Rosatom and the Eastern Centre for State Planning (which has the status of an autonomous federal scientific institution in Russia) have signed a cooperation agreement on the creation of the ArcticLabs information and analytics system (ArcticLabs) and the Unified Digital Services Platform of the Northern Sea Route (UDSP NSR).
The ArcticLabs information and analytics system will create and maintain the functioning of a dynamic simulation platform at the international, federal, regional, municipal, and corporate levels. The goal of the platform is to assess necessary measures and potential scenarios for the development of Russia’s Arctic zone, as well as of the NSR as a driver of said development.
UDSP NSR will provide users with information services for navigation management, process data on hydrometeorological and ice conditions, provide navigation and hydrographic support, as well as information support for cargo transport to ensure navigation safety, monitor the effectiveness of infrastructure and property management, and monitor the environment.
The agreement was signed by Rosatom’s Deputy Director of the Northern Sea Route Directorate Maxim Kulinko and the Director of the Eastern Centre for State Planning Mikhail Kuznetsov in the presence of Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev.
“The decision to create the UDSP NSR was influenced by the substantial growth of freight traffic along the NSR. The platform, which unites all available digital resources, will make it possible to provide various services to cargo carriers, ship owners and shipmasters, as well as to insurers, port terminals, and other market participants in a single “window.” The UDSP NSR will be one of the most important tools for the development of the Northern Sea Route as a year-round international maritime transport corridor for the Eurasian continent,” said Maxim Kulinko.
“As we have frequently noted, the goal of the ArcticLabs project is to create a reference centre to help inform public and private decision-making on the development of Russia’s Arctic zone and international transit, as well as on increasing Russian cargo turnover along the Northern Sea Route – a strategically important artery for the country. The system we are creating will allow for the regular compilation of aggregated indicators for facilities and will be an excellent tool for identifying bottlenecks in infrastructure, including for icebreaker accompaniment, as well as for developing proposals for sustainable development and assessing the impact on the Arctic environment. We hope that our cooperation with Rosatom will not only make it possible to develop a truly high-quality product, but to also improve the life of the population in Russia’s Arctic zone,” said Mikhail Kuznetsov.
It is expected that a single digital environment, encompassing all the available information resources of the Russian Arctic and the Arctic Ocean, will improve management and production processes in the future, as well as reduce redundant or repetitive functions.