Polar data, wherever held across the globe, must be discoverable, accessible, useful, and understandable today and tomorrow, by their original communities and the many other communities with a stake in the future of these regions, regardless of researcher location and using the researcher’s preferred tools. To this end, informatics efforts at NSIDC focus on an appropriately integrated system of systems with multiple points of external connection, grounded in well-curated data prioritizing scientifically useful descriptions and content that support community analyses as well as science education and outreach.

Acknowledgments

Informatics research at NSIDC is supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA.