Antarctica/Data Sources

While there is not much commercial geospatial data available for Antarctica, the research community has collected a lot of data. Much of that data is publicly available and big parts are in the Public Domain. Here is are unsorted lists of available data.

Public domain:

• Landsat Image Mosaic Of Antarctica (LIMA): http://lima.usgs.gov/
• Near real time MODIS mosaic http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?mosaic=Antarctica
• MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica - image and coastline data: http://nsidc.org/data/moa/
• Mostly small scale: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/polar.html

Unclear or not yet verified whether this data can be used as source for OSM:

• Other coastline data set based on MOA: http://nsidc.org/data/atlas/news/antarctic_coastlines.html
• RAMP SAR Image Mosaic of Antarctica: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0103.html
• Digital Elevation model based on RAMP data: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0082.html
• WMS/WFS with lots of Antarctica relates data: http://nsidc.org/data/atlas/ogc_services.html
• Nice browsable map of Antartica http://gisdata.usgs.gov/website/antarctic_research_atlas/ - upon inquiry USGS did not confirm this is in the public domain
• USGS Antarctica data ressources: http://usarc.usgs.gov/ - including
  • Older Topographic Reconnaissance Maps 250k
  • LIDAR High-resolution DEM data of some areas around McMurdo
  • Gazetteer with geographic names: http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/download_data.htm
• More links and maps: http://www.usap.gov/usapgov/videoClipsAndMaps/index.cfm?m=2
• USGS Aerial photographs: http://eros.usgs.gov/#/Find_Data/Products_and_Data_Available/Antarctica_Single_Frame_Records
• Various near real time weather and ice data: http://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/data/
• Antarctica map collection: http://www.pgc.umn.edu/maps/antarctic
• Polar map data: http://ku-prism.org/resources/polar/antmaps.html
• Antarctic Digital Database from the SCAR: http://www.add.scar.org/ (see Antarctic Digital Database)
• It is not clear if we can use this data: http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/index.cfm?tabs=3
• Map catalog: http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/mapcat/search_mapcat.cfm
• Sea ice and SAR images: http://www.polarview.aq/
• For the Ross Sea including McMurdo Station (USA) and Scott Base (NZ), the LINZ data upload for New Zealand is providing the topomap data produced by the NZ gov't in an OSM-compatible license, with the gov't's blessing and encouragement. See the LINZ wiki page for how you can help.
• Australian Antarctic Data Centre: https://data.aad.gov.au/
• Antarctic Protected Areas Database of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat: https://www.ats.aq/devph/en/apa-database