Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure (Arctic SDI)

It is 1/6 of the earth’s area; It covers 30 Million square kilometers; It is all time zones; It has 8 Countries; It has a population of over 4 million; It has over 40 indigenous languages; It has unique Biodiversity; This is the Arctic.

A vast number of diverse data sets are produced and distributed by many public and private stakeholders around the world; With a focus on thematic areas including:

• Sustainable development;
• Flora and fauna;
• Contaminants;
• Monitoring and Assessment;
• Protecting the marine environment and;
• Emergency preparedness and response.

These datasets are tied to a location and are geographically referenced. A spatial data infrastructure provides a rich data sharing environment for data distributors to publish in a standardized manner thus enabling analysts easy access and methods to combine diverse sources of information.

In order to predict, understand and react to changes and activities in the Arctic; 8 National Mapping Agencies of the Arctic Countries came together in partnership; With international agreements on standards to enable the discovery – and – use of Geospatial Information and provide improved access to geospatial data; Through the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal.

The Arctic SDI is an infrastructure that aims to provide easy access to:

• A Web based Geoportal for viewing and discovering Geospatial data;
• Authoritative reference data made available from the 8 National Mapping Agencies and international organizations via standards;

By improving access to geospatial data; the Arctic SDI can help us better to predict, understand and react to changes in the Arctic. A response to the impact of climate change and human activities in the Arctic, requires accessible and reliable data to facilitate:

• Monitoring;
• Management;
• Emergency preparedness and
• Decision-making;

The Arctic SDI will provide access to geographically related Arctic data; Digital Maps and tools. These applications lead and guide the development of the Arctic spatial data infrastructure. Information and documentation available by visiting arctic-sdi.org.