Travel times to the nearest health centre by wellness area
The travel times of the map are based on the nearest health centre SoteDataLabdata calculated in the research project. The materials behind the map graph and the codes used to produce them can be found on the github page of our project. In addition, we have written a document in which we describe in more detail the data and methods needed to calculate travel times.
We have extracted the population data from the maps from Statistics Finland the Population Screens. In the dataset, the whole country is divided into 1 km – 1 km boxes. The dataset contains information on how many people lived in each screen at the end of 2023. However, in the data of our project, the travel times have been calculated at a more accurate 250-metre grid level. In order to combine Statistics Finland's population data with our data, we have divided the population of the kilometre square evenly between the 250-metre squares it contains. For persons over 64 years of age, population data are not available at screen level if there are fewer than 10 representatives of that age group in the screen. In this case, we have considered the population of that age group to be zero. When you click on a health centre on the map, you can see for how many people this health centre is the closest we estimate. The nearest health centre is determined according to which health centre is the shortest distance by car from the screen in question. Travel times are the median travel times between a person who lives in minutes and a health centre screen. The average travel time shown above the map reflects the average travel time of all inhabited squares in the dataset to the nearest health centre.
The names and locations of health centres have been collected from public sources on the websites of the wellbeing services counties. Location information is geocoded and linked to 250 m boxes SoteDataLabin the project. The map shows the health centres that have been in operation in the summer of 2025.
If you have any questions or thoughts about the data or the map, please contact us at a low threshold. SoteDataLabin the team.
Travel Time Tool
Note: Due to the large size of the data, there may be a delay in downloading the map and selecting the wellness area. The map works in a limited way on mobile devices as well as in the Safari browser on macOS. We recommend using a desktop browser (Chrome, Edge or Firefox) for the best experience.
Instructions for use:
- Select the desired wellness area from the menu (note that there may be a delay in downloading the map)
- Hover over the screen: The travel time of the screen to the nearest health centre (min) will be displayed.
- Hover the mouse over the health station: The name of the health centre will appear.
- Select or delete health stations by clicking on the health station circle or by using the menu above the map.
- The average travel time shown in the map menu is automatically updated when health stations are added or removed.
Check out other publications:
What are the differences between digital clinic solutions in wellbeing services counties?
Travel time materials
GitHub link: https://github.com/SoteDataLab/travel_times