Ice Software 

Historical and Statistical Analysis Software

Canatec has been selling ICE '06, software for generating statistical output based on weekly ice charts, since 1995, to industry, governments and research institutes worldwide . It has a worldwide ice data set from 1972 to the present and is updated annually. The source data are in the SIGRID gridded ice format standard of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In seconds, ICE '06:

• Produces statistical tables, plots, and maps based on user-defined sea-ice limiting criteria;
• Calculates ice season durations and duration probabilities based on a data record defined by the user;
• Calculates automatically, and saves, distance and ice data from user-defined navigation routes applied to historical ice conditions
• Calculates area of ice of different types in any region.

Median ice concentration in the first week of July, Baffin Bay and Foxe Basin

Ice Numeral Map

Above: Map of access zones for a Type B ice strengthened vessel, calculated and mapped by Canatec's ICE program and based on Canadian Coast Guard's proposed "Ice Numeral" access system.

Ice Season Dates

"Using your program saved us several million dollars! We thought we would have to winterize the drillship, but your program showed us right away we could expect a 60 day open water period" - Research Manager for drilling firm in the Beaufort Sea.

For additional information on ICE '06, please get in touch with Canatec through our Contact page.

Ice Drift Forecasting Software

Canatec's ice movement forecasting model has been in use by offshore petroleum companies, seismic firms, merchant vessel operators and research and regulatory institutions around the world since 2001. It is an empirical model that includes effects of winds, tidal and non tidal currents. The software is not sold as a stand-alone product, but as part of Canatec's management services for field operations projects.

As part of our continued upgrading of the model, Canatec has embarked upon a major applied research project and hired a full time oceanographer/meteorologist who will work on this project almost full time for 2 years. This project is partly sponsored by the Government of Alberta's AI Fund.