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You are in:  Home » About SCAR » Introducing SCAR » Future Plans

Strategic Plan 2004-2010

Annex 7

Contents page

SCAR Databases

READER:

Under the Action Group on REference Antarctic Data for Environmental Research project (READER), digitization of the surface meteorological data has been essentially finished, with the monthly mean data online and the data set being updated periodically. The main emphasis now is on the digitization of the Russian upper air data The data and meta data can be accessed at: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/READER/.

Antarctic Digital Topographic Database:

The Antarctic Digital Database (ADD) is the premier source of vector topographic data for Antarctica. First published on CD-ROM in 1993, and regularly updated, it is available on the Web at www.add.scar.org/add_main.html. This site also provides access to maps of Specially Protected Areas, Historic Sites and Monuments, and the Seal Reserves of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals.

The Antarctic Biodiversity Database:

The Australian Antarctic Data Centre has established an Antarctic-wide database of biodiversity data (http://www.aad.gov.au/). The UK and New Zealand are major contributors, and Belgium is in the process of developing a significant contribution. The contents of this web-accessible database are also made available to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica:

The SCAR Expert Group on Geospatial Information recognised the increasing problem with duplicated place names, when attempting to map Antarctica. Italy agreed to coordinate the work on this Composite Gazeteer, and established a database (at www3.pnra.it/SCAR_GAZE), which now contains 35103 official names, corresponding to 17547 features. This is now the de facto international gazetteer for Antarctica. Many names described at present have significant errors in their positional information, something that needs attention to make the Gazetteer yet more useful to Antarctic science and tourist operatives.

Seismic Data Library System (SDLS):

The Geoscience Standing Scientific Group (GSSG) oversees the Seismic Data Library System (SDLS) that makes Compact Disc copies of seismic data over 4 years old available for joint projects and distributes them to regional libraries. The SDLS operators are working towards making data available via the Internet. The GSSG has established an Action Group to improve communications at the survey planning stage.

Master index for Antarctic positional control:

SCAR Geoscience Standing Science Group maintains this index, which can be accessed via (http://www.geoscience.scar.org/geodesy/giant.htm#controldb).

Geophysical and geodetic observatories:

Information on permanent observatories is listed in web-accessible form at (http://www.geoscience.scar.org/geodesy/perm_ob/sites.htm).

Geodectic Control Database:

The SCAR Geodetic Control Database provides a repository for high precision positional data from 7 countries, some collected more than 30 years ago. This information is useful for many aerial photography, mapping and satellite imaging projects, and can be viewed at: http://www.geoscience.scar.org/geodesy/giant.htm#controldb.

The Antarctic Map Catalogue:

Information on all maps published by SCAR Members is available through a web-accessible database from the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (http://www.aad.gov.au/), which can be updated by SCAR Members when new maps are produced.
Antarctic Bedrock Mapping (BEDMAP): Data collected on surveys undertaken over the past 50 years, and describing the thickness of the Antarctic ice sheet, have been brought together into a single database, allowing the compilation of a suite of seamless digital topographic models for the Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. The suite includes grids representing:

1. ice-sheet thickness over the ice sheet and shelves;
2. water-column thickness beneath the floating ice shelves;
3. bed elevation beneath the grounded ice sheet; and
4. bathymetry to 60°S including the areas beneath the ice shelves (see http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/bedmap/).

Tide gauge data:

Tide gauge data on sea level measured around Antarctic are managed by the Global Sea-level Observing System (GLOSS), and archived by the Permanent Service for Mean Sea-level (PSMSL)(http://www.pol.ac.uk/psmsl/).