Searching and browsing the catalogue, reading a resource page and downloading data work for most people, but the service does not yet fully meet the standard. The interactive map viewer, keyboard focus and image descriptions have known gaps. They are listed in section 03.
Scope of this statement
This statement concerns the UTU Geospatial data service at geodata.utu.fi, the open catalogue of geospatial research data maintained by the University of Turku. The service is built on GeoNode, with the MapStore viewer used for maps and GeoStories.
The University of Turku seeks to make its digital services accessible in line with the Web Accessibility Directive of the European Parliament (2016/2102/EU), which in Finland is implemented by the Act on the Provision of Digital Services. This statement does not cover the companion blog at blog.geonode.utu.fi.
Compliance status
The service has not yet had a full assessment against level AA of WCAG 2.1. An initial review by the service team found it to be partially compliant: the catalogue pages mostly work, the map viewer and some parts of the interface do not yet.
- Several ways to reach a resource: search, filters, type pages and the community directory
- Each resource has its own page with its description and metadata as text
- Datasets can be downloaded as files to use in your own software instead of the map viewer, where the owner allows downloads
- The map viewer cannot be fully operated by keyboard or screen reader
- Resource thumbnails are published without alternative text
- Most pages show no visible focus indicator when moving through them with a keyboard
- There is no skip-to-content link, so keyboard users pass the whole menu on every page
Known accessibility problems
These are the parts of the service we know are not accessible yet.
| WHERE | WHAT GETS IN THE WAY | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| Map viewer | Pan, zoom and layer controls cannot all be reached with a keyboard, and a screen reader cannot read what the map shows. Where downloads are allowed, the dataset page offers the same data as a file. | Known issue |
| Thumbnails | Preview images for datasets, maps and documents are generated automatically and carry no alternative text. | Known issue |
| Keyboard focus | On most pages the focused link or button is not visibly highlighted, and there is no link to skip past the menu. | Known issue |
| Uploaded documents | PDFs, images and spreadsheets uploaded by research groups are not checked for accessibility before publication. | Known issue |
Content not covered by the law
Some material on the service falls outside the accessibility legislation:
- Office file formats such as .doc, .pdf and .odt published before 23 September 2018.
- Video or audio recordings published before 23 September 2020, and live broadcasts that are not recorded.
- Third-party basemaps and embedded elements maintained outside the university, whose accessibility we cannot guarantee.
How we prepared this statement
This statement was drafted on 1 October 2026 by the service team, based on an initial review of the live service. It is not yet the result of a full assessment and will be updated when one has been made.
The review covered the home page, the catalogue and its filters, dataset, map and document pages, and the map viewer.
Give us feedback
If something on the service blocks you, or you need a dataset in a different format, tell us. Feedback sent to the University of Turku is answered within 14 days.
University of Turku accessibility feedback
kirjaamo@utu.fi- The page or dataset you were on
- What you were trying to do
- The browser and any assistive technology you use
You can also write to the University of Turku registry at kirjaamo@utu.fi or use the university's feedback form; they handle accessibility feedback for all university services.
Supervisory authority
If you are not satisfied with our reply, or do not hear from us within two weeks, you can contact the supervisory authority. Their website explains how to file a complaint and how it will be handled.
This statement was drafted on 1 October 2026 and last reviewed on 1 October 2026.