Climate change is widening the areas of operation in the Arctic, with ice-free conditions enabling the expansion of economic activities, access to natural resources and opening of new shipping routes. However, navigating in Arctic waters poses significant challenges due to the lack of precise nautical charts.

Together with the Royal Danish Navy, DHI has developed a satellite-data-based tool, NANOKnavi, enabling safer navigation in the coastal Arctic waters of Greenland. In collaboration with the Nordic Institute in Greenland, local knowledge is included in this tool. NANOKnavi enables stakeholders in Greenland to navigate remote and poorly charted areas. With its satellite-based coastal mapping, they can now quickly survey dangerous shallow waters across vast regions, a task that would be unfeasible with traditional vessel-based surveys or drones.

Building on the experiences regarding NANOKnavi, DHI launched the research project EO4 Hazards in 2024 with DTU Space and National Defence Technology Centre to expand the use of machine learning in bathymetric mapping, further enhancing the mapping of submerged navigational hazards in the Arctic.