“Technology is the key element in a sustainable development in the Arctic,” insists Arctic Frontiers. According to the pan-Arctic network, based in the Norwegian town of Tromsø, “innovative and technologybased infrastructure projects can unlock vast growth opportunities in the Arctic region.” To put this in context, as far back as 2008, the US Geological Survey estimated that technically recoverable resources in the Arctic amount to around 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil. The potential for the new shipping routes that are being developed as the ice in the High North recedes is also a gamechanger that could deliver huge savings in bunker fuel and emissions, if they can be safely exploited. However, harsh conditions, remoteness, a lack of comprehensive digital connectivity and insufficient satellite coverage mean that innovation is key, not only to the activities of the High North, but also to sustainable access to the region in the first place. These are the key challenges that the NCI Agency – as the main organization responsible for the development and sustainment of C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and
For military missions, much of the focus will be on assuring reliable and secure communications between warships and command centres, as well as enhanced situational awareness and, of course, safety. The commercial entities that are planning to expand their operations in this vast and harsh environment as it begins to open up share many of the same requirements. This, therefore, offers a massive opportunity for the development and enhancement of dual-use technologies for both sectors. Not only will this help to pool investment in the research and development (R&D), it will also give access to a wider set of skills and knowledge.
COMMERCIAL PIONEERS Some of the innovations that will unlock this region – such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, quantum computing and autonomy – are being pioneered in the commercial sector by companies such as Amazon, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Facebook, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. These companies have huge financial resources. In 2017, they spent a combined $90 billion on R&D between them – a figure that is beyond even the defence research budgets of the largest military powers. AI is already making its mark on scientific research in the High North, with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) using AI and machine learning to map sea ice as part of Automated Sea Ice Products (ASIPs) using EU Copernicus Sentinel satellite imagery. This project has been running since November 2017 and hopes to furnish those navigating the waters around Greenland with more accurate
and regularly updated maps to help them plot courses through constantly changing ice melt.
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS) Another key technology that is being increasingly employed by militaries and commercial entities is the UAV or drone. If the challenges relating to ground infrastructure data links and the weather can be solved, the potential for drone applications in the High North is huge. Not only can drones be used to monitor the region for scientific and conservation purposes, they can also assist with the effort to embed a reliable search-and-rescue response. Drones, especially those that are automated/ autonomous, can be given a host of what are termed ‘3D chores’ – dull, dirty and dangerous.
NITECH ››› NATO AND THE HIGH NORTH
reconnaissance) technology and networks – will also need to overcome.
UAV experimentation has been ongoing in the opposite polar region – the Antarctic – for many years. For example, the US Coast Guard Polar Star pioneered the use of a drone, in this case an AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma E, to scout ahead for potentially dangerous ice formations as an aid to the annual US Operation Deep Freeze to resupply the McMurdo Antarctic research station.
SATELLITES Turning to the vexed problem of satellite coverage, there is growing interest in the potential for nano and micro satellites to fill the gap in observation and communications coverage. Not only are these smaller systems cheaper to build, they are also cheaper to put into orbit. That said, there is always a place for the existing larger satellites, as witnessed by Lockheed Martin’s collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to collect and process Arctic terrain data using the company’s Rosetta tool set.
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