Last November, a bunch of University of Tartu geographers participated in the #30DayMapChallenge on Twitter: Evelyn Uuemaa, Anto Aasa, Tõnu Oja, Janika Raun, Alexander Kmoch, and UT Mobility Lab.
Three geographers – Tõnu Oja, Professor of Geoinformatics and Cartography; Evelyn Uuemaa, Associate Professor in Geoinformatics; and UT Mobility Lab – managed to make thirty maps in a row, one each day. Evelyn repeated her 2019 accomplishment, which was when Finnish GIS professional Topi Tjukanov initiated the challenge for the first time.
In 2020, at least 1378 people tweeted the hashtag. 797 people made 6,882 maps. Geographers used open data and open-source software to make the maps.
Here come 30 selected maps by the University of Tartu geographers, grouped by topic. They visualize both essential and fun facts about Estonia. Clicking on a map opens a larger view.
Population
1. Population map of Estonia

2. Another population map of Estonia

3. Population map: Estonians and Russians

Data: 2011 Population and Housing Census. Map credit: Ago Tominga / UT Mobility Lab
4. Expansion of Tallinn from the 13th C.

Nature
5. Green infrastructure of Estonia

Data: Estonian Environmental Agency, Hendrikson&Co. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa
6. Estonian rivers

7. Standing waterbodies of Estonia

8. Forest loss in Estonia from 2001 to 2019

Data: Global Forest Change (Hansen et al. 2013). Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa
9. Air temperature on 13 November 2020

Data: Estonian Weather Service. Map credit: Anto Aasa
10. Climate change

Infrastructure
11. The electric grid in Estonia

12. The barrier effect of roads

Data: Estonian Road Administration. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa
13. High chimneys in Estonia

Data: Land Board, Estonian Topographic Database. Map credit: Anto Aasa
14. Number of companies in Tallinn

15. Settlements with no bus stops

Agriculture
16. Population of humans and pigs

17. Agricultural fields in Estonia

18. Greenhouses in Estonia

19. Honey farms in Estonia

The Estonian language
20. Dialects in Estonia

Data: Estonian Statistics. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa
21. The isoline of Õ

Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa
22. Place names containing “saar” (“island” in Estonian)

Tartu
23. Viewshed of the highest point in Tartu

Data: Landboard of Estonia. Map credit: Ago Tominga / UT Mobility Lab
24. Skyscrapers in Tartu

25. Bridges in Tartu

26. Movement of people in Tartu

Varia
27. Regular movement in Estonia

28. Most visited Estonian municipalities by foreign tourists

Data: Mobile Positioning Data. Map credit: Janika Raun / UT Mobility Lab
29. Painted Estonia

30. Estonia in the style of Lord of the Rings

Are you interested in maps and geography? Our international master’s programme in Geoinformatics for Urbanised Society (MSc) may be a good bet for you. If you would like to study in Estonian, please check out our BSc programme and MSc programme in Geography.