What is geoinformatics?
Geoinformatics focuses on the collection, management, and analysis of geographic information using spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and GPS technology.
What is spatial data?
Spatial data is data that is related to a specific location or geographical area. Spatial data describes the location, characteristics, and shape of surrounding phenomena. Such data is convenient to manage in geographic information systems.
What is a geographic information system?
A geographic information system (GIS) is a technological tool that allows you to collect, manage, analyze, and visualize spatial data. GIS combines maps and data and allows you to show how different geographic factors are related to each other.
Use of spatial data
All spatial data is freely available in the map applications of the Land and Spatial Development Board. Similarly, data from the Estonian Topographic Database (ETAK), including vector graphics core data, orthophotos, elevation data, and digital maps created on the basis of ETAK, can be downloaded free of charge as open data.
Land and Spatial Development Board geoportal
The geoportal provides more detailed overviews of the Land and Spatial Development Board's spatial data collections and services. It contains links to various map applications and information and learning materials on the use of spatial data, and spatial data can also be downloaded from there.
Estonian Geoportal
The Estonian Geoportal is part of INSPIRE, the European Union's spatial data infrastructure. The portal provides information about the INSPIRE Directive and its implementation in Estonia. An important part of the geoportal is the spatial data catalog, which contains descriptions of many spatial data sets and services, as well as references for their use.
What does Land and Spatial Development Board do in the field of geoinformatics?
The Land and Spatial Development Board's activities in the field of geoinformatics support the fulfillment of the agency's main tasks, such as maintaining the Estonian topographic database and address data system. At the same time, geoinformatics is one of the Land and Spatial Development Board's core activities, responsible for coordination and cooperation in the field, developing interoperable geoinformation systems, and making spatial data available to everyone through the geoportal.
Geoinformatics specialists develop the Estonian Topographic Database (ETAK) and create various production and quality control tools for its more efficient management, so that users receive topographic data that is as up-to-date and high-quality as possible.
Performing machine learning (AI), deep learning, and lidar data analyses, and producing training data that supports, for example, faster updating of ETAK data and the creation of 3D topographic data. Spatial analyses are also performed for other government agencies, e.g., various spatial overlap analyses, calculation of buffer zones for objects, etc.
People most often encounter spatial data when using map applications. Land and Spatial Development Board develops X-GIS 2 map applications.
Through the X-GIS 2 map application, Land and Spatial Development Board publishes its own spatial data as well as that of other government agencies and produces digital base maps and the Estonian base map 1:10,000.
The rapid production and adoption of 3D spatial data has also brought the development of a map window with 3D capabilities into focus.
Reuse of data supports economic development and innovation.
The spatial data of the Land and Spatial Development Board can be downloaded as files from the geoportal
Various spatial data services also offer data viewing and downloading
Access to spatial data and services is also available through the spatial data catalog
It liaises with the European Commission on matters related to the INSPIRE Directive and coordinates communication with information providers to ensure compliance with the requirements of the directive and smooth data exchange between national, private sector, and international institutions.
The department also participates in international working groups on spatial data and geoinformatics.
Related links
Last updated: 06.11.2025
