Arctic Portal.org, The Arctic and Northern Gateway, is actively involved in informing, consulting, supporting, and engaging, at a local level, regionally, and internationally with over 35 years of experience.
AP is supporting cooperation, communication and outreach, stakeholder engagement and information and data sharing in environmental and social science, education, and business for intelligent sustainable development in the Arctic and the North based on responsible, knowledge-based policymaking - for the benefit of all!
Arctic Portal participates in multiple projects of importance and provides access to news, data, information and organizations across the Arctic and the North, facilitating information sharing and cooperation between public and private parties, carrying out Arctic and Northern-related outreach and communication.
AP provides consulting and web presence to numerous institutions and projects of Arctic and Northern importance and maintaining highly active social media outreach channels.
Organizer of multiple international events and active participation in international organizations, networks and projects of highest Arctic, Northern and Global importance.
Developer and host of the Arctic Data Interface, the central database for the Arctic, designing a methodology, producing and facilitating an interoperable and scalable interfacing technology for our customers on demand.
The Arctic Portal.org is based in Akureyri, Iceland, operated by the Arctic Foundation, a registered non-profitable organization under an international board of advisory directors.
The principal functions of the Arctic Portal are:
- The Gateway to Arctic and Northern information includes features such as: news from around the Arctic; information on the Arctic Council and other Arctic stakeholders; topic related portals; document and project database; virtual library; up-coming events; collection of relevant links; multimedia material including web casts, virtual conferences and videos; interactive mapping portal; webcams and weather in the Arctic; acronyms interpretation.
- Communication and outreach, user engagement, support and hosting - providing consultation, technical and content support and web hosting to numerous Arctic organizations.
- Arctic Data Interface – the Central Database for the Arctic – developing the central database for the Arctic and designing a methodology, producing and facilitating an interoperable and scalable interfacing technology that allows retrieval and interfacing of observational metadata and consequently interpretation and data accessing tools for our customers on demand.
- Active participation in international organizations and partner in projects of high Arctic and Northern importance and relevance including: Northern Forum – The Arctic Business Directory; International Permafrost association – IPA; Sustaining Arctic Observation Networks – SAON; the Arctic Data Committee – ADC; China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre; China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory; Global Terrestrial Network of Permafrost – GTN-P; University of the Arctic; Arctic Renewable Energy Atlas – AREA; PAGE21, EDU-Arctic, RoPON – Registry of Polar Observing Networks, and many more. Co-Leading the cooperation and now leading the Outreach and Science Communication for the China-Iceland Arctic Observatory www.karholl.is including the development of its Guest Centre.
- Organizing events, workshops and conferencesincl.: at The Arctic Circle; Arctic Energy Summit co-hosts 2013 and 2015 and upcoming 2024; the EU in the Arctic - stakeholders consultations for the EU Arctic Information Centre in 2013 and 2014, and organizing and speaking at the EU Arctic dialogue seminars for the EEAS 2017 and 2018; as well as project and stakeholder meetings such as of the projects PAGE21 and APPLICATE. Conferences organised by the Arctic Portal include the Aurora Physics conference ISAP23 held in October 2023. Upcoming conferences co-organized by the Arctic Portal include the CNARC Symposium held in October 2024, and the Arctic Energy Forum held in October 2024 and the International Green Energy Conference held in October 2025.
- Speaking and Chairing at events, including: Korea Arctic Week; China-Nordic Research Centre Science Seminars and business roundtables; ACI Shipping Conferences; UIC Business Tour; EEAS seminars; SAON Ministerial Side event; Northern Forum Governors and RCC meetings; Arctic Energy Summit and many more.
The infrastructure of the Arctic Portal
The Arctic Portal.org has qualified, experienced, well educated international staff.
AP provides a selection of CMS and data management solutions. AP has a strong IT team and responds to problems within 24 hours, providing web accessibility according to the WAI guidelines and a step by step tutorial as well as helpdesk services, when problems/ malfunctions possibly arise. We host our material on an IBM server facilitated with state-of-the-art backup facilities. AP has all latest databases and database tools, knowledge of maintaining and state-of-the-art mapping and presentation software.
AP is one of the most-established organizations in carrying out Arctic-related outreach and communication. It is strongly involved in organizing and providing communication on Arctic issues. We provide services and support to many leading 60 international organisations, institutions and projects of high Arctic relevance including: IASC, PAG, APECS, SAON, ADC, ICR, Northern Forum, ICARP, CNARC, AMATII, AREA, PPS, EDU-Arctic, IPA, Arctic-Iceland, Arctic Yearbook, Laera Institute, Jean Malaurie Institute and many more.
AP is active in policy advicing and stakeholder engagement at local, regional and international levels.
Additionally, AP has experience in collecting and visualizing complex scientific data and information and developed the first standardized global data sets for Permafrost Temperature and Active Layer thawing depths. The Data Management system for permafrost developed by AP is seen as a case for integrating Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) from In situ terrestrial Networks into Earth System Models. The project received the ICSU data mangement of the year award in Sept. 2016.
The AP is participating in international cooperation on data management, metadata and search and actively developing tools and service protocals with the aim of providing dedicated data and data-interpretation customer services.
Co-Leading the project initiation and the outreach and science communication for the China-Iceland Arctic Observatory – www.karholl.is
The Arctic Portal is seeking a suitable partners, sponsers and investors to support our expansion based on our knowledge, information and tools, excellent project portfolio and network of partners!
For further information please contact:
Halldór Jóhannson
Executive Director
+354 4612800 / +354 8992828