IceView
Operational ice monitoring
Leveraging satellite data for operational ice monitoring and support
Inio is developing ice monitoring capabilities in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) Arctic PhiLab and the Svalbard Integrated Observing System.
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The service will be completed in 2026 with the ability to map sea ice conditions for stakeholders throughout the Arctic using Sentinel-1 or other commercial satellite data.
THE SERVICE
Reducing risk
The service focuses on the mapping of landfast sea ice - the ice that is attached to shore along Arctic coastlines and used for transportation to offshore installations, over-the-shore logistics, and connecting critical infrastructure through ice roads.
This service will help reduce risk of over-ice transportation by identifying what ice is being stabilized by structures, how dynamic the ice is in response to wind, and what part of the ice is frozen to the bottom. It will also help informing about change, whether parts of the ice become less stable or the overall operations window changes over time.
Access to maps and statistics directly through Inio and NGI web tools
Updated ice information will be provided through NGI Live - so you are always informed about the current ice conditions.
TECHNOLOGY
Detecting motion and fractures
The Inio ice mapping service is being built upon the technology of synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR).
The technology leverages the phase of the radar signal to detect cm-scale movement of ice. Movement or strain in the ice results in a striped fringe pattern as in this example where denser fringes are indicative of higher strain and chance of fracturing.
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This example demonstrates the concept for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, an area known for its rich oil reserves. To the left is Northstar Island, a man made island used for oil extraction.
Left in the image is the Northstar Island - a man made island used for oil extraction. From density of the fringes alone, it is possible to determine that the ice is less dynamic shoreward of the island indicative of the stabilizing effect the island has on the ice cover.
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Can infer stability and risk
Northstar Island is connected to land by 7 mile ice road running northwest from the bay in the south and is used for transportation to and from the island.
The InSAR approach and the resulting fringes in the interferometric image further indicates displacement in the fringes across the ice road, indicative of an increased stress particularly near the center part of the road.
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Using a model, we can infer the strain and the potential for fracturing of ice. This information can be valuable to identify and report areas associated with enhanced risk.
Project partners and support
The project is developed for and by Inio through the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute together with Alfred Wegener Institute and the Norwegian Ice Service. The project is supported by the ESA Phi-lab Norway and the Svalbard Integrated Observing System.
