Peter L. Pulsifer and The CCADI Technical and Management Teams

Polar data are required by the Arctic community to support research on a wide variety of topics and domains (physical, social, economic, etc.). Mobilizing and maximizing the value of Arctic data requires data infrastructures that can serve and mediate data for a wide range of different users and applications. Developing useful and usable infrastructures requires attention to system design and emergence at many different levels: foundational data storage, management, and preservation; methods and technologies for transforming and mediating data; representation and portrayal for different audiences; use of emerging technologies such as online platforms, machine learning, semantics, and natural language processing; ensuring respectful and ethical use of data and infrastructure. In this paper, we present a review and analysis of selected activities and experiences of the international Arctic and polar data communities, primarily through the activities of the Arctic Data Committee, but including partnered initiatives with the Antarctic and broader global data communities. More specific examples and conclusions are drawn from the work of the Canadian Consortium on Arctic Data Interoperability and its partners. From these experiences, we share a number of lessons learned and discuss future directions.