Case Metsähallitus
- Open source technologies
- Integrated data sources
- PostGIS & GIS
- DevOps Practices
- Responsive Map Service
- UX/UI Design
Excursionmap.fi is is provided by metsähallitus, parks & wildlife Finland. It’s a free web map service that contains state and municipality-owned nature destinations, trails and structures built for hikers, such as campfire sites, lean-to shelters and wilderness huts. The map also includes state-owned fishing and hunting areas.
Metsähallitus wanted to renew the service, and Anders won the Excursionmap.fi service development and maintenance tender among eight providers, based on price and quality factors.
Challenges
After Excursionmap.fi was first launched in 2007, various versions of the service had been created to cater to different online services and mobile devices. This led to an administratively laborious and cumbersome set of user interfaces. The challenge was to streamline the map’s features and ensure that it would scale seamlessly across all devices and online services offered by Metsähallitus.
The service was completely redesigned and developed by Anders, resulting in a responsive map application and infrastructure. The new service was released in 2020 and quickly gained popularity, attracting a million visitors just in the first seven weeks.
”Of course, it has since been overhauled a few times over the years and constantly evolving, but it was still a real dinosaur in terms of web services. It was about the time to redesign by update specifications and implement the latest software products.”
Tapani Mikkola
Project Manager, Metsähallitus
The solution
Anders aimed to preserve the popular features of Excursionmap.fi while introducing new ones that would enhance the user experience. The service was redesigned to be easily scalable across various devices and online services, with a special emphasis on improving mobile usability.
The updated Excursionmap.fi now displays location information from Metsähallitus and external data producers on terrain maps, background maps, and aerial photographs. The camping services information provided by municipalities was sourced from the Lipas sports database.
To streamline the deployment process, Excursionmap.fi utilizes DevOps practices, allowing for seamless deployments without the need for third-party involvement or complicated commands. Our own tool called Kólga handles builds, tests, and deployments, and with the power of Kubernetes, we can effortlessly scale the application as needed.
“Overall, the project was really attractive from a technical point of view and offered us a meaningful nut to crack. The excursion map is a really large entity, which combines several information sources and map services.”
Aslan Venejoki
Project Manager, Anders
Asiakkaamme kommentit työskentelystä Andersin kanssa
Tapani Mikkola
Project Manager, Metsähallitus
