An International Forum on “Polar Data Activities in Global Data Systems” will take place at the “National Museum of Nature and Science” in Tokyo on 15–16 October 2013.

To manage the considerable data legacy of the International Polar Year (IPY), National Antarctic Data Centres under SCAR initiated several dedicated data-services. To construct an effective framework for long-term stewardship, data must be made available promptly, and adequate technologies should be employed (e.g., a repository service, such as the Polar Information Commons (PIC)). In addition to activities conducted within the communities of SCAR and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), stronger links must be established in the post-IPY era with other crosscutting scientific data-management bodies under the umbrella of the International Council for science (ICSU), namely, the Committee on Data for Science and Technology and the World Data System (ICSU-WDS). To this end, SCAR’s Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM), the WDS Scientific Committee, and IASC are planning a Joint International Forum on “Polar Data Activities in Global Data Systems”.

The Forum will address effective polar data management, including submission of metadata and data, sharing of data to facilitate new interdisciplinary science, and long-term preservation and stewardship of data at the international level. To ensure the IPY data legacy, presentations on the successes and challenges encountered during IPY will highlight not only the best practices but also the shortcomings. This event is open to all scientific disciplines, and interdisciplinary data management topics are especially encouraged. A significant outcome of the Forum will be the development of a new strategy and structure for the Arctic Data Network under the auspices of SAON, IASC, and the Arctic Council. Discussions involving the different communities will provide a strong foundation to forge interdisciplinary connections and explore new horizons for polar data management. In particular, an updated plan for polar data archives, including as the PIC cloud system, will be discussed.

For more information about the Polar Data Forum, please visit the website: http://www.polar-data-forum.org/.