Description of the project
The VISU environment is an audited operating environment that meets the requirements of the data permit authority (Findata) and secondary legislation (Act on the Secondary Use of Social and Health Data 552/2019). VISU is intended for research that deals with data-licensed or other sensitive and confidential material in accordance with secondary legislation.
The use of the environment is strictly regulated, but the aim is to meet the needs of customers as widely as the law allows. In the VISU environment, Windows or Linux operating systems can be used as a desktop.
With these prospects, VISU will be introduced at the University of Oulu at the end of 2025.
What is Visu needed for?
According to the Act, data processing services for materials obtained from registers must be carried out in a protected computing environment that has been audited by an inspection body.
- Register data: Personal data that is stored in a customer relationship of social welfare and health care or benefit processing in a customer register or an administrative register related to customership.
- Scientific research: In addition to the above, a secure computing environment is needed in e.g. educational data, social studies on minorities, studies on spatial data on endangered species, and trade secrets on product development.
The two faces of Visu
It is also possible to analyze sensitive material in VISU that requires special protection and careful handling. This data is not subject to the Secondary Act, which means that the requirements are lighter. This makes it easier to process and move the data.