• GIST Lab

    GIScience for Sustainability Transformations (GIST) Lab advances research, teaching and open-source scientific software related to sustainable development.

About Research Group

We at GIST Lab are an interdisciplinary research group interested in harnessing GIScience-based spatial methods and modelling to better understand and address sustainability challenges. Our key research areas include sustainable mobility, spatial accessibility, sustainable water resource management, urban design and planning, as well as cybersecurity related open spatial data. Guided by seasoned scholars and driven by innovative young minds, we aim to craft solutions for a resilient, sustainable future. 

We are based at the Department of Built Environment, Aalto University.

GIST Lab is home to a diverse group of spatial data enthusiasts working a variety of topics ranging from sustainable cities and mobility to water resource management and agriculture.

You can find all our current team members from the PEOPLE page.

Global gridded population datasets systematically underrepresent rural population (2025)

Josias Láng-Ritter, Marko Keskinen & Henrikki Tenkanen

Spatial accessibility and transport inequity in Finland: Open source models and perspectives from planning practice (2025)

Matti Pönkänen, Henrikki Tenkanen, Miloš Mladenović

Threats Related to Open Geospatial Data in the Uncertain Geopolitical Environment (2024)

Jussi Nikander, Teemu Jama, Henrikki Tenkanen

A data-driven approach for estimating travel-related carbon emissions with high spatial and temporal granularity (2024)

Henrikki Tenkanen, Ngoc Chau, Subhrasankha Dey

Compact city and urban planning: Correlation between density and local amenities (2024)

Teemu Jama, Henrikki Tenkanen, Henrik Lönnqvist, Anssi Joutsiniemi

Measuring just accessibility within planetary boundaries. (2024).

Elias Willberg, Henrikki Tenkanen, Harvey Miller, Rafael H.M. Pereira & Tuuli Toivonen

Funders