Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Topographic change-detection of the Arctic between the IGY and the IPY  (ArcticDEM)

Outline
Modern topographic mapping capabilities are so efficient and powerful that large regions of the globe can now be mapped repeatedly for the purpose of topographic change-detection. Nowhere on the planet is the need for this stronger than in the Arctic, where the largest landscape-scale changes are likely to happen before the next IPY in 2057-58. Indeed, such changes have already occurred on a massive scale in Alaska’s glacierized regions, as well at many other arctic glaciers and permafrost regions. The 1957-58 IGY organizers anticipated this need in the Nine Glacier Maps project: “The maps would form a permanent record of the conditions of these glaciers so that at a future date they could be resurveyed and compared. Continuing surveys, if carried on over a sufficient period of time, would give the history of wastage and accumulation, and the pattern of variation would provide the basis for more satisfactory and more accurate interpretations of the response of these glaciers to meteorological and other factors.” We could not have said it any better ourselves, 50 years later. Ideally we need good DEMs at better than 50 m spatial-resolution for use in a wide-variety of terrestrial arctic studies, from hydrology, to permafrost mapping, to vegetation studies, as well as GIS base layers. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that sufficient funding will be found for a new and complete mapping of the Arctic. But in much of the Arctic, only 1 km base maps currently exist, so this would still represent a significant improvement. Therefore, we will target new acquisitions to those areas where changes are most likely, and satisfy ourselves with complete base maps from the older period. Pooling resources internationally is likely to result in quantity discounts for all aspects of the project; a similar method might be employed for new arctic imagery as well. This proposal therefore has two main goals: 1) Create digital elevation models with 50 m spatial resolution or better for the entire Arctic from existing topographic maps at 1:~50,000 scale made during the IGY-era of the 1950s, as base maps for current use and as an archive against which future changes can be compared (this would include the Nine Glacier Maps). 2) Create new DEMs of the Arctic during IPY, prioritizing those areas where changes are anticipated to be the greatest compared to either prior or future IGY/IPYs.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The most immediate advances will arise from themes 1 and 2, since we aim to both archive the current state of Arctic topography as well as use it to assess change in topography over the past 50 years. We plan to make use of the best DEM acquisition technology available, whether by airborne, satellite, or ground methods. We anticipate that this Arctic DEM initiative will spawn or facilitate numerous IPY science projects, such as relating changes observed in glacier volume to regional and global climate changes. That is, the science projects are not limited to those conducted as part of the Arctic DEM project.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
This work requires strong international collaboration, particularly between the US, Russia, Canada, and the Scandinavian nations.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
This project will not require significant field work. In the US, areas related to the Nine Glacier Maps or having discontinuous permafrost will be the highest priority. Other nations will need to define their highest priorities, suited with their funding. IPY projects with specific needs for new DEMs will cover their own expenses for field validation.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: mm/06-mm/08            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The logistical support needed comes more in the form of political support. In Russia, for example, military maps will likely be used for this project. Even though these legally exist within the United States, the Russian government is still cautious about their mapping projects, and it may turn out that the digitizing needs to occur outside of Russia for these reasons. Similarly, many other nations sell their DEMs for profit and this needs to be addressed on a high level.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
No new facilities are planned, but it will leave a legacy of data that will serve the current and next generation of polar researchers well.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Field work logistics will largely be supported through IPY science projects, as described above, as we anticipate that DEM acquisition areas will be driven by these projects. We propose to get an early start on some of this mapping, so that it will be ready in time for use by other IPY projects in 2007.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
No. No projects are being endorsed by the US national committee. However, the US National Science Foundation, United States Geological Survey, and US Bureau of Land Management have already recognized the need for this work and have recently funded new DEM acquisitions in Alaska.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
YES

This project is new and not yet part of existing programs, though its ultimate format could be quite similar to NASA’s Commercial Remote Sensing Program (CRSP). There, PIs would submit short proposals for DEMs to support their research, and NASA would prioritize and fund them from a fixed budget.

How will the project be organised and managed?
We propose the formation of an Arctic DEM working group that will facilitate new data acquisitions, DEM validations, metadata and archival protocols, and distribution. The International Permafrost Association (IPA) has endorsed this project, and it is closely related to the EOI from the Working Group on Arctic Glaciers in the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). It is possible that a new working group within IASC will be formed to lead this project, ensuring strong international contributions in the IASC tradition. We also plan to work closely with the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure working group and of course the IPY Data Policy and Management Sub-committee.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
We plan to use the www.earthslot.org service, where one can digitally fly in 3D with video game quality to any location on earth using any combination of DEM and imagery (or derived imagery layer). The site currently has the best DEMs available for the Arctic, along with target areas for repeating the IGY’s Nine Glacier Map regions (click the IGY9.fly file)

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
All data collected or digitized for this project would be archived in publicly accessible archives. It is anticipated that a wide variety of IPY projects will be able to take advantage of these data sets, and that IPY projects themselves would largely dictate the needs for priorities for new DEM acquistions.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
New mapping will proceed somewhat independently by participating countries. In the US, we will initiate a Request for Proposals open to any commercial or academic institution to submit bids on mapping costs. The ArcticDEM working group may decide to conduct this RFP internationally, such that it can negotiate the best costs at a bulk purchase rate.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
New technologies are emerging continuously and we have not committed to any particular DEM-creation methodology at this time. In Alaska, for example, we have recently mapped over 10,000 km2 area at 5 m spatial resolution using commercially-acquired airborne InSAR, which has the ability to acquire in nearly any weather on a reliable schedule with superb results. Prices are such now that we can now acquire DEMs of 1500 km2 for the price of 15 km2 by traditional methods, meaning that rather than just repeating the Nine Glacier Maps of IGY we can create the Nine Hundred Glacier Maps for IPY. If there is sufficient interest, we may decide to include an initiative for new high-resolution (<5 m) imagery of the Arctic.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr  Matt Nolan
University of Alaska Fairbanks
455 Duckering Bdlg
Institute of Northern Engineering
99775-5860
USA

Tel: 907 474 2467
Mobile: no
Fax: 907 474 7979
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation