Mapping and GIS team

The Mapping and Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC) provides geospatial information, expertise and services to BAS and wider UK activity in the polar regions.

Our activities include:

  • ​​​Topographic mapping and Cartography
  • Survey and geomatics: Aerial photography, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), 3D modelling and GNSS
  • Remote Sensing, Earth Observation (EO) data access and processing platforms  
  • Online GIS and geospatial web services
  • Operational sea ice information
  • Geospatial Science Projects
  • Training
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Andreas Cziferszky

Geospatial Systems Architect

felnne

Felix Fennell

Geospatial Developer

natnne

Nathan Fenney

Geomatics Specialist

eleeld

Elena Field

GIS and Web Mapping Specialist

ahf

Andrew Fleming

Head of MAGIC

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Peter Fretwell

Geographic Information Officer

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Laura Gerrish

GIS and Mapping Specialist

louela

Louise Ireland

Geospatial Information Systems Lead

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Bonnie-Claire Pickard

GIS and Mapping Specialist

aliska

Aliaksandra Skachkova

Earth Observation Specialist

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Adrian Fox

E Fellow

Polar Thematic Exploitation Platform

A Polar Thematic Exploitation Platform (Polar TEP) is being developed for the European Space Agency (ESA). Polar TEP will provide polar researchers with access to computing resources, earth observation (EO) …

EC Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

The Copernicus marine environment monitoring service provides regular and systematic reference information on the state of the physical oceans and regional seas. The observations and forecasts produced by the service …


South Georgia GIS

Visualise and download topographic, management and scientific data for South Georgia.

Polar View

Polar View delivers information about sea ice direct to ships operating in the Southern Ocean.

Antarctic Digital Database

The SCAR ADD is a seamless compilation of topographic data for Antarctica to 60°S. It is the place to go to get data such as Antarctic coastline or contours for working in desktop GIS.


Bedmap

Bedmap is a collaborative community project with the aim to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community, …

Bedmap2

understanding whats beneath the ice, opens new opportunities for detailed modelling of the past and future evolution of the Antarctic ice sheets

Bedmap3

Bedmap3 is a collaborative community project with the aim to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community, …

Albatrosses from Space

Great (Diomedea) albatrosses face multiple threats to their long-term survival. Declines in albatross populations have been linked to incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries, predatory invasive species (including rats, mice and …

Higher Predators – Long-Term Science

The British Antarctic Survey carries out Long Term Science that measures changes in Antarctic ecosystems and seeks to understand the underlying drivers and processes. Marine predators are sensitive to changes …

Wildlife from Space

Many populations of wildlife are remote, inaccessible or difficult to monitor. The advent of sub-metre, Very-High-Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery may enable us study these animals in a much more efficient …


Four new emperor penguin colonies found by satellite

24 January, 2024

Scientists from British Antarctic Survey have discovered four previously unknown emperor penguin breeding sites. Changing sea ice conditions along Antarctica’s coastline have forced several emperor colonies to move in search …


New animation shows track of giant A23a iceberg

16 January, 2024

Scientists at British Antarctic Survey are using satellite images to track the colossal iceberg A23a. This new animation shows the recent trajectory of the A23a iceberg as it moves north …


Using AI to track icebergs

23 November, 2023

Researchers are using a new AI tool to detect icebergs in the Southern Ocean. This is the first step towards scientists being able to track the complete life cycle of …



New map reflects ice loss and name changes

8 June, 2023

Dramatic changes in the Polar Regions are reflected in a new edition map of Antarctica and the Arctic produced by cartographers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The flagship printed …





Albatrosses from space: wildlife detectives needed!

4 September, 2022

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and RSPB are recruiting albatross detectives to help to search for wandering albatrosses in satellite images taken from space. This is to help us learn more …


BAS mapping data in global collection 

19 May, 2022

The latest British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Antarctic Digital Database (ADD) data will be included in a world leading collection of geographic information. 





Climate change risk to emperor penguins

3 August, 2021

British Antarctic Survey scientists have contributed to a new study published today (3 August)  which provides valuable new data highlighting how emperor penguins extinction risk is increased due to rapid …


Using AI to track whales from space

4 February, 2021

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists will work with an Artificial Intelligence company after being awarded a contract from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to support the protection of an endangered …


Giant iceberg mission begins

2 February, 2021

A research mission to determine the impact of the giant A-68a iceberg on one of the world’s most important ecosystems departs from Stanley in the Falkland Islands today (2 February …



A68 iceberg heads towards South Georgia

4 November, 2020

An iceberg is heading towards the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. A68a – the size of the UK county of Somerset – broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf …


Scientists discover new penguin colonies from space

5 August, 2020

A new study using satellite mapping technology reveals there are nearly 20% more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than was previously thought. The results provide an important benchmark for monitoring …


Updated Mapping Datasets for Antarctica

12 May, 2020

A newly updated Antarctic Digital Database is released today (12 May 2020). Aimed at the science and logistics communities, the maps include updates to the ice shelf front around Thwaites …



Stranded whales detected from space

17 October, 2019

A new technique for analysing satellite images may help scientists detect and count stranded whales from space. Researchers tested a new detection method using Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images …




Watching whales from space

1 November, 2018

Scientists have used detailed high-resolution satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies’ DigitalGlobe, to detect, count and describe four different species of whales. Reported this week in the journal Marine Mammal …


New map of South Georgia wins award

7 September, 2018

British Antarctic Survey’s detailed map of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia featuring the epic “Shackleton Crossing” has won an award at the 2018 British Cartography Society Awards. The map, …



New map of South Georgia unveiled

24 August, 2017

A team of cartographers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has re-produced a high-resolution updated map of the sub-antarctic island of South Georgia. The island, situated at 37°W 54°10’S is a …






NEWS STORY: New maps show unseen world

25 September, 2014

New maps of the polar regions reveal unseen world beneath the ice and highlight dramatic decline in Arctic sea ice cover New maps of the sub-ice features in Antarctica and …


NEWS STORY: Emperor Penguins’ adaptation skills

24 June, 2014

New research using satellite images reveals that emperor penguins are more willing to relocate than previously thought A new study led by the University of Minnesota offers new insights on …


NEWS STORY: Award for innovative map

3 October, 2013

Map makers rewarded for stunning recreation of Antarctic without ice A colourful British Antarctic Survey map has won a coveted award. The map, created by the institution’s MAGIC (Mapping and …


NEWS STORY: Bedmap opens up Antarctica

8 March, 2013

Bedmap2 gives scientists a more detailed view of Antarctica”s landmass Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have been working with a host of international collaborators to present the most detailed …


NEWS STORY: Queen Elizabeth land

18 December, 2012

UK names part of Antarctica in honour of the Queen The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has announced that the southern part of British Antarctic Territory has been named Queen Elizabeth …



Polar View in the Antarctic

8 February, 2010

As the Antarctic field season continues with the usual mix of exciting research programmes new enhancements to the online satellite image system that improves ship safety and efficiency are launched. …


PRESS RELEASE: Interactive map highlights diversity

22 October, 2008

New visualisation of South Georgia A new visualisation tool for exploring the subantarctic islands of South Georgia is unveiled today (22 October 2008). The South Georgia Geographic Information System (SGGIS) …


Giant iceberg breaks off from Antarctic glacier

16 October, 2007

Giant iceberg breaks off from Antarctic glacier  British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists have spotted a huge iceberg, which has broken off from Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica. The iceberg, …







Advances in remote sensing of emperor penguins: first multi-year time series documenting trends in the global population

13 March, 2024 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell

Like many polar animals, emperor penguin populations are challenging to monitor because of the species' life history and remoteness. Consequently, it has been difficult to establish its global status, a…

Read more on Advances in remote sensing of emperor penguins: first multi-year time series documenting trends in the global population

Review of Satellite Remote Sensing and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems for Counting Wildlife on Land

8 February, 2024 by Ellen Bowler, Hannah Cubaynes, Marie Attard, Penny Clarke, Peter Fretwell, Richard Phillips

Although many medium-to-large terrestrial vertebrates are still counted by ground or aerial surveys, remote-sensing technologies and image analysis have developed rapidly in recent decades, offering improved accuracy and repeatability, lower…

Read more on Review of Satellite Remote Sensing and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems for Counting Wildlife on Land

Loss of research and operational equipment in Antarctica: Balancing scientific advances with environmental impact

15 December, 2023 by Claire Boyle, Kevin Hughes, Laura Gerrish, Peter Convey, Steve Colwell

Antarctica has been subject to widespread, long-term and on-going human activity since the establishment of permanent research stations became common in the 1950s. Equipment may become intentionally or inadvertently lost…

Read more on Loss of research and operational equipment in Antarctica: Balancing scientific advances with environmental impact

Unsupervised machine learning detection of iceberg populations within sea ice from dual-polarisation SAR imagery

1 November, 2023 by Andrew Fleming, Anita Faul, Ben Evans, David Vaughan, Scott Hosking

Accurate quantification of iceberg populations is essential to inform estimates of Southern Ocean freshwater and heat balances as well as shipping hazards. The automated operational monitoring of icebergs remains challenging,…

Read more on Unsupervised machine learning detection of iceberg populations within sea ice from dual-polarisation SAR imagery

Exploratory mapping of blue ice regions in Antarctica using very high resolution satellite remote sensing data

1 February, 2023 by Peter Convey, Peter Fretwell

Mapping spatiotemporal changes in the distribution of blue ice regions (BIRs) in Antarctica requires repeated, precise, and high-resolution baseline maps of the blue ice extent. This study demonstrated the design…

Read more on Exploratory mapping of blue ice regions in Antarctica using very high resolution satellite remote sensing data

Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network

30 November, 2022 by Dominic Hodgson, Peter Fretwell, Tom Jordan, Teal Riley

The presence of subglacial lakes and subglacial hydrological networks under the East and West Antarctic ice sheets is now relatively well understood, whilst their influence on ice dynamics is the…

Read more on Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network

Whales from space dataset, an annotated satellite image dataset of whales for training machine learning models

27 May, 2022 by Hannah Cubaynes, Peter Fretwell

Monitoring whales in remote areas is important for their conservation; however, using traditional survey platforms (boat and plane) in such regions is logistically difficult. The use of very high-resolution satellite…

Read more on Whales from space dataset, an annotated satellite image dataset of whales for training machine learning models

Quantifying the causes and consequences of variation in satellite‐derived population indices: a case study of emperor penguins

19 April, 2022 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell

Very high-resolution satellite (VHR) imagery is a promising tool for estimating the abundance of wildlife populations, especially in remote regions where traditional surveys are limited by logistical challenges. Emperor penguins…

Read more on Quantifying the causes and consequences of variation in satellite‐derived population indices: a case study of emperor penguins