Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks - SAON

Data and Information Services for Arctic observational activities

Jan René LarsenSAON Secretary

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (Arctic Council)

,

Salekhard Declaration

In November 2006, the Arctic Council (AC) urged all member nations to maintain and extend long-term monitoring of change in the Arctic, with a view to building a lasting legacy of the International Polar Year (2007-08). Further, the AC requested that the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme work with other AC working groups, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and other partners in this effort, to meet identified societal needs.

The goal of developing an Arctic Observing Network as a legacy of IPY was also endorsed by the WMO (2007).

Vision

The SAON vision is that users should have access to free, open and high quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits.

Attaining this vision, requires an enhancement of Arctic-wide observing activities through coordination and integration and to promote sharing and synthesis of data and information.

Arctic

Global Observing

Arctic and Global Value-added Services & Societal Benefits

Decision-Making

Policy-Making

ScientificResearch

& Education

Forecasting& Prediction

Data Products

ArcticObserving

OperationalObserving

(international and national)

ResearchObserving

Community-basedObserving;

Local & Traditional Knowledge

A Gateway to Arctic Data

Building BlocksSAON

1 2 3 4 5 etc.

SAON will promote coordination & improved services

Existing Observing Networks are the SAON Building Blocks

Ocean, Sea Ice

• IABP

• IAOOS

Coasts

• ACCO-Net

Rivers

• Arctic-HYDRA

Cryosphere

• IGOS

• TSP, GTN-P, CALM

• GLACIODYN

Terrestrial

• SCANNET

• CEON

Biodiversity / Biology

• CBMP

• Polar Bear Group

• CARMA

Atmosphere

• IASOA

• WMO Networks

• GAW

• GUAN

Human Dimensions

• Arctic Social Indicators

• Bering Sea Sub-Network

• ELOKA

• Arctic Human Health Initiative

(..and many others)

The benefits of SAON• From the present fragmentory state there is a need to fill

spatial, temporal and disciplinary gaps in observing records, to strengthen the sustainability of observing programs, and make data more readily available.

• When common scientific interests exist, the benefit of sharing data are great compared to the cost of duplicate acquisition or analysis.

SAON – Committee on Information and Data Services (CDIS)

Provide advice and guidance to the SAON Board with respect to implementation of activities, products and infrastructure associated with facilitating free and easy access to all types of Arctic-related information.

Will be responsible for the establishment of an integrated information system; the Circum-Arctic Information System (CAIS). It is highly recommended by that the CDIS utilize existing development plans and methodologies for establishing CAIS

SAON Project: “Polar Metadata Profile"

• Develop an ISO compliant metadata profile for discovery of Arctic and Antarctic data (based on ISO 19115)

• Develop  documentation of the metadata profile• Develop a show-case system to enhance adoption of

the profile in the Arctic scientific community

SAON Project: "Coordination of existing Arctic relevant Meta-databases and Project

Directories"

• A list of relevant Arctic meta-databases and Project Directories

• Implement the standard SAON meta-data profile • Develop and implement web-services to allow

interoperable access to selected systems

”GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) Architecture Design Document”

• Section 4.1: ‘GEOSS architecture defines also another type of portal service mainly focusing on specific communities and referred to as “Community Portals”. Community Portals provide a user interface for a specific community serving a specific research interest, SBA, etc.’

• SAON contributes to the development of the ‘GEOSS Community Portal Paper’

An outline of a vision

1. SAON partners make metadata about their observations, projects, platforms, programs available according to standardized formats and available for harvesting

2. Harvesting user interface can be done by a SAON “Community Portals” as part of GEOSS

3. Harvesting can be done by any other standardized harvester

More information:www.arcticobserving.org