Areas of Benefit
The Greenland Community Ice Information Service covers the following areas of benefit:
Copernicus Marine Service Region – Coastal area of the Arctic Ocean
Copernicus Marine Service Area of Benefit – Safety
Description of the Service
Polar View’s Community Ice Information Service helps Northern residents navigate safely and efficiently when hunting or travelling. We provide up-to-date information on the ice edge location, regions of land-fast ice, and moving ice in different areas of the Arctic.
The Community Ice Information Service uses near-real-time Sentinel 1 satellite imagery to monitor the ice conditions for communities, showing smooth, rough, and mobile ice regions using a simple green, yellow, and red colour code. Also included is a selection of satellite images (Sentinel 1 and 2, and MODIS), locations of interest, a community basemap containing local knowledge, and a variety of information from the Copernicus Marine Service.
The service assists in identifying dangerous locations and selecting the shortest route around ice ridges and open water. This helps minimize travel time, fuel costs and equipment wear, as well as maximizing the safety of travel on the ice.
The Community Ice Information Service products are stored on an online system and delivered electronically over the Internet. Users can download and print the products from a website, or access them using a Android phone app.
The service became operational when the ice season began in late 2017 and is free to registered users.
Website:
Android Phone App:
Benefits of using Copernicus Marine Service Products
A variety of information products from the Copernicus Marine Service are included, such as:
- Sea ice fraction (ARCTIC_ANALYSIS_FORECAST_PHYS_002_001_a)
- Snow thickness (ARCTIC_ANALYSIS_FORECAST_PHYS_002_001_a)
- Temperature (ARCTIC_ANALYSIS_FORECAST_PHYS_002_001_a)
The integration of this information provides enhanced situational awareness for users with resulting benefits such as:
- Supporting traditional ways of life – Hunting and fishing on the floe edge are critical food sources for northern communities. Travel across the ice between communities is essential to social cohesion.
- Protecting lives – The number of search and rescue incidents will be less because people traveling on the ice will be better prepared. When incidents do occur, the search and rescue responders will be able to better and more safely provide assistance using the information provided
- Contributing to the northern economy
Copernicus Marine Service
With the assistance of the Copernicus Marine Service, Polar View has now extended the Community Ice Information Service to Greenland.
The first demonstration was in the community of Qaanaaq. The service is being extended to all communities in Greenland.
