The diverse and distributed nature of observing systems in polar regions presents a fundamental challenge for assessment, planning, integration, and synthesis. There is an interest in creating overviews of these systems, since this, among other things, will allow more efficient use of facilities and allow for the understanding of where gaps in observation capacities exist. There is an interest in knowing answers to questions like “Who is going where? When are they going? What will they observe? What observing equipment will they have there? Who is responsible for organizing logistics?”, etc.
The purpose of this survey is to seek to create an overview of existing sources of information on polar observing facilities, systems and activities. This will allow the definition of procedures that can access these sources and compile the information from the various sources.
The survey is circulated to representatives from institutions, countries, initiatives and organisations that have an interest in polar observing, and it will seek to establish whether this information is already being coordinated and what interest there is in (further) developing the coordination of information about observing assets. The preamble of the survey emphasises the relationship with EU-PolarNet, but the we are encouraging all institutions, countries, initiatives and organisations (also outside Europe) to complete the survey. The resulting report will have a wider scope.
It should take no more than 10 min to complete the survey, and I should kindly ask you to do it by 31st August.
Link to survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLRzHLuXCTcfsfzeIv-wI3aZqirqe9jdrnOk31XUnjfcBDRA/formResponse