Jämsä-Jukola competition area is mainly of fabric forest with a lot of conifers. It is widely known that trees grow fast in Central Finland – and now this has been found in practice. Maps of the Jämsä-Jukola competition area are mainly made by the orienteer Timo Joensuu. Major part of the work was done in autumn 2011.

– I tried to foresee the future growth of the trees then but still a lot of the qualifications needed update, says Timo.

Computer-aided track planning

Timo, an entrepreneur with orienteer background, works in IT business by day. Maps for the orienteering tracks he has been planning since he was a teen. – Few years ago the interest almost faded away but along with the new technical tools I have found the passion again. Nowadays with the online GPS tracking and laser scanning the work is highly interesting and offers nice change in the everyday work in the office, Timo explains.

Track planning is not made by pen and paper anymore. In practice Timo walks in the terrain with a tablet computer with which he draws the digital map on the spot. With the GPS transmitter in his hat he is able to monitor his own location precisely all the time. With this method every target is at least in two meters distance from the absolute location. Accuracy is increased by the laser scanning made of the terrain giving a solid basis for example to the altitude diagrams– In practice, when standing by a rock the GPS shows on which side of the rock I am. This accuracy is even more than we need for an orienteering map! In interpretation I have followed qualifications and my own experience in orienteering. The outcome is therefore well a Jukola-class map, Timo assures.

Forest machinery churns in the nightmares

Jämsä-Jukola map development is closely followed by the official inspectors Heikki Peltola (the Finnish Orienteering Federation), Kari Häkkinen (Orienteering Club Vaajakosken Terä) and Jämsä-Jukola Map and Track Manager Pentti Helminen. Also, Pasi Jokelainen, map responsible from the Finnish Orienteering Federation has taken a look of the terrain in advance.

– What comes to the work in terrain the map is ready. We will follow the situation during the winter in case of eventual changes. During the winter we will finalize the map for the printing. My worst nightmare includes forest machinery making the terrain all different, Timo reveals.

Timo Joensuu is a 33-year old IT entrepreneur with orienteering as a hobby. His company Tietotemput Oy has among other things designed the Jukola website. Timo is still an active orienteer and aspires after a nice placement in 2013 Finnish Championship. – I have participated in 19 Jukola relays, in all that I have could since I was 15 years old. I also wanted to do the Jämsä-Jukola, so I needed couple of weeks to decide whether to agree on making the map. Now I think I made the right decision, Timo says.

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