Mapping Weather, Water, Ice and Climate Knowledge & Information Needs for Maritime Activities in the Arctic. Survey Report

Abstract

Recently, there has been wide agreement that WWIC information services for polar areas require further development in line with end-users needs (Dawson et al., 2017; Lamers, Duske, et al., 2018). Earlier studies found that forecasters and service developers have little insight into how their services are actually used, where, and in what contexts (Jeuring, Knol, & Sivle, forthcoming). To tailor to specific user needs for Weather, Water, Ice and Climate (WWIC) information services in the maritime Arctic, a more detailed understanding is needed about the situated context of maritime activities, where they are undertaken, and which types of WWIC information are used, throughout planning and operational phases and among various types of end-users. In order to elicit such insights, from January 2019 until May 2019, the SALIENSEAS project launched an online participatory mapping survey, targeted at maritime users around Greenland and Svalbard.<p>

<p>Using participatory mapping made it possible to embed the survey questions in an intuitive, activity-oriented perspective, and to put the user experience at the center of the study. Hereby, the survey has delivered situated spatial information about the use of WWIC information for maritime planning and operations, and it provided in-depth insights in the impact of WWIC conditions on maritime activities.<p>

<p>The report provides an overview of key characteristics of respondents (n = 22) and their maritime activities in Arctic waters (Section 3.1). Key topics enquired via the mapping interface included 1. Voyage planning; 2. Tasks and activities sensitive to adverse WWIC conditions; and 3. Information (in)accuracy. Additionally, several activity-based narratives (Section 3.2), based on the drawings and responses from survey participants from different maritime sectors, provide a deeper insight into the connections between planning and execution of specific maritime activities, the impact of WWIC conditions and the use of WWIC information.