Polar ice: Integrating, distributing and visualising ice information products for operators in polar waters

The POLAR ICE project has developed a system for integrating and delivering satellite derived ice information products to operators working in the economically and environmentally important Arctic and Antarctic regions. POLAR ICE has been supported by the European Commission's FP7 programme and undertaken by European and Canadian companies and institutes, who are all partners in the Polar View Earth Observation Limited (PVEO) company. It is the aim of PVEO to commercialise the service that has been developed and demonstrated as a part of POLAR ICE.Access to sea ice information derived from satellite earth observation data is critical to support the increasing numbers of Arctic and Antarctic shipping and off-shore operations and to protect the rapidly changing polar environment.To-date the development of sea ice information capabilities has addressed separate elements of complete service chains. In contrast POLAR ICE has linked these separate elements together, filled in known gaps and built a robust integrated service chain.