U.S. National Ice Center

What U.S. National Ice Center does

The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) is a U.S. federal government agency headquartered in Suitland, Maryland, jointly operated by NOAA, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Coast Guard. It is the official U.S. government source for sea ice analysis, iceberg tracking, and snow/ice mapping across the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic regions. USNIC produces daily and weekly ice charts, 48-hour ice edge forecasts, the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS), Trivariate time-series products dating to 2007, and the joint Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent (MASIE) product with the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

USNIC's core technology stack is built on satellite-based remote sensing and multisensor analysis. Products are distributed in GIS shapefiles, KMZ, NetCDF, GRIB, GeoTIFF, ASCII, PNG, and PDF formats, enabling direct integration into operational, research, and commercial maritime workflows. The agency holds a multi-decade standardized archive of ice data and shares operational responsibility for Great Lakes ice products with the Canadian Ice Service.

The center is funded through federal appropriations from its three parent agencies and distributes all products free of charge to the public without authentication requirements. It operates with approximately 9 employees, serving federal agencies, the scientific research community, and commercial maritime operators as free-tier users rather than paying customers.

Name

U.S. National Ice Center

Legal name

U.S. National Ice Center

Website

https://usicecenter.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The U.S. National Ice Center is a tri-agency U.S. federal government organization (NOAA, Navy, Coast Guard) that provides satellite-based ice analysis, iceberg tracking, and snow/ice mapping for the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic, serving federal, research, and commercial maritime users free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Ice Analysis and Forecasting Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (92711), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• Sea ice analysis
• Ice forecasting services
• Polar ice monitoring
• Iceberg tracking
• Snow mapping

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) provides operational ice analysis and forecasting services for the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic regions. It produces daily and weekly ice charts, multi-year trivariate time-series products, and Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) data products, distributed free of charge via its public website in multiple GIS-compatible formats for use by U.S. government agencies, researchers, and commercial maritime operators.

Product overview

The U.S. National Ice Center operates as a government ice analysis and forecasting center offering a comprehensive suite of ice and snow monitoring products. The product portfolio includes Arctic and Antarctic Ice Charts providing daily marginal ice zone analyses and weekly ice concentration/stage of development data; Trivariate Products offering multi-year time-series analysis of ice conditions in polar and sub-polar regions; IMS (Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System) products delivering Northern Hemisphere snow and ice analysis with multiple data format support; Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regional ice products produced jointly with the Canadian Ice Service; and the MASIE (Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent) joint product with NSIDC. Data is available in multiple formats including GIS shapefiles, KMZ, NetCDF, GRIB, GeoTIFF, and ASCII for integration with various platforms. The center operates on an alternating weekly production schedule for hemispheric products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMS: Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System - daily analysis producing snow and ice charts for the Northern Hemisphere
• Trivariate Products
• Ice Charts
• Great Lakes Products

Products and services

• Arctic Ice Charts

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered primary and core.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSNIC is a joint tri-agency organization. NOAA provides the primary operational oversight and infrastructure support, including NESDIS and NWS integration. USNIC operates within the NOAA structure for satellite data access and national weather service coordination.
• U.S. NavyprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSNIC is jointly operated by the U.S. Navy, providing strategic ice analysis support for naval operations in polar regions and maritime safety.
• U.S. Coast GuardprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSNIC is jointly operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, supporting Coast Guard operations in ice-infested waters and search and rescue missions.
• National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSIDC jointly creates the Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent (MASIE) product with USNIC. NSIDC is part of the University of Colorado Boulder and serves as a key partner for sea ice research data distribution.
• Canadian Ice ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly produces daily Great Lakes ice charts and NAVTEX forecasts with USNIC. Canadian Ice Service provides coverage for Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario while USNIC provides coverage for Lake Michigan.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA operates satellite missions including Sentinel-1 SAR that provide primary raw data inputs to polar ice monitoring. ESA is a broader incumbent in the upstream satellite and remote sensing space that underpins USNIC's downstream ice analysis products.
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA): NGA is a U.S. Department of Defense combat support agency providing geospatial intelligence, including maritime and polar situational awareness. While broader in scope, NGA is a sister U.S. federal agency that consumes and produces geospatial maritime data for defense and intelligence customers.
• Maxar Technologies: Maxar is a leading commercial satellite imagery provider whose high-resolution optical imagery could be used for iceberg detection and ice chart production. It is a broad incumbent in the underlying space-based imagery that USNIC's ice analysis depends on.

Direct peers

• National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC): NSIDC is a U.S.-based research center at the University of Colorado Boulder that co-produces the MASIE product with USNIC and serves as the primary U.S. distributor of sea ice research data. It is the most direct comparable organization in terms of mandate and data products.
• Alfred Wegener Institute: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) is a German research institute within the Helmholtz Association focused on polar and marine research, operating the Polarstern icebreaker and producing similar sea ice and polar data products. It is a direct international peer in polar data services.
• Norwegian Polar Institute: Norwegian Polar Institute is the Norwegian government's center for polar research and operations, providing Svalbard and Arctic ice monitoring. It is a direct national counterpart and a member of the International Ice Charting Working Group.
• British Antarctic Survey: British Antarctic Survey is a UK Natural Environment Research Council component providing polar research and Antarctic operations. It is a direct counterpart serving a similar national-academic mission for polar data and analysis.
• Australian Antarctic Division: Australian Antarctic Division is the Australian government agency responsible for Australia's Antarctic and sub-Antarctic operations, providing polar data and analysis. It is a direct international counterpart with a similar national-government mandate.
• Canadian Ice Service: Canadian Ice Service is the Canadian government agency providing ice forecasts and observations for Canadian waters, including joint Great Lakes daily ice charts with USNIC. It is a direct national-government counterpart with overlapping mandate and audience.

Emerging players

• Planet Labs: Planet Labs operates a constellation of high-revisit Earth observation satellites providing daily global imagery. Its commercial imagery and derived analytics products are an emerging alternative source for polar ice monitoring that could complement or compete with USNIC's offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-s-national-ice-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about U.S. National Ice Center