Part of the continuous nationwide monitoring of radionuclides in Finland. The dose rate monitoring network in Finnish Lapland comprise 32 automatic measurement stations (Finnish nation-wide monitoring network consists of about 257 stations equipped with GM tubes). Three of the stations are equipped with LaBr3-detectors measuring a gammaspectrum with 10 minute intervals. The network is intended for civilian defence and surveillance purposes, not for research. It is a good early warning system in radiation fallout situation. Every monitoring station have individual alarm level: 7 days average dose rate + 0.1 microSv/h. The dense network indicate also the extent of the radioactive contamination.
Automatic dose rate monitoring of gamma radiation, microSv/h. In normal conditions the monitoring results from the automatic network are collected once a day. Until 1999 the data was gathered, stored and displayed by the SVO+ system, which at the end of 1999 replaced by a new radiation monitoring information system USVA . The central hardware of USVA is located in the facilitties of STUK, and the data communication between the central equipment and monitoring stations is performed by the public telephone network If the dose rate at any monitoring station exceeds the pre-set alarm level of 0.4 micro Sv/h the station in question automatically sends alarm messages both to the USVA system and to the regional alarm centre in Helsinki.
The stations cover all municipalities in Lapland.
STUK reports doserate measurement information to European Comission under the article 35. STUK also reports doserate information to other Baltic Sea states.
Russian authorities disconnected the Finnish network for monitoring external dose rate in 8 stations in Kola Peninsula, Russia in about 1996 (?).