PolarNav

PolarNav is an independent, non-profit organization based in Norway that develops free, ad-free situational-awareness tools for professional ice navigation. Built by ice navigators for the maritime community, it aims to support safety, efficient navigation, and environmental protection in polar waters. Its map platform brings together satellite radar and optical imagery, ice concentration and charts, weather, tides, bathymetry, and satellite AIS vessel positions, with information drawn from public and research data sources.

Designed for expedition vessels, icebreakers, fisheries, and research operations, PolarNav is optimized for low-bandwidth conditions in the High North and Antarctic. Users can cache map data for offline access, view compressed near-real-time SAR imagery, and connect a free Copernicus account for higher-resolution Sentinel-1 layers. When internet access is unavailable, an email service can provide compressed radar-image cutouts for import into the platform. PolarNav also offers guidance on interpreting SAR imagery and configuring satellite layers. The organization stresses that its service is a secondary aid, not a navigation system, and that satellite imagery may be delayed or imperfectly georeferenced.