105,2955Attendance is open to representatives of organizations with an interest in sustained arctic observations. The number of participants will be limited to approximately 200. Speakers will be selected by invitation, however poster contributions from all participants are welcome.
Abstracts from invited and contributing authors will form part of the workshop documentation. The deadline for early registration is Monday, 3 March 2008, but organizers request notification of intent to attend as early as possible at: SAON2@ualberta.ca.

Plenary and break-out sessions include:
- Earth Observation Platforms
- Community-based Observations
- Coordination of International Arctic Observing Networks and of National Funding (governments and agencies)
- Operational Observing
- New and Emerging Technologies
- Integration Across Networks and Modeling
- Observations, Modeling, and Data Management

Information about the conference program, registration, hotel booking, and travel advice will be provided at: http://www.arcticobserving.org

The need for well-coordinated and sustained Arctic Observing Networks that meet scientific and societal needs has been identified in numerous high profile reports and forums. In November 2006 at the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Salekhard, Russian Federation, ministers welcomed the International Polar Year as a unique opportunity to stimulate cooperation and coordination of arctic research and increase awareness of the importance of the Arctic. Further, the Arctic Council Ministers requested the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) cooperate with the other AC working groups, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and other partners in efforts to create a coordinated Arctic Observing Network that meets identified societal needs.

In January 2007 the Sustained Arctic Observing Networks Initiating Group (SAON IG), composed of representatives of international organizations, agencies, and northern residents involved in research and operational and local observing, was formed to develop a set of recommendations on how to achieve long-term Arctic-wide observing activities that provide free, open, and timely access to high-quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits.

The first workshop was held in Stockholm, Sweden, on 12-14 November 2007, and addressed the question: Are current Arctic observing and data and information management activities sufficient to meet users' needs? A third workshop is planned for 15-17 October 2008, in Helsinki, Finland. Reports from the first workshop and announcements and documentation for all three workshops are available at: http://www.arcticobserving.org.

For more information, please contact:
David Hik, Workshop Organizing Committee Co-chair
E-mail: dhik@ualberta.ca

Karen Edwards, Canadian IPY Secretariat Coordinator
E-mail: SAON2@ualberta.ca