya gave a brief explanation about her virtual reality experiments and in-situ analysis of people’s perceptions, while Robert focused on using satellite imagery and mobile big data to assess environmental exposure to elements like greenery, pollution, and noise. Researcher Henrikki Tenkanen emphasized the connection between accessibility and mobility and the importance of research that could help influence human behavior toward more sustainable mobility choices.
Speakers: Tuomas Väisänen, Age Poom, Christoph Fink, and Ilppo Soininvaara
This section began with Postdoctoral Researcher Tuomas Väisänen's explanation of the differences between the concepts of segregation and diversity. Segregation refers to the concentration of people with similar characteristics (such as income, ethnicity, language, or religion) in a specific urban area, while diversity refers to the presence of various social groups, leading to a heterogeneous society. Although diversity can foster tolerance and cooperation, policymakers must prevent segregation, as it can lead to social exclusion. Social segregation is influenced by people’s activity locations and mobility patterns, making mobile data crucial for understanding this phenomenon.
After this presentation, the discussion moved to the use of mobile big data to study the effects of major events on city visitation patterns. The session concluded with Doctor Ilppo Soininvaara’s reflections on future research needs in cities, emphasizing the necessity of more information available for decision-makers, integrating hard data with soft analysis, and incorporating diverse perspectives.
Speakers: Janika Raun, Riku Reunamäki, Olle Järv, Milad Malekzadeh, and Toni Ryynänen
The seminar continued in the afternoon with a section focusing on regional mobility flows. Researcher Janika Raun presented her research on the distribution of second homes and related activities. Postdoctoral Researcher Riku Reunamäki discussed the lack of data on the impacts of remote work and its effect on mobility within cities. His research aims to understand the economic, environmental, and social consequences of remote work.
Researcher Olle Järv addressed the knowledge gap in studying border regions, noting that people’s perspectives are often overlooked. He argued for a new, people-centered mobility perspective to understand these regions, with mobility data potentially serving as a proxy indicator for studying integration and transnationalism. Postdoctoral Researcher Milad Malekzadeh expanded the conversation to migration, urging policymakers to move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. Senior Researcher Toni Ryynänen stressed the importance of a transdisciplinary approach, which involves not only collaboration among experts from different fields but also the active participation of the people being studied (the "living lab" approach). Other future research needs identified included greater accessibility to data, innovation in methodologies, and the integration of AI as a co-researcher.
Speakers: Tuuli Toivonen, Aina Brias Guinart, Tatu Leppämäki, Matti Hästbacka, Anna Hausmann, and Liisa Kajala
The final session of the seminar focused on understanding human-nature interactions and nature-based tourism using mobile data. The common goal among the researchers is to use digital footprints to understand people in nature, and the threats and opportunities relating to recreational use of nature.
Researcher Aina Brias Guinart introduced the pentagon model, which summarizes the essential information needed to understand visitor patterns, preferences, and perceptions. Big data, including demographic (who), thematic (what, why), and spatiotemporal (when, where) aspects, can provide valuable insights into tourist flows. Social media plays a crucial role in gathering this information, and it can be used to better understand the environmental impact of tourism. Other topics of interest included how social media influences our experiences of nature and the role algorithms play in shaping visitors' choices.
This anniversary event showcased the DGL’s broad and impactful research across various themes, from urban sustainability to nature-based tourism. By utilizing spatial big data, and interdisciplinary methods, the Digital Geography Lab continues to make significant strides in shaping a more sustainable and equitable future for cities.