Chapter 02 · The Mission
Nature once determined how we survive. Now, we determine how nature survives.
Climate
Regulation
Antarctica is the thermostat of the planet's climate system.
Sea level
Signal
Glacier mass loss in Antarctica translates directly into coastal flooding risk.
Science
Urgency
Critical glacial systems are changing faster than science can track them.
2.1 · The gap
The data stops where the ice begins.
Most glacier studies look only at the surface. Photogrammetry struggles on featureless ice, ground surveys are slow and risky, and measurements often come years apart. The result is a partial picture of a fast-changing object.
- Surface only - the interior stays invisible
- Separate data - surface and depth rarely meet
- Sporadic timing - long gaps between campaigns
2.2 · The platform
Above the surface. Beneath the ice.
LiDAR, RGB and thermal sensors map the surface in centimetre detail. Ground-penetrating radar reveals the ice and the bedrock below. GNSS and AI fuse both into one georeferenced model.
Final products
- Digital Surface Model (DSM)
- High-resolution orthomosaic
- 3D point cloud (LiDAR)
- Ice thickness map (GPR)
- 3D glacier model + volume
2.3 · Method
Four steps from field to digital twin.
In the field, a small specialist team operates drones, radar and GNSS in parallel. The data is then integrated, processed with AI, and turned into a single georeferenced model - ready to measure, compare and share.
Acquisition
Drones, GPR and GNSS capture the glacier in the field.
Integration
Surface and depth data are aligned and georeferenced.
AI processing
Models are reconstructed and classified.
Output
A measurable digital twin and a baseline that grows.
Not a mission.
A beginning.
Every campaign adds to a growing, comparable baseline of glacier data - the foundation for moving towards continuous observation. The Znosko glacier is where it begins. It is not where it has to end.
- 01A baseline that grows with every campaign
- 02A method that can scale to more glaciers
- 03The foundation for continuous climate intelligence
- 04A long-term scientific asset, not a single event