Arctic Data Collector

Real-time Arctic Observation Platform

Arctic tracks

Arctic Data Collector is an operational Arctic observation data collection and visualization platform that aggregates meteorological and oceanographic data from multiple remote Arctic instruments in real-time. The system automatically fetches data every few hours, maintains rolling 30-day archives, and presents everything through an interactive web interface.

The platform features an Arctic polar-stereographic map where you can explore current positions and historical tracks of research vessels and buoys, click on any observation point to view detailed time-series plots, and access model verification statistics for numerical weather prediction systems.

🚀 Launch Arctic Data Collector

Data Sources

The platform integrates observations from:

  • Research Ships: Le Commandant Charcot, Tara Polar Station, Polarstern, Oden (via EUMETNET eSurfMar)
  • ArctSum 2025 Buoys: 19 ice-tethered thermistor string buoys (via Met.no Thredds)
  • SvalMIZ 2026 Buoys: 18 ice-tethered thermistor string buoys (via Met.no Thredds)
  • SIMBA Ice Buoys: Sea Ice Mass Balance buoys (via CryosphereInnovation)
  • Thermistor Chains: Multiple deployments (via Sea Ice Portal)
  • IABP Arctic Buoys: ~30 active drifting buoys across the Arctic Ocean
  • Land-based Stations: Weather stations from Svalbard, Norway, Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Russia, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden
  • Offshore Platforms: Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea platforms
  • MET Norway Buoys: Operational oceanographic buoys

Key Features

  • Interactive Arctic Map: Pan-Arctic polar stereographic projection with all observation tracks
  • Time-range Filtering: Dual slider to focus on specific date ranges within the last 30 days
  • Detailed Time Series: Click any observation to view multi-panel Plotly charts with temperature, pressure, wind, waves, and more
  • NWP Verification: Statistical comparison of AROME Arctic, IFS HRES, and AIFS model forecasts against observations
  • Data Download: Export CSV files for all data sources
  • Campaign Analysis: Specialized analysis tools for SvalMIZ campaigns
  • Automatic Updates: Data refreshes every 4-6 hours with no manual intervention

Technical Architecture

The system uses a lightweight architecture with no database backend. Python scripts running on a VPS fetch data from various APIs, deduplicate against existing archives, and write flat CSV files. Nginx serves these files with CORS headers, allowing the JavaScript frontend to load data directly from any browser. The entire system is open-source and optimized for operational reliability.

All data follows a rolling 30-day retention policy, ensuring the platform shows current Arctic conditions while keeping storage requirements minimal.

🌐 Open Interactive Platform