Municipalities 2022 (1:4 500 000): Version History

The 'table__history' is a part of a dataset collection that is sourced from the Finnish Statistics Bureau, 'Tilastokeskus'. This particular table serves as a historical record of its base table rows, offering a comprehensive view of how the data has evolved over time. The base table contents, titled 'Kunnat 2022' in Finnish, can be translated to 'Municipalities 2022' in English. The base content provides detailed information about Finnish municipalities at a scale of 1:4,500,000.

The table is enriched with numerous columns, each serving a unique purpose. In particular, the columns '_start_date' and '_end_date' are crucial as they denote the timeline during which a particular row of data was valid. In other words, '_start_date' indicates when a row was extracted from the source, while '_end_date' specifies when a new version of the same row was extracted. If the '_end_date' column displays a null value, it signifies that the row is the most recent version. The '_row_number' column contains the number of the row in the raw data, and together with '_start_date', it uniquely identifies each row in this version history table.

Geographical information is embedded in the columns starting with 'geom_'. These data points are vital for geospatial data analytics and are presented using the WGS 84 coordinate reference system, with the axis order being longitude first, followed by latitude. The 'geom_type' specifies the type of geographic data, and the 'geom_centroid', 'geom_center_x', and 'geom_center_y' provide the geographic center points.

The table also includes columns like 'name', 'namn', 'nimi', and 'vuosi', offering further insight into the municipalities' names in different languages and the year of data collection, respectively.

This table can be of immense use in data analytics. For instance, the geographic information can be leveraged to visualize changes in municipalities over time on a map, providing policymakers with a visual tool to understand local trends. Additionally, the version history could serve as a source of truth during audits or when validating data accuracy over a given period. Moreover, researchers could use this table to study the development of specific regions by comparing historical data, thereby identifying patterns or trends that might influence future policies.