Fostering Open Science through the Arctic Permafrost Geospatial Center (APGC)

Open-access thematic data portals play a critical role in advancing an open data culture by addressing knowledge gaps and reducing uncertainties in research. The Arctic Permafrost Geospatial Center (APGC) serves as a pivotal platform for providing high-quality geospatial data to the permafrost research community. By facilitating easy access to diverse data products, APGC supports multi-scale, interdisciplinary analyses that integrate field observations, remote sensing, and modeling efforts.
APGC’s primary objectives are to ensure (i) the delivery of data that is impactful, user-friendly, and scientifically valuable, and (ii) to streamline data discovery, visualization, and metadata exchange through its comprehensive data catalog, accessible at https://apgc.awi.de. This portal is well-suited to support research initiatives and fulfills requirements for publishing and visualizing data and metadata, a growing necessity in securing project funding.
The APGC catalog accommodates datasets of varying formats, spatial scales, temporal extents, and themes. Users can search datasets by geographic location—either through spatial keywords or interactive map selection—as well as by category, product type, project, tags, keywords, licensing, or data format. Download links provide direct access to repositories such as PANGAEA, ensuring seamless data acquisition.
Built on the open-source CKAN framework and utilizing the DCAT metadata standard, the catalog adheres to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. Each dataset is accompanied by detailed metadata, a concise abstract, and a preview option, with metadata available in multiple formats such as RDF/XML, JSON, or Turtle.
Initially established through the ERC PETA-CARB and ESA GlobPermafrost projects, APGC now hosts over 360 curated datasets from various sources. These datasets encompass a wide range of permafrost-related themes, including surface and subsurface characteristics such as soil temperature, carbon content, ground ice, land cover, vegetation, periglacial landforms, and subsidence. Data formats range from vector and raster to time series and are derived from in-situ measurements, Earth observation, and modeling studies. WebGIS tools further enhances user engagement by enabling interactive exploration of most datasets (https://maps.awi.de & https://apgc-map.awi.de/).
APGC encourages data contributions from individual researchers and project consortia. Submitted datasets undergo evaluation based on criteria such as relevance to permafrost research, scientific significance, accessibility, quality, and metadata completeness. To ensure long-term preservation and accessibility, datasets must be archived in repositories like PANGAEA.
By integrating tools for data publication, visualization, and long-term preservation, APGC provides an essential service for research projects, enabling them to meet funding requirements while advancing the understanding of permafrost systems across the Arctic and beyond.