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magic.bas.ac.uk
Mapping and Geographic Information Centre
@magic.bas.ac.uk
580 followers 24 following 110 posts
The Mapping and Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC) provides geospatial information, expertise, and services to the British Antarctic Survey (@bas.ac.uk) and wider UK activity in the Polar Regions.
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magic.bas.ac.uk
We've recently created a new collection of legacy maps in our Catalogue, which will be added to over time. For now, we have 3 interesting maps available to view and download: data.bas.ac.uk/collections/...
The Scotia Arc is one of our favourites. The map was a massive compilation effort at the time!
A bright, colourful map titled 'TECTONIC MAP OF THE SCOTIA ARC'. The map covers South America, the Scotia Sea, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Bathymetry is shown with varying shades of blue.
November 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We ran a Map Giveaway for BAS staff & students this week, raising money for @mapaction.bsky.social! The maps were a mixture of beautiful, historical maps from the 70s and 80s, and previous versions of our main published maps. We had so much interest - thanks BAS for the support & generous donations!
2 people looking at some of the maps in the giveaway. A large piece of artwork showing an icy landscape can be seen on the wall behind the maps. An image of a poster advertising the giveaway. The text on the poster reads 'MAGIC Map Giveaway' and some old maps are shown faded in the background. One of the old maps available in the giveaway. The title is 'British Antarctic Territory - Trinity Peninsula'. The map is a Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) map from 1974 with artistic hillshading on land and a faded blue sea. BAS staff members looking at some of the maps. 4 people can be seen looking at large paper maps placed on tables. The room has a large black screen in the background, and big glass windows/doors leading out to a balcony.
October 31, 2025 at 11:43 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
After a short delay in Punta Arenas waiting for a weather window, our first team member is now at Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, after travelling over the Drake Passage on the Dash-7 aircraft. 🛩️ While there, they will provide geospatial support to BAS staff as the science field season begins.
The red Dash-7 aircraft after arriving at Rothera. 2 people can be seen in high vis walking next to the plane. Snow and ice are on the ground, and some buildings can be seen in the background. The new, bright blue Discovery building. A large Operations Tower can be seen on top of the building which provides a 360 view of the skies around Rothera. A view looking SW from Rothera over Ryder Bay. Snow-covered Mt Liotard on Adelaide Island can be seen in the background, and rocky Léonie Island in Ryder Bay can be seen in front. An image of a large sign saying "Punta Arenas". A ship can be seen in the water behind the sign.
October 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Some of our recent maps were reviewed for Geology Today & we're pleased to see the positive opinions & appreciation of how much work goes into them 🎉 doi.org/10.1111/gto....

The maps include The South Orkney Islands, Alexander Island, and Bedmap3. Details available in our catalogue - bas.ac.uk/maps
The front cover of our South Orkney Islands and Signy Island map. There is a photo of the landscape on Signy, with a tall, crevassed glacier in the foreground (Orwell Glacier), and clouds and snowy mountains in the distance. The front cover of our Alexander Island map. The photo on the cover shows a faded red tent, with snow-covered, craggy mountains in the background. The front cover of our Bedmap3 map, which shows an extract of the map (without any of the labels). The terrain of the land beneath the ice is shown with a coloured hillshade, ranging from dark blue (deepest) to light brown and white shades (tallest).
October 6, 2025 at 11:05 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We just attended #FOSS4GUK in Leeds. It was a fantastic couple of days meeting other GIS & software enthusiasts to learn about WWII coordinate systems, making maps accessible & much more, all using free & open tools anyone can use! We also presented the code and history behind our new map catalogue.
A photo of many people sat in a room, looking at the camera. Some people are stood up at the back, one with their hands reached up. Photo credit: https://bsky.app/profile/uk.osgeo.org An image from a presentation slide with the main words saying "For me the point of open source is freedom, trust, and collaboration." Photo credit: https://bsky.app/profile/uk.osgeo.org
October 3, 2025 at 10:57 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We're working on a new project to support building & modernisation at Rothera Research Station. This week we took part in a workshop showcasing how we will integrate 3D Building information models with our GIS platform and how it will form a key part of infrastructure planning and asset management.
Building Information Model (BIM) of our new Discovery Building at Rothera. The image shows a 3D building with curved edges to the roof, and the building wall closest to us has been removed in the image, allowing us to see inside. A communications tower can be seen on top of the building. A 3D scene on our GIS platform showing building models in geographical context with other mapping layers such as roads, cables and masts. Snow-covered areas and rocky outcrops can be seen outside of the main station area. The roads and paths are shown in red. Part of the runway can be seen on the right.
October 2, 2025 at 3:08 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We've been using recent satellite imagery to update the @scar-antarctic.bsky.social Antarctic Digital Database coastline, in preparation for a new version of our 'Adelaide Island and Arrowsmith Peninsula' map. It's important to update this data, to track changes and portray the current conditions.
A satellite image of Skog Bay and the fronts of Murphy and Wilkinson glaciers in Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula. There is a red line showing the previous coastline, and a blue line showing the newly updated line. The date of the image is 11th Feb. 2025. A satellite image of Hanusse Bay, NE Adelaide Island, and small islands including Weertman Island. There is a red line showing the previous coastline, and a blue line showing the newly updated line. The date of the image is 25th Jan. 2025. A satellite image of SW Adelaide Island, just north of Cape Adriasola. Small icebergs can be seen floating in the water. There is a red line showing the previous coastline, and a blue line showing the newly updated line. The date of the image is 10th Feb. 2025.
September 25, 2025 at 12:55 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Our GIS Intern, @a-efe.bsky.social, is finishing his 12-week internship at @bas.ac.uk today. We want to say a big thank you for his fantastic contributions during this time with MAGIC!

Yesterday, Efe gave a final presentation to the team showcasing his work.

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Efe presenting his work to other members of MAGIC who are all stood or sat around a large white table. Efe presenting a slide titled "Antarctic Digital Database Task", showing an updated area of coastline.
September 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
These awards are extremely competitive, with world-leading cartographic organisations entering multiple categories each year. We received Highly Commended and Commended awards, showing the value and importance of the work we carry out mapping the Polar Regions!
A photo of 7 people stood holding certificates. These people were recognised in the Stanfords Printed Map category, and work for HarperCollins publishers and Esri, amongst another organisations. Photo credit: British Geological Survey.
September 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We're very happy to share that three of our maps received awards at the @bcsmaps.bsky.social Annual Conference last week! Our Alexander Island and Bedmap3 maps were recognised in the Printed Mapping category, and our Ice Logistics Portal (www.icelogistics.info) in the Electronic Mapping category 🏆🎉
2 members of MAGIC are stood in front of a large geological map (William Smith's map) covering England, Wales and part of Scotland. The people are holding three certificates. A photo showing some of the maps that were entered into the awards. Our topographic map of Alexander Island can be seen at the front left of the image, and Bedmap3 can be seen at the back right.
September 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We've recently been testing our new laser scanner, acquired this year to enable accurate scanning of our facilities. It’s capturing in 3D now! MAGIC supports BIM modelling in Antarctica, where buildings will be scanned into point clouds to record detailed features - not even a socket will be missed.
The new laser scanner placed outside on some grass. A panorama of a scan output inside one of our workshops. A yellow glider can be seen on the floor. A panorama of a scan output inside one of our workshops. Some poster stands can be seen on the left, as well as a glider on the right.
September 9, 2025 at 9:28 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
A couple of our team are attending the @bcsmaps.bsky.social 2025 annual conference taking place at @bgs.ac.uk today and yesterday.
It has been a fascinating few days so far and it’s great to see our maps displayed for the awards ceremony later today! #carto2025
A selection of the printed maps displayed for the awards ceremony. A person presenting a slide titled ‘From peat to people - geological mapping at the British Geological Survey’ A person presenting a slide titled ‘advancing noise modelling with data science and fme enabled automations’ An image of a very large paper map. The map is William Smith’s geological map, often referred to as Britain's first geological map.
September 4, 2025 at 10:42 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Our new Geomatics Surveyor in the team is attending Pre-Deployment Training this week as he will soon be travelling to Rothera Research Station, Antarctica!
Everyone travelling to the Polar Regions with BAS must attend this vital training to make sure we are all safe when deployed. ⛑️❄️
A person looking at 2 posters during a training session. One is titled ‘Rothera Research Station’ and the other one ‘Mapping and Geographic Information Centre’.
September 3, 2025 at 8:21 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Iceberg A23A is currently located north of South Georgia & over the weekend has fragmented into a several large pieces. While these individual icebergs are large & may get new names, they may be short lived as further breakup is now likely as currents push them all further north into warmer waters.
A satellite image from 1st Sep. showing the island of South Georgia covered in snow and ice, and iceberg A23A lying about 65 km to the north. There are many clouds in the image. The berg remains as one large piece, with multiple smaller fragments around its edge. The largest fragment is still 35 km in length. A scale bar is shown in the bottom right corner, and a credit statement saying "Copernicus Sentinel-3 imagery acquired 1st Sep. 2025".
September 2, 2025 at 9:55 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
@bas.ac.uk hosts 'Pre-Deployment Training' each year, for those going to Antarctica. Everyone attending receives a couple of maps in their pack and we've been busy printing and collecting up these maps ready for the event! Nothing beats a map to help orient people for their exciting adventure ahead.
A small selection of the maps being prepared for Pre-Deployment Training (PDT) at BAS. There are maps of Bird Island, Thatcher Peninsula, Signy Island, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the Brunt Ice Shelf, amongst others. Some of the maps have nice scenery photos on their front cover.
August 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We're almost ready to formally launch our new Map Catalogue, containing a mixture of interesting & useful polar maps! 🗺️

Are there any small maps or graphics that you'd love to see available online? Any of your favourite locations that you've never managed to find a good map of? Let us know!
A mosaic of 6 maps covering different areas in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The maps have all got a similar style, with blue ocean and white land.
August 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Alexander Island is home to stunning landscapes, captured here in these Sentinel-2 satellite images.
We produced brand new topographic data for the region, including recently updated coastlines & spot height data for over 900 peaks! See more about the map: data.bas.ac.uk/maps/alexander-island

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A satellite image of the Fossil Bluff region on Alexander Island. Rocky outcrops can be seen in brown, with areas of moraine being moved eastwards (right, in the image) onto the ice shelf. George VI Ice Shelf can be seen, covered in bright blue meltpools. A satellite image of Ganymede Heights and Ablation Valley on Alexander Island. Rocky outcrops can be seen in brown. The ice-covered Ablation Lake can be seen in a large valley, near the top of the image. George VI Ice Shelf can be seen in the east/right, covered in bright blue meltpools. A satellite image of some of the highest peaks on Alexander Island. The image is white and largely snow-covered, with small areas of rock outcrop visible in some areas. The image labels 5 mountains, including Mount Hall at 3078 metres tall (the highest mountain on the island).
August 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
📢 New Map Alert 🗺️

We have produced new maps of Alexander Island, along with the geology team here at @bas.ac.uk! These 1:500 000 scale maps cover the second largest uninhabited island in the world at a level of detail never before seen. See the full story here: www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/t...

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A topographic map of Alexander Island, Antarctica. The bathymetry depths are shown in varying shades of cyan. Ice shelves are shown in light grey. The land is white, with a hillshade detailing some of the terrain. A large information panel can be seen to the right of the main map, with information text and further small maps and satellite images. A geological map of Alexander Island. Open water is blue, ice shelves are grey, and a variety of bright colours are used on land to represent the geology. A large information panel can be seen to the right of the main map, with a detailed legend regarding the geology colours, and a long reference list.
August 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Made primarily of polystyrene they weigh just 1.6 kg on take-off, but despite this they are capable of operating in the stronger winds we experience down in the Antarctic with a maximum continuous wind limit of 17 m/s. In fact, yesterday we clocked a top ground speed of >63 mph!

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A photo of a man launching the ebee UAV in a grassy field. There are trees in the distance and white fluffy clouds in a blue sky. A photo of 2 men, one of them holding an ebee UAV, in a grassy field. There are trees in the distance and white fluffy clouds in a blue sky.
August 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
MAGIC was out test flying our eBee VISION platforms in advance of the upcoming Antarctic field season this week. The eBee VISION UAVs can fly for 90 minutes and operate up to 20 km from the pilot. Here's a short clip of one of them in action! 🛩️

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August 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Come and join BAS, working with both MAGIC and the Wildlife from Space Team!

We are looking for an expert in ecological remote sensing with experience of spectral analysis to support our Darwin Plus South Georgia Seabird project. 🐦🦤
bas.ciphr-irecruit.com/applicants/v...
A photo of albatross. Mountains can be seen in the background, with water in between. Photo credit: BAS.
July 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
Lots of dots! These are spot heights generated for our Air Operations Planning Maps, using REMAv2 2m tiles. Next steps are to clean up the density, add existing GPS points & then add them to our maps, which are used for planning by pilots across the continent. The data will then be openly published!
A screenshot of 59,261 spot heights in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. This is the initial version, before reducing the density. Each point is shown as a red dot, the coastline of Antarctica is displayed as a grey line, and the yellow squares are the extent of some of the REMA tiles.
July 30, 2025 at 9:09 AM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We are currently hosting an intern digitising ice floes from satellite radar (SAR) imagery in the Weddell Sea.
The resulting labelled data will be used in the NERC DEFIANT and QUASAR projects to assess the performance of machine learning methods and quantify errors in sea ice concentration data.
A screenshot of a SAR image at the north-east end of the Antarctic Peninsula. The digitised ice floes are highlighted in semi-transparent green. The image is from 31st Dec. 2020. A zoomed in portion of the SAR image in the Weddell Sea. The digitised ice floes are highlighted in semi-transparent green. The image is from 31st Dec. 2020.
July 24, 2025 at 2:27 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
We've been busy on a new project making polygon boundaries for place names, using Alexander Island as a case study.
Creating polygons for Antarctic names is about more than cartographic precision. It’s about improving how we understand, search, & use data in one of Earth’s most remote environments.
An in-progress screenshot of two polygon boundaries in northern Alexander Island - the boundaries are for the Rouen Mountains and Havre Mountains. The map contains a hillshade, and place name locations are displayed with red points.
July 18, 2025 at 3:54 PM
magic.bas.ac.uk
After successful test flights near Calgary, the new camera system is already on its way back to the UK for further integration and will then be quickly shipped to the Antarctic in preparation for the upcoming season! ❄️

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A photo out of the window during a test flight in the Twin Otter. A black and white propeller blade can be seen in motion. The view on the ground shows green fields and forested areas.
July 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM