DESIDE Introduction

1. Ships operating in the polar regions encounter hazards that present elevated levels of risk and more severe consequences when accidents occur.

Destination Earth Sea Ice Decision Enhancement (DESIDE) utilizes Destination Earth system capabilities and data to provide comprehensive sea ice and related information for policy and operational decision makers in the Baltic Sea, European Arctic Ocean, and other polar regions.

Benefits to polar operations and society include:

• Increased Safety: Accurate information supports strategic and tactical decision-making, enhancing safety of life and property.

• Pollution Reduction: Efficient route optimization minimizes fuel consumption and emissions.

• Protection of Sensitive Environmental Areas: Better forecasts can help policymakers protect environmentally sensitive areas affected by changing polar conditions.

The DESIDE objectives are:

• Aggregating diverse information sources to provide common products across jurisdictional boundaries.

• Producing new forecast products to improve decision-making by users.

• Customizing delivery of products to different user communities based on their needs.

The DESIDE drivers are:

• Regulatory Compliance - Deliver short and medium-term forecasts of ice, meteorological, and ocean conditions, meeting the requirements of the IMO Polar Code.

• Climate Change Effects - Provide long-term forecasts on changing ice and other conditions, enabling planning and policy development for the fishing, tourism, research, and oil and gas industries.

The following sections describe how to use the DESIDE Dashboard.