Transition from research to operations: ARKTOS-a knowledge-based sea ice classification system

ARKTOS is a fully automated intelligent system that classifies sea ice and that is now being used by the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC) for daily operations related to the NIC's task of mapping the ice covered oceans. In this paper the authors describe the process of taking a research project and transitioning it to an operational environment. They discuss the theoretical methodologies implemented in ARKTOS, and how ARKTOS was developed, tested, and finally moved to operations.