The UArctic Atlas is being designed as a learning resource both for UArctic students and anyone else interested in the features of the region. It will present a visual and geographic overview of the Arctic region, including its physical environment and socio-cultural life. Each feature or dimension will be represented in what as known as a layer, which users of the UArctic Atlas will be able to select and combine, change perspectives, and customize the look of their map. For instance, a student researching the impact of oil and gas on reindeer herding in Yamal would be able to combine a layer of oil and gas drilling sites with a layer of reindeer migration routes to understand potential sites of conflict. She could then capture her custom map for use in a report or classroom presentation.

This project is being developed by the University of the Arctic and implemented in close cooperation with UNEP/GRID-Arendla. To secure the integrity of the Atlas and its content, as well as good cooperation by primary data holders and owners, the quality assurance and choices on content will be supervised by an advisory Editorial Board appointed by UArctic. Data access and ownership will be secured through a consortium of major data owners and holders.

Much of the research and data that is needed to create the layers that will make up the substance of the UArctic Atlas already exist among research networks and working groups of the Arctic Council, for example. Many projects and initiatives of the International Polar Year are being designed to be able to contribute volumes of new data sources that can mapped using tools like the UArctic Atlas. One of the side benefits of the Atlas project is the formation of a data consortium of these major holders of Arctic scientific data. Bringing these institutions and organizations together to discuss how to improve methods of collecting and sharing data, may facilitate the open exchange of Arctic scientific data in the future.

As the University of the Arctic is responsible for coordinating IPY's education and outreach activities, the UArctic Atlas will serve as a major contribution to this effort by synthesizing much of the scientific contributions and bringing them into a form where they can be easily put to use by an end-user, such as a student in a UArctic member institution. UArctic also understands that users of the Atlas will need more than just data layers to fully understand the information presented, which is why the Atlas will be more than just maps. It will also include scholarly articles on each theme presented to give more background on the subject and point the user to further information.

The overall goal of this project is to create a comprehensive online atlas that provides maps supported by text and graphics, giving both oversight as well as insight on information on major aspects of the Arctic. The core element of the Atlas will be a GIS database, a set of descriptions and support information to each data layer, as well as external review comment to each data layer. Further the core system will keep track of ownership and conditions for use for each data layer. This core database will have a simple but efficient visualization and mapping tool that allows easy access to relevant Arctic information (using Google Earth and/or Arc IMS tools). The core database will be accessible for direct access from external GIS systems (limited by any data access constraints) allowing consortium partners and sponsors to use their own GIS analysis and visualization tools as they might find relevant.

For more information contact the UArctic Atlas Project Manager Scott Forrest.

Maps, geographic data and Google Earth files have been developed and prepared by Hugo Ahlenius of Nordpil. The interactive map viewer is powered by ESRI ArcIMS and ArcSDE

The UArctic Atlas is developed in partnership with StatoilHydro.