Challenges in Arctic Navigation and Geospatial Data : User Perspective and Solutions Roadmap

• Main Authors: Kirkko-Jaakkola, Martti, Leppälä, Laura, Ferrara, Giorgia, Honkala, Salomon, Mäkelä, Maija, Kuusniemi, Heidi, Miettinen-Bellevergue, Seija
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Ministry of Transport and Communications 2020
• Subjects: Arctic region; navigation; positioning; geospatial data; Arctic; Muonio; Olos
• Online Access: http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/161989

Navigation and location-based applications, including business such as transport, tourism, and mining, in Arctic areas face a variety of specific challenges. In fact, these challenges concern not only the Arctic Circle but certain other areas as well, such as the Gulf of Bothnia. This report provides a review on these challengs which concern a variety of technologies ranging from satellite navigation to telecommunications and mapping. In order to find out end-users' views on the significance of Arctic challenges, an online survey was conducted. The 77 respondents representing all Arctic countries, the majority being from Finland, highlighted the challenges in telecommunications as well as accuracy concerns for emerging applications dealing with precise navigation. This report provides a review of possible technologies for addressing the Arctic challenges, based on which a road map for solving them is developed. The road map also uses the results of expert working groups from the Challenges in Arctic Navigation workshop arranged in April 2018 in Olos, Muonio, Finland. This report was produced within the ARKKI project. It was funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Baltic Sea, Barents and Arctic cooperation programme, and implemented by the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute in collaboration with the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications.