SAON (Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks) was recently reviewed by an external committee, which included APECS member Justiina Dahl. The committee looked at SAON's accomplishments and made recommendations for future directions.
SAON was formally established in January of 2012, although the concept had been under development under the auspices of the Arctic Council as early as 2007. Its purpose is to support and strengthen the development of multinational engagement for sustained and coordinated pan-Arctic observing and data sharing systems that serve societal needs, particularly related to environmental, social, economic and cultural issues. SAON promotes the vision of well-defined observing networks that enable users to have access to free, open and high quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits.
In 2016, the SAON board convened an external review committee to review the first five years of SAON's accomplishments and make recommendations for future directions. The review committee concluded that SAON is valued by the Arctic observing community, but has yet to reach its full potential. The committee offered recommendations in several critical areas. Both the executive summary and the full report are available online. Click here to access the executive summary, and click here to access the full report.
