Oct 30, 2026
A new dataset for Antarctica supports polar research across all disciplines: Quantarctica Version 4 released
Antarctica.
Under the project leadership of Kenny Matsuoka from the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) in Tromsø, Norway, the new Version 4 of Quantarctica was released on 30 October 2026. As part of the Quantarctica project, a wide range of geospatial datasets relating to research and infrastructure in Antarctica are being processed and made available in a consistent format for use with the QGIS geographical information system. With over 600 the number of included datasets has more than doubled compared with Version 3. All Antarctic-related scientific disciplines are represented, ranging from the atmosphere through biology and geosciences to the social sciences.
In addition to base maps, fundamental datasets include, amongst other things, digital elevation models for ice surface height and sub-glacial topography, as well as infrastructure data, such as the research stations currently operating in Antarctica. Seventeen scientists from various disciplines and different international institutions acted as theme editors for the scientific selection and processing of the relevant datasets. Mirko Scheinert from the Chair of Geodetic Earth System Research was responsible for the geophysics theme.
“Since the release of the first version in 2013, Quantarctica has been providing high-quality, verified and consistently georeferenced data to the Antarctic community for more than ten years,” says Mirko Scheinert.
Quantarctica Version 4 is now available for free use.
Project website
https://sites.npolar.no/quantarctica/
Quantarctica 4 Dataset
Matsuoka, K., Skoglund, A., Wendt, L., Mahagaonkar, A., Tronstad, S., Cajiao, D., Fraser, A., Hills, B., Leihy, R., Liggett, D., Moreau, S., Nakayama, Y., Noël, B., Paxman, G., Poinelli, M., Ritz, C., Ruppel, A., Scheinert, M., Seyboth, E., & Trusel, L. (2026). Quantarctica Version 4: Integrated Geospatial Data Package for Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, and Subantarctic Islands [Dataset]. Norwegian Polar Institute. https://doi.org/10.21334/NPOLAR.2026.1DA42C46
Contact
Dr. Mirko Scheinert
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Chair of Geodetic Earth System Research
Email:
Phone: +49 351 436 33683