PGC Updates & Insights
Milestone Recognition:
ArcticDEM & REMA Featured in AGU’s New Impactful Datasets Collection
We are thrilled to share that ArcticDEM and the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) have been selected for inclusion in the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) newly launched living collection, Impactful Datasets in Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences.
The special collection emphasizes the vital role of open, accessible, and well-curated data infrastrucutre in driving societal benefit, informing policy, and fostering reproducible geoscience worldwide.
Being named among this inaugural group of accepted datasets reinforces the far-reaching impact of ArcticDEM and REMA across polar research, change monitoring, and environmental decision-making.
- Explore the full AGU Impactful Datasets Collection to learn more about the initiative or nominate other transformative data resources.
- Read the introductory commentary published in AGU Advances, Impactful Datasets in the Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences: Highlighting the Data That Transform Research.
Next Steps for Survey Feedback
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the PGC User Survey! We heard from more than 100 members of the PGC community, and we’re incredibly grateful for your time, thoughtful feedback, and willingness to share what’s working, what’s challenging, what’s missing, and what matters most to you.
Your input will help inform how PGC evolves and where we focus our efforts in the future. We’re currently reviewing the responses and will share a summary of what we heard in the coming weeks on our website.
And, congratulations to our five giveaway winners, who have been contacted directly.
Thank you again for helping us better understand and serve the PGC community.
Conference Connections
PGC Represented at the 2026 Antarctican Society Reunion
PGC was honored to be an invited speaker at the biennial Antarctican Society Gathering held this August in Madison, WI. The non-profit organization brings together veterans, researchers, and enthusiasts of Antarctic exploration. PGC Director Jay Dickson provided an overview of PGC’s mission and showcased ongoing work integrating historical 1950s aerial photography with modern Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) data. Watch the full talk on YouTube: Polar Geospatial Center: Opening Doors to the Most Inaccessible Places on Earth.
Left: Jay Dickson presents a Polar Geospatial Center talk to an audience in a lecture hall. Photo credit: Peter Neff. Right: Antarctic Society members and guests gather around a table displaying PGC swag and an unfolded REMA map.
Highlights from SCAR Open Science Conference
Four PGC team members attended the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference in Oslo, Norway, joining international researchers and polar decision-
makers to share updates, connect, and even to start preparing for the upcoming International Polar Year.
Among the team’s contributions was Devin Power’s (pictured right) poster presentation titled, Multi-Temporal Mosaics from the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) Project.
Power showcased how PGC’s elevation datasets continue to support dynamic research across Antarctica.
Be sure to check out PGC Geospatial Developer Devin Power’s poster presentation in the Remote Sensing Advances in Observing, Monitoring, and Mapping the Antarctic session (S16) titled Multi-Temporal Mosaics from the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) Project.
PGC Connects at Navigating the New Arctic
PGC User Services team recented attended the Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Community Annual Meeting to engage with researchers, Arctic community partners, and NSF program officers in Fairbanks, AK.
PGC Engagement Lead Cathleen Torres Parisian convened a session tailored for science supporters titled the Arctic Community Resource Coalition, which drew strong attendance and enthusiastic interest. Check out the session’s slides here.
PGC User Services Manager Cole Kelleher presented a PGC overview during Torres Parisian’s session. Kelleher also delivered a separate talk highlighting PGC’s proactive commerical satellite strategies aimed at promoting big data mapping. Overall, it was a successful meeting that strengthened ties across the Arctic community and sparked valuable new connections.
Left: Cole Kelleher presents in big data session on PGC commercial satellite tasking strategies. Right: NNA participants attending the Arctic Community Resource Coalition session.
Future Events:
-
-
North American Cartographic Information Society Annual Meeting October 21-24
Presentation by Jesse Bakker, October 23, 2pm, Room 3 “Antarctic Cartography: Mapping the End of the Earth at the Polar Geospatial Center” -
Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science Annual Meeting October 29-31
Booth #244 - American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting December 7-11
Booth #326
PGC talks and poster details tbd
-
PGC in McM & Staff Icebreakers
Meet the PGC team headed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica! 🌍❄️
This year, PGC is sending down two team members to McMurdo Station. We’ll have a shorter season from mid-October through mid-December. You can find them in Crary office #216. We asked each of them to answer this icebreaker: “What is your #1 go-to piece of media or activity for long transit hours or quiet shifts on the ice?”
Devin Power
Most often it is a podcast or audiobook and some object to fidget with while I listen. I hope to catch up on my audible backlog this season which includes recent additions like: In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.
Nicole Schiller
Reading, no doubt! I actually just bought myself an e-reader so that I could read to my heart’s delight on the ice. Not having to haul books when traveling, especially big hardcovers, has been amazing. Nothing beats a physical book, but this is quite a close second.
Check out the original PGC Newsletter post here.