Kuusamo moves from guesswork to data-driven management – Fluent Outdoors brings real-time visibility and planning to trail networks
When people in Kuusamo talk about trails and rest areas for outdoor enthusiasts, they are not referring to just a couple of paths and parking bays.
This geographically vast municipality – and one of Finland’s most popular travel destinations – maintains a network that includes hundreds of kilometers of ski tracks, cycling and snowmobile routes, as well as swimming and rest areas. In addition, Kuusamo is responsible for maintaining ice rinks, skating areas, sports fields, playgrounds, and parks.
These sites are used annually by more than 100,000 locals and visitors.
Tracking and maintaining such a large entity manually would be slow and inefficient. That’s why Kuusamo adopted Fluent Outdoors in the late 2010s.
It’s no longer realistic to travel tens of kilometers just to check the status of a site. Both we and our contractors receive up-to-date information from Fluent Outdoors.
At first, the service was used only for ski tracks and snowmobile routes. But following the pandemic years and continued development, its use expanded rapidly. As the benefits became evident in day-to-day operations, summer trails, beaches, fitness stairs, sports fields, and public parking areas were also brought into the system.
Fluent Outdoors gives residents and visitors a real-time view of the maintenance status of ski tracks and snowmobile routes. For summer trails, the service displays route lines and rest points, while condition data is produced using other geospatial tools used by Kuusamo.
“It’s no longer realistic to travel tens of kilometers just to check the status of a site. Both we and our contractors receive up-to-date information from Fluent Outdoors”, says Taneli Kaakinen, Planning Engineer for Kuusamo’s Community Infrastructure.
Users get instant information on trail conditions
For tourists, the improvement in service quality has been tangible.
While information in many other services may update with delays, Fluent Outdoors shows the status of ski tracks and snowmobile routes immediately. Travelers make decisions on their phones – and the information must be accurate at that very moment.
“Today’s traveler wants and needs basic information on trail conditions and difficulty levels quickly. Fluent Outdoors provides everything in one place, visually clear and mobile-friendly. This is crucial for people moving on the trails.”
Fluent Outdoors provides everything in one place, visually clear and mobile-friendly. This is crucial for people moving on the trails.
The application also makes the city’s daily work easier:
“We can direct anyone asking about trail conditions straight to the service.”
Data-driven management is now everyday practice
In the past few years, Kuusamo has implemented continuous visitor monitoring, first on the Vuosseli route in Ruka and then on three other outdoor trails. The vision is to expand monitoring to additional routes.
The first monitored sites have already changed operational practices: instead of relying on estimates, decisions are now supported by accurate data showing when trails are used and how visitor volumes fluctuate. Limited resources can be directed where usage is highest and maintenance needs are greatest.
“We aim to base maintenance decisions increasingly on geospatial data. For example, the necessary upgrades to the ski track network are carried out in summer, but the planning must start already the previous winter.”
We aim to base maintenance decisions increasingly on geospatial data.
Systematic data collection also ensures that knowledge about trail conditions is not dependent on tacit information.
“Previously the information existed only in people’s heads. When an experienced person retired, that knowledge could disappear with them.”
Real-time geospatial information is also crucial in a changing climate. Trail conditions can no longer be checked simply by looking at the calendar as before.
“In Kuusamo, we can no longer rely on having 20 centimeters of snow in November as we used to. This clearly shows that the climate and conditions are changing. Data-driven management, geospatial information, and real-time updates become even more important as weather grows more unpredictable. We cannot rely only on warning signs placed in the field.”
Data-driven management, geospatial information, and real-time updates become even more important as weather grows more unpredictable.
Use of Fluent Outdoors in Kuusamo has increased in step with expanded content.
The service is now used by more than 300,000 users annually, from countries including Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Spain, and the United States.
Vision: Bringing all of Koillismaa into one system
Taneli Kaakinen praises the smooth cooperation with Fluent Progress. Kuusamo’s development requests have been added to the backlog, and when problems have occurred, help has arrived within the same day.
“Fluent has a great hands-on attitude, and the investments required relative to the benefits gained are small. And the application is extremely easy to use.”
The next step is clear: the system should be expanded across the entire Koillismaa region.
“Trails cross municipal borders. We have national parks here, and all of them fall within the reach of Kuusamo Airport. It would be a major advantage if everything were managed in one system. Nobody has extra time, so operations must be well planned.”
Outdoors in Kuusamo
- The number of Outdoors users has grown significantly as the service has expanded. Today, it is used annually by over 300,000 users.
- The service has users from more than 10 countries.
- Over 70% of users access the service on mobile devices.
- Most traffic comes from search engines and social media.
- Local content added for Kuusamo includes hazard points, first aid locations, dog-friendly ski tracks, birdwatching spots, and canoeing routes.
- Automatic visitor counters are in use, functioning even in areas with weak network coverage.