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.