Pilot definition of selected Shared Arctic Variables (SAVs)
The Roadmap for Arctic Observing and Data Systems Roadmap for Arctic Observing and Data Systems (Arctic ROADS) process aims to shape investments and partnerships for the improved sustainment of Arctic observing and data systems.
The EU-funded project ArcticPASSIONhas published a report on the process that has piloted three themes: Permafrost, Wildfires and Sea Ice.
The work emphasizes shared ownership of these variables across scientific, Indigenous
and Arctic communities, as well as relevance at local, regional and global scales. A collaborative
approach in defining Shared Arctic Variables (SAVs) aims to ensure that future Arctic observation systems has the highest societal relevance.
Mapping the Polar Data Ecosystem (MPDE)
The polar data community has been organising information about relationships between data centres where these are either sources for information or aggregators of information. The Polar Data Ecosystem facility is found here.
Organised by the EU-funded project ArcticPASSION, a report has been published with details from an exercise completed in 2024 to update the information in the facility. A summary of the data collected is available through the platform statistics web page. As of March 2025, a total of 96 data catalogues are organised through the platform, and a total of 183 harvesting relationships are documented.
If you are the manager of a data centre that organises polar data and would like your data centre/catalogue to be registered through the facility, then please contact the SAON Secretariat ().
The next Polar Data Forum
The Polar Data Forum is a place where polar data holders get together and make more use of data. The Forum has two main components: the Conference, where the border between funding, policy and data is explored through presentations and posters; and Workshop Sessions & Hackathons, where the Polar Data Community opens the dialogue to make progress on their shared objectives. Polar Data Forum VI will be hosted by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC) from October 20th through 24th, 2025 and will be held at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Forum follows International Data Week (IDW), which is to be held in Brisbane, Australia on the 13th to 16th of October, 2025. More information here: https://polar-data-forum.org/
Meet the SAON Board
The SAON Board will have a virtual meeting during the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 23rd March 13:30 – 17:00 MDT / 20:30-24:00 CET. Focus will be on the work of the Arctic Data Committee (ADC) and the Committee on Observations and Networks (CON). Meeting documents and information about registration are found here.
The 2024 SAON annual report
The 2024 SAON annual report is available here.