Tuesday, 04 May 1999
From: Matthew Lythe, BEDMAP Database Manager

Update
Over the past 9 months over 1.6 million ice thickness measurements from 11 countries and over 100 expeditions have been assembled within the BEDMAP database. These data cover approximately 80% of the 13.98 million square km total area of the continent with a mean density of one point per 5.5 km. Although some areas, notably parts of Wilkes Land, Queen Mary Land and southern Dronning Maud Land still have only limited coverage, the number of data points in BEDMAP is two orders of magnitude greater than the only comparable compilation, the SPRI Folio 'The Bedrock Surface of Antarctica' published in 1983. A summary of the data sets in BEDMAP, a list of contributors, as well as several maps describing the coverage and density of data may be viewed on the BEDMAP web site at http://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk/public/aedc/bedmap/updateindex.html

Call for final contributions
The first phase of the BEDMAP programme (data compilation and storage), will conclude at the second BEDMAP workshop in July (details below). The final deadline for submission of data to BEDMAP is therefore 31 JULY 1999. The first BEDMAP gridded data products describing ice thickness for the grounded ice sheet and ice shelves and bed elevation for the continent and continental shelf will only contain data submitted by this date. Data will still be accepted after this date however inclusion of these data in the final gridded topographies is not guaranteed. The BEDMAP consortium strongly urges any scientist with appropriate data to contribute to this SCAR project.

BEDMAP Workshop: 24-25 July 1999.
Held at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK, the second BEDMAP workshop will focus on the issues fundamental to the manipulation of multi-type data to achieve a single determination of bed elevation. It will be primarily a 'hands on' affair with emphasis on processing techniques and the specification of final data products. We welcome participation in this workshop not only from members of the BEDMAP consortium but to anyone with an interest in ice sheet modelling, subglacial topography or the methods used to determine ice thickness. Those with experience in the manipulation of large multi-format data sets and spatial interpolation will be particularly welcome. BEDMAP is a consortium and attendees at the meeting will be in a position to influence the future of the project. Attendance at the workshop is thus recommended for researchers with a strong requirement for BEDMAP products. If you would like to attend this workshop please contact Matt Lythe or David Vaughan (details below) as soon as possible. Further information about the workshop including a full agenda and list of participants has been posted on the BEDMAP Web site at; http://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk/public/aedc/bedmap/workshop/index.html

Please note a number of single rooms have been pre-booked for workshop participants at the Arundel Hotel for the nights 23-25 July inclusive. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this will need to confirm this directly with the hotel before May 17. Please contact Matt Lythe (matt.lythe@bas.ac.uk) for details. Rooms will be available on first come-first served basis.

Data validation and gridding
In August the programme will enter the second phase of work i.e. data validation and soon thereafter the final phase, the production of gridded data sets and associated products. Some progress has already been made on developing procedures to evaluate the precision of the input data sets and to remove erroneous data points. These procedures will be refined based on discussion at the workshop. The final programme of work will be decided at the workshop with an envisaged completion date of the programme in approximately March 1999.