A polar oceans shipping information system

Globally, ships above a certain tonnage, as well as an increasing number of smaller vessels, rely on the AIS (Automatic Identification System) to safely navigate around other vessels, which are typically the only dynamically moving surface obstacles in most oceans. In the polar seas however, there are additional challenges due to the dynamic nature of icebergs and sea ice. While satellite technology has improved spatiotemporal coverage and sophistication, local observation remains invaluable for navigating ice infested waters. An analogous system to AIS, tailored for the polar oceans, could enhance safety by providing additional knowledge of the ice a ship is sailing through. This system could function as a distributed communication network, which integrates data on key environmental parameters collected from all vessels operating in polar regions which then can be used with remote sensing products to improve situational awareness for all maritime traffic. We propose that an international initiative to develop such a system could be pursued through a collaborative research program utilizing national polar research vessels.