FIELD STATION LAB site  |  In 2025, an update of The IK Foundation’s organisation and digital world will begin to meet the needs of the future – we call it NETWORK IK v.4 – to be developed organically as branches in a tree at its own pace!

Field Station Solander’s Eye’s annual service is planned for September 2024 on-site at the station in Iceland. This will secure the final operational year 2024-2025 for the Field Station.

In 2024, an update of the entire THE FIELD STATION LAB website will be launched, including improving and ensuring this department's high level of service for the future. The goal is to offer a digital service while inspiring those interested to use the resources the subject offers.

The annual service for Field Station Solander’s Eye occurs between 9 and 11 September, on-site at the station in Iceland. At the same time, the station's servers in Switzerland and the Live Feed site are updated.

Work started in July and will continue during August to prepare and plan the annual technical maintenance of the Field Station Solander’s Eye in Iceland.

Our work to both develop and establish scientific field stations continues. In 2024 the opening of a development and test centre under the working name “The Field Station Lab” is planned.

Prepares annual maintenance of the Field Station Solander’s Eye by a dedicated group of participants.

The Field Station | Solander's Eye in Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland; now installed and gradually goes live by streaming data. Data is collected in IK’s servers located in Switzerland, from which it is spread out through our dedicated site within IK under an open Creative Commons license. All data are archived and will be searchable during October/November.

Field Station | Naturae Observatio |  Solander's Eye is now in test mode before it is to be transported to Iceland and become part of #Solander250. More updates on this enterprise coming soon.

The IK Foundation, The University of Iceland and The Embassy of Sweden in Iceland are working together to establish an autonomous research station, The Field Station | Naturae Observatio | Solander’s Eye, on Breiðamerkursandur, more specifically on Jökulnes, Iceland. 

Finalising work on activating new Field Station | Naturae Observatio in 2022 and 2023.

Climatic testing of Field Station v.3 and studies of sound recording.

Presentation of the Field Station system in a three part short film, which gives an insight into the possibilities of the system and invites external projects to use the concept.

Work has begun on developing an updated version of Field Station | Naturae Observatio - more energy, additional capacity, multiple measurement possibilities and better communication.

Live testing is planned for September 2021 and for deployment in 2022 in a pristine wilderness.

This autumn and winter will be exciting. The Field Station from Spitsbergen will return to mainland Europe to be evaluated. This work lays the foundation for the next generation of field stations on both land and in water.

At the same time, there is also a comprehensive evaluation of all data provided by The Field Station | Martin's Eye has collected during 2019-2020.

The 2020 fieldwork (VOYAGE V) is the final part of this project at Spitsbergen. The FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO | MARTIN’S EYE must be dismantled, all data secured and the site left without any trace of the massive collection of scientific observations amassed during the previous year.

Due to the global Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our first priority is to protect the health and safety of all participants who will take part in the 2020 fieldwork. Current travel restrictions in many countries must also be taken into account together with local quarantine periods. All these necessary precautions, together with general ongoing medical and epidemiological advice for the pandemic are circumstances which we of course must await, before planning for the fieldwork to be resumed at a later date.

The Enterprise with The Field Station | Naturae Observatio with maintenance etc has also been stopped for the moment and will be activated as soon as the rules allow.

Preparations for field work are in progress! This year's cold winter at Spitsbergen means that the ice conditions on the west coast needs to be improved before mobilisation for participants and expedition ship can take place.

Final art work and tests of web-based analysis tools of data from the Field station.

Participants of the project build systems for the processing and analysis of data collected from the Field Station. Expected to be completed in 2019.

This year’s second expedition (Voyage IV.B) will be carried out in September 2019 with fieldwork consisting of concentrated multidisciplinary surveying of the Forlandsøyane and the West coast of Forlandsletta on Spitsbergen. The main topic is to maintain the temporary micro FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO | MARTIN’S EYE on the chosen spot. Documentation and collecting of data will be done via the autonomous Field Station during the final coming months of the project.

NOTE FROM MISSION CONTROL: The Field Station's provider of satellite communications - Iridium Next and Thales - has unfortunately discovered an error in the system's software, which means that we have lost contact with The Field Station at the moment. They are working intensively on their technical departments around the world to solve the problem.

After a successful installation of Field Station | Martin’s Eye earlier this month, on Forlandsletta along the west coast of Spitsbergen, all automated systems of the Field Station are now active to be able to observe and document the landscape biosphere. Already from day one the station has sent information via satellite in the form of weather reports, updated every 60 second, as well as a daily picture from one of the camera systems. During May and in the coming months up to late July, new data and facts will be launched giving further possibilities to take part in this project work. The site and its contents is open for all interested individuals and organisations alike under en Creative Commons license.

In May 2019 the next voyage will take place within the project BRIDGE BUILDER EXPEDITIONS SPITSBERGEN, with a primary field season on the site assisted by the new Micro-Field Station until the end of September. Research projects from around the world will be linked to the station as well as the results (pictures, sound and data), directly via the Internet being made available under a Creative Commons license.

Transport of parts, instruments and apparatus to the Micro Field Station | Naturae Observatio | Martin's Eye on Spitsbergen, for assembly in May 2019.

Preparations for field work during Voyage IV (A) in the Bridge Builder Expeditions Spitsbergen 2019 in May. Field work concentrates this year on the Forlandsøyane and the west coast of Forlandssletta.

Testing of both the hard- and software to the micro Field Station (v.3).

Technical development of both the hard- and software to the micro Field Station (v.3).

Development of the hardware to the micro Field Station (v.3).

Final preparation of application, regarding field season 2019 for Field Station | Naturae Observatio v.III, to the Governor of Svalbard via RiS database.

The expedition – Voyage III – will be carried out in September 2018 during a fieldwork period of five days and to be continued with a five-day fieldwork period in May 2019 (Voyage IV:A). Field documentation at Forlandsøyane | Prins Karls Forland (pictures, artwork and text) of the coastal area, particularly research area A-B, for reference studies of Anton Rolandsson Martin's visit in the area 1758. Coastal survey and identification of site options for FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO project, version III. Field work: Fauna, flora, astronomy, meteorology and biosphere.

Open floor Presentation | A field station for Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard (Arne Ardeberg, The IK Foundation)

The INTERACT Station Managers’ Forum meeting III was held 19-23 March 2018 at Kloster Neustift, Varhn, Brixen, Italy. The meeting was attended by 40 participants.

Read more > Minutes from Station Managers’ Forum III.

Preparations for field work during Voyage III in the Bridge Builder Expeditions Spitsbergen 2018 in September. Field work concentrates this year on the Forlandsøyane and the west coast of Forlandssletta.

Activation of the application to the Governor of Svalbard via RiS database, with the title: (RIS-ID: 11055) SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS | COAST LANDSCAPE AT FORLANDSØYANE, SPITSBERGEN, SVALBARD. Through an automated and temporarily placed Field Station, increase the scientific knowledge of the coast landscape at Forlandsøyane. With round-the-clock functions as well as round-the-year scientific studies without disturbing presence of people – a multi-functional interdisciplinary platform where various scientific observations can be performed. Read more...

Final preparation of application to the Governor of Svalbard via RiS database.

Presentation of FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO at Station Managers' Forum III – a week full of knowledge exchange, workshops – at Abbazia Di Novacella. | https://eu-interact.org.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS | NATURAE OBSERVATIO [ OBSERVE | MONITORING | COLLECT | SHARE | EXPERIENCE ] – Presentations of the first validated scientific projects, including participating organisations from three countries. Read more...

Preparation and establishment of the first scientific projects linked to the planned Field Station at Spitsbergen. Participating organisations from three countries.

Meeting in Oslo with IEC Telecom for the establishment of satellite-based communication for Field Stations.

Meeting in Oslo with the Natural History Museum University of Oslo and GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Norway for collaboration and exchange of scientific data.

This site: FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO is on its way to be launched! You are welcome to browse around, some pages are already live ... Department by department will go live as Field Stations become activated.