ArcticInfo is a research project financed by the Fram Centre, based in Tromsø, Norway. It is a collaborative effort that aims to analyze the development of information systems in the Arctic and how these affect economic activities.
Large investments are currently made to improve mapping, monitoring, observing and surveying capabilities in the Arctic Ocean. These new technological infrastructures widen the range of available information about weather and sea-ice conditions in the Arctic. This provides a basis for the growth of informed economic activities, thus stretching the boundaries of the accessible Arctic. The information systems thereby seem to play a double role. While making the Arctic more controllable and predictable, they also enlarge the potential risks and hazards associated with increasing activity.
This project reviews the development of mapping, observing, monitoring and surveying systems in the Arctic. It focuses on the systems that provide information about weather and sea-ice conditions. What are the main drivers behind the development of these systems? What characterizes their architecture and services? How accessible is the information for users?