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Topographic data and how to acquire it

The National Land Survey maintains topographic data and produces maps, aerial photos and laser scanning data from the entire country.

Our datasets contain, for example, place names, roads, buildings, waterways, fields, topographic features and elevations as well as administrative boundaries.

Topographic data is available in a variety of different products.

Topographic data is open data

You can download topographic data online through our website or by placing a separate order. You can also use our interface service.

Topographic data is free of charge and fall under the NLS’s open data licence. A handling and processing charge is collected for separate orders and using our interface service is subject to a maintenance fee.

Interface services

You can download data directly to your own application via our interface services. To use our interface services, you need an application that can request and download selected data from the NLS's server.

Using our interface services requires a contract. The datasets acquired through the service are free of charge. A maintenance fee is collected for the use of the service, but we offer a free trial period for the service. Some of our interface services are open access and free of charge.

Read more about interface services from our website in Finnish:

Free downloads

You can download topographic data as files at Mapsite. You can choose the data you want and select its format, as well as the area the data covers. You will receive a link from the service that you can use to download the topographic data you have selected. This service is free of charge.

If you repeatedly need large amounts of laser scanning data or aerial photographs, you can download the data via the directory user interface.

Go to Mapsite

Ordering data

You need to place a separate order if:

  • The data is not available via the File service of open data.
  • You need the data on a CD or hard drive.
  • You need large amounts of data, such as aerial photographs covering all of Finland.

Orders are subject to a handling and processing charge. Look at price list (in Finnish)

Data orders