SCAGI (SCAR's Geographic Information Committee)

For information on non-SCAGI products and tools, click on the Links dropdown.

Antarctic Place Names

• Antarctic Place Name Proposal Form – to assist in the procedure for naming an Antarctic feature.
• Antarctic Place Names Reference List by Nation – naming authorities, toponymic documents and gazetteers listed by SCAR member country.

SCAR Antarctic Digital Database (ADD website)

A compilation of the best international topographic mapping for Antarctica at scales between 1:250,000 and 1:10 M that can be viewed on a range of vector and satellite image backdrops. The underlying data can be downloaded free of charge in a range of formats for onward work in desktop GIS.

SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA website)

A searchable database of all Antarctic place-names from each country active in Antarctica.

SCAR Map Catalogue (MapCat website)

This catalogue of international maps for Antarctica is compiled and maintained by the Australian Antarctic Division Data Centre. It contains entries for over 5000 hard copy maps from 26 countries and about 1000 digital maps from five countries. Some maps are available for download at full resolution, but the majority have only a low-resolution quicklook and metadata including contact information to access them.

SCAR Air Operations Planning Maps Series (Air Ops website)

A series of maps at 1:1M scale, together with a continent over-view map, to support Air Operations planning. The maps are compiled collaboratively by SCAGI members under a joint SCAGI project. The maps and digital data are freely available for download (more details in Maps and Geographic Information).

International Principles and Procedures for Antarctic Place Names (SCAR Report 41)

Other useful products and tools:

Arctic Web Map  (AWM website)

A web-based GIS providing access to environmental information and human activity in the Arctic, layered on a topographic mapping backdrop. The map is a useful planning tool for Arctic research projects and all of the base data is available to download.

Antarctic Peninsula Information Portal (APIP) (APIP website)

A web-based GIS providing access to environmental and Antarctic Treaty information for the Antarctic Peninsula region layered on topographic mapping and satellite image backdrops. It includes place names in the SCAR Composite Gazetteer.  The underlying data is available for free download in a variety of formats. Managed by British Antarctic Survey on behalf of the Polar Regions Department of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

CCAMLR GIS  (CCAMLR GIS website)

The CCAMLR GIS provides a state-of-the-art, web-based repository for managing and providing access to spatial data for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Initially developed and populated with data at BAS, it is now maintained by CCAMLR staff in Hobart.

Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA)   (LIMA website)

A seamless mosaic of Landsat-7 images of Antarctica, acquired between 1999 and 2003. Compiled by BAS, NASA and US Geological Survey. It provides cloud-free coverage of the whole continent and is available as natural colour and false colour mosaics and with a range of contrast stretches. GIS-compatible image data can be downloaded from the LIMA website or through the ADD.

Polar View  (Polar View website)

Polar View delivers access to recent satellite radar images of sea ice density and distribution, and sea ice charts, for the Southern Ocean and Arctic regions. Image data can be downloaded in a range of formats and optimised for low-bandwidth links. The images are also very useful for ice-shelf fronts and internal structure.

Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA)  (REMA website)

A high resolution, time-stamped Digital Surface Model (DSM) of Antarctica at 8-metre spatial resolution. It is constructed from hundreds of thousands of individual stereoscopic Digital Elevation  Models (DEM) extracted from pairs of sub-meter resolution DigitalGlobe satellite imagery licensed by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, with most data collected in 2015 and 2016. Available for free download from US Polar Geospatial Center.

UK Antarctic Place-names Committee  (APC website)

A web-based, searchable map of the British Antarctic Territory and SGSSI place-name gazetteers, giving information on the location and description of the feature. Each of the place-name datasets is available to download. There is also information on how to propose new place-names, the role of the UK-APC, and links to other Antarctic place-naming organisations.