Holistic infrastructure for knowledge on land-use sector carbon sinks and emissions tracking (HIKET) is a project funded by the Prime Minister's Office (VNK). It improves the carbon balance monitoring system and produces more accurate information on the uncertainties associated with greenhouse gas measurements. The project brings together measurements, satellite data, models and inventories into a single framework, so that the land sector carbon balances can be assessed more reliably and
Current methods do not provide a sufficiently accurate picture of how carbon sinks are developing. Different data sources and calculation methods produce diverging results, and uncertainties are not always well enough understood. HIKET develops solutions to this problem by producing and compiling comparable data and making uncertainties visible, which is central to managing the risks of climate policy.
Developing the observation system is the project's overarching concept, covering four mutually supporting areas of work:
Observation data based on eddy covariance measurements is currently limited in managed forests in particular, so new measurements are targeted at sites that are significant in terms of emissions or sinks for the national greenhouse gas inventory.
The aim is a system in which measurements, models, satellite data and inventories support one another and produce a more accurate picture of the state and development of carbon sinks than before.
The project:
The aim is a comprehensive system that combines the different methods into a single analytical framework.
Carbon balance uncertainty refers to how accurately the magnitude of carbon sinks and emissions can be estimated. Uncertainty arises, for example, from the limited coverage of the measurement network, from the structural assumptions and parameters of the models, and from combining different data sources, such as satellite observations, measurement towers, eddy covariance datasets and inventories, when these have been measured using different methods and at different scales. HIKET makes these uncertainties visible and quantifies them (estimates how large they are), so that decision-making can be based on realistic information.
HIKET produces information and develops tools that help, among other things, to assess the effects of climate measures, compare different scenarios, and identify risks and uncertainties. The aim is to make climate policy more transparent, better justified and more effective.
The information produced by the project can be used by, for example, decision-makers and authorities, researchers, businesses and application developers, organisations and associations, and international actors. For businesses in particular, the project offers high-quality data for developing new services and business models.
HIKET develops an interface through which users can, among other things, examine carbon balances and their uncertainties, compare different scenarios, and combine and analyse different data sources. The interface enables new kinds of analyses and makes the data easier to use than before.
HIKET develops an approach that can be extended beyond Finland. The aim is to create a model that by utilising and developing existing infrastructures and investments at EU supports monitoring of the EU's LULUCF sector, comparability between countries, and more harmonised calculation methods for carbon balances. The project can serve as a basis for a common European system for monitoring carbon balances.
The project brings together Finland's leading expertise in climate and ecosystem research. HIKET is carried out as a collaboration between three organisations: the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). In addition, it involves researchers from, among others, the Finnish Environment Institute and the University of Eastern Finland.
Preliminary results will be presented in connection with the mid-term reporting in autumn 2026. Final results will be completed during 2027, and the final report will be published in August 2027. The project ends in 2027.
The project's progress can be followed on the website and through LinkedIn. HIKET also works with stakeholders and develops solutions together, based on users' needs.
Below are listed links to the some key concepts, models and information sources used in the HIKET project, whereas information is available in English.
Datasets and inventories