Hillshading of the City of Helsinki

The Helsinki hillshading image, or shaded relief image, is a raster data that visualises elevation variations in the terrain. The dataset was produced from the 2017 “ground point” laser scanning data. The data includes an interpolated height model, i.e. a shaded relief raster image.

Four different images have been produced. The field resolution of all raster images is 50 cm/pixel. The pixel values of the raster are 8-bit grayscale or 24-bit RGB colour image. In Tiff images, terrain shapes have been programmatically enhanced with three different “sunlight orientations”:

1. 45 degrees, direction of the sun from the northeast.
2. 315 degrees, direction of the sun from the northwest.
3. Image illuminated from six directions, produced in 60-degree increments
4. Image illuminated from six directions, produced in 60-degree increments, colour version

Previewing the data in the kartta.hel.fi service:

• Multi-directional, colour
• All hillshading layers can be found on the website: https://kartta.hel.fi/ > Layers > Hillshadings

Coordinate systems

• Maintained in ETRS-GK25 (EPSG:3879), can be projected to other coordinate systems. See GetCapabilities query for other possible coordinate systems.

API addresses:

• WMS API: https://kartta.hel.fi/ws/geoserver/avoindata/wms

WMS layers:

• Vinovalovarjoste_2017_HS_45_05m
• Vinovalovarjoste_2017_HS_315_05m
• Vinovalovarjoste_2017_MDHS_05m
• Vinovalovarjoste_2017_MDHS_varipinta_05m

Administrator: City of Helsinki, Urban environment division, Services and permits, City Survey services