Beyond Arctic PASSION

Project Overview

The Beyond Arctic PASSION project will strengthen how the rapidly changing Arctic is observed, understood, and monitored. The four-year, 8.5 million EU Horizon Europe project brings together scientists, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, local community representatives, governments, data services and operational organizations to build a more coordinated and accessible Arctic Observing System for the environment. Among the more than 40 partner organizations is the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, which will help connect scientific knowledge and data with the needs of Arctic communities. 

Making knowledge more actionable is one of the project’s main objectives, and supporting decisions in communities is an important part of that effort.

Arctic Mayors’ Forum is co-leading Work Package 3 “Sustainable management & decision-making” together with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), a Working Group under the Arctic Council. The Work Package aims at turning Arctic knowledge into practical, evidence-based decisions. Arctic Mayors’ Forum’s task is to help connect knowledge and data with the needs of Arctic communities, giving them a voice in shaping the information, tools, and services designed to support them. 

This work contributes to the EU Arctic Strategy flagship action of increasing the capacity of local communities and Indigenous Peoples to use exciting observation and monitoring tools through Copernicus.

Funding

Beyond Arctic PASSION is funded by the European Union, Horizon Europe Funding Programme for research and innovation under grant agreement No. 101295797.

Key activities

Arctic Mayors’ Forum is co-leading Work Package 3 together with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).

Activities include: 

• Convening a series of facilitated online dialogues and workshops with local decisionmakers and other partners around the development of an interface for data sharing and using 
• Developing roadmaps that shows how data can be made more accessible with a data interface that is tailored for municipal users and user guides that make existing platforms more accessible

Deliverables include: 

• Roadmaps focused on specific use cases, such as marine spatial planning and transportation, that will demonstrate how Copernicus data can support local decision-making. They will also provide guidance to Copernicus data providers on how data can be made more accessible and relevant to the needs of Arctic communities.
• Thematic user guides for accessing Copernicus data though existing services and new ways of access.

Contact

For any questions about the project, please contact:

Ronja Wedegärtner
ronja@arcticmayors.com

As the Arctic experiences rapid environmental and societal change, the demand for reliable observations and trusted information increases to support communities, policymakers, researchers and industry.  

By bringing together scientific expertise, Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge from across the Arctic and elsewhere, Beyond Arctic PASSION seeks to create a more coordinated, trusted, accessible and equitable observing system that supports decision-making, adaptation and sustainable development.

A central focus of Beyond Arctic PASSION will be making Arctic information easier to discover, access and use. Through improved coordination, data sharing and co-production of knowledge, the project will aim to ensure that Arctic observations are better aligned with the needs of the people and organizations using them. 

The project builds on work undertaken through previous major Arctic observing initiatives, including Arctic PASSION and INTAROS, bringing together their achievements as part of a longer-term effort to establish a sustained and operational Arctic Observing System of Systems. 

Consortium partners

The consortium includes the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, European Polar Board, SIOS Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Secretariat, Saami Council, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Greenland, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Canada, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and Women of the Arctic. 

Partners also include the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, GRID-Arendal, Mercator Ocean, PANGAEA, Seascape Belgium and O.A.SYS, as well as universities and research institutes across Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Italy, Norway, Poland, the UK, Japan, South Korea and the United States.