NSIDC'S ONLINE GLACIER PHOTOGRAPH DATABASE: HELPING THE PUBLIC “SEE” CLIMATE CHANGE

Since 2001, the National Snow and Ice Data Center's Online Glacier Photograph Database has aided researchers and students by providing Internet access to the collection of historic glacier photographs. The online database now contains over 3,000 images. Many of these photographs are currently accessible through a Google Earth file, which enables users to view the photographs in a virtual context. Our efforts to update the collection and to work with users involve collaboration between different departments within NSIDC and our digitization contractor, HOV Services.

Collaborating with internal departments to fulfill a user request is our primary activity at NSIDC. The photographs of the Franz Josef glacier provide an example of the life cycle of a user request. A person contacts our User Services Office (USO) to request the Franz Josef glacier photographs because they saw them on our “All About Glaciers” web site. Since they are not in the Online Glacier Photograph Database, USO contacts the information services staff who locates the original prints in the archives and scans them. USO then sends the digital images to the user. Ultimately, these photographs are sent offsite to be scanned to the specifications of the glacier photograph digitization project and added to the queue of glacier photograph updates. Once this process is completed, many more users will be able to access these images via the online collection.

Learn about the latest images in the collection, what's next in terms of updates, and how NSIDC is working to create a multifaceted online collection.