Operational Ice Maps are produced on the fly by the German company Drift+Noise Polar Services based on data from optical, active, and passive microwave satellites at both high and low resolutions. After processing, extracted sea ice information in the desired area of interest is sent via communication satellites directly to the customer.
Left: A Sentinel-1 radar image visualized on board of an icebreaker. The red lines shows the cruise track navigating around a thick multi-year ice floes.
Centre: It is a difficult task to find the optimal route through the ice when it is dark and foggy. Fortunately the Sentinel-1 radar satellites produce high resolution images of the ice cover even in such conditions.
Right: Visualization of satellite images can be enhanced by combining them with a landmark and digital elevation model. Shown are ice fields at the coast of southern Greenland.