Antarctic Vector Topographic Data from British Antarctic Survey

Antarctic Digital Database is the premier source of vector topographic data for the entire continent of Antarctica. First published on CD-ROM in 1993, it is maintained by the British Antarctic Survey for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. The data are supplied in ARC/INFO uncompressed export format.

Use Cases

• Map coastline and ice shelf boundaries using vector coastline features.
• Analyze terrain for logistical route planning using topographic contour lines.
• Study historical place names and research station locations from annotated point features.
• Model glacial flow and ice sheet thickness by integrating bedrock elevation data.

Strengths

• Data covers the entire continent of Antarctica, providing complete spatial coverage.
• Vector data format allows for precise geometric analysis and cartographic control.
• Maintained by a major national polar research organization (British Antarctic Survey).

Limitations

• Specific row counts, feature counts, and temporal resolution of updates are not provided.
• Data is supplied in a legacy ARC/INFO export format which may require specialized GIS software to use.
• Commercial use is prohibited without prior authorization, restricting application scope.

Provenance

Source

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

Collection Method

Compiled from various international scientific sources into a unified vector topographic database.

Time Range

Data collection spans from the initial 1993 publication to ongoing updates.

Freshness

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Geography

Continent of Antarctica.