Public administration sampling and updating service

Through the service, public administration organisations can:

  • access personal and construction data from the Population Information System with their chosen sampling criteria.
  • keep their customer register up to date with data from the Population Information System.

Samplings and updates are done in bulk. This means that the registers undergoing updates and the person and building groups that are sampled often comprise tens of thousands of units. We tailor the content of the disclosed data to the applicant's needs.

Inquiries or requests for information concerning individuals are not covered by this service.

For whom and for what purpose?

The data generated in the service is typically used for the planning and investigation tasks of the authorities and for scientific research. Personal sampled or updated data can also be used in register-based studies.

The service customers include different public administration organisations, such as

  • national and regional authorities
  • a municipality or joint municipal authority
  • regional rescue services
  • universities and various research institutes.

Findata

PLEASE NOTE: If your research or other information needs are related to the secondary use of social and health data and you intend to combine the data from the Population Information System with data from other controllers, contact the Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority Findata.

If you do not intend to combine Population Information System data with other data, apply for a data permit from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (go to the section Follow these instructions).

What does sampling mean?

In the sampling process, certain persons or buildings that meet the sampling criteria are retrieved from the Population Information System. From the selected target group, a random sample or all individuals or buildings belonging to the target group can be selected.

Examples of sampling criteria include:

  • age, gender or mother tongue of the person,
  • building features, such as intended use or outfitting,
  • area, such as the person's municipality of residence or the municipality where the building is located.

Samplings may be one-off events or repeatedly performed according to the customer's needs. Only the information that is essential for the purpose of use is disclosed on the persons or buildings. The sampling services also offer information packages of different sizes that contain data on persons or buildings.

What is a customer register update?

The personal data in the customer's register is updated on a one-off basis with up-to-date data from the Population Information System. The update is carried out on the basis of personal identity codes. If there are no personal identity codes in the customer's register, the persons can be identified from the Population Information System based on their name and date of birth.

Registers that are updated include:

  • standard student data updates by educational institutions
  • updates to membership information of unemployment funds
  • data updates of compensation recipients of insurance companies.

Non-standard updates include updating address information to invite a specific set of patients or research subject group to a follow-up visit.

Follow these instructions

An organisation wishing to use the services must receive a data access authorisation from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (administrative decision) and pledge to observe the terms and conditions of the authorisation.

Go to e-service

You can contact the service by sending an email to [email protected].

Content of disclosed data

Processing time and pices

Mass data requests for media

Contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's Communications Department.

See also

Other bulk sampling and updating services provided by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency

  • Data extraction for municipalities is a self-service application, which makes it possible to extract personal data needed by the municipality for the performance of its statutory tasks and to contact inhabitants of the municipality. 
  • The modified data update service enables government or municipal authorities to keep their registers up to date. The service is particularly suitable for updating large registers that are used daily. The modified data update service updates registers with the changes recorded in the Population Information System at certain intervals.
  • Private sector information services provide private companies and organisations with the opportunity to keep their customer registers up to date using the Population Information System data. Information is provided to private actors through the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's partners.

Andra användbara webbplatser

  • The Open Data website Avoindata.fi contains comprehensive information on, for example, building and apartment data.
  • The official controller of real estate data is the National Land Survey.
  • Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority Findata.fi
  • Statistics Finland is the official statistical authority in Finland.
 

Population of Finland 5 647 431