Norway is the only country in the world with Arctic and Antarctic territories, a fact that naturally helps shape the country’s research and development agenda. But a long tradition of deep connections with the land has also spurred researchers and engineers to build the capability needed to monitor the intricacies of all the Earth’s systems – whether by satellite monitoring of ice conditions, oil spills and potential floods, or with ground measurements of meteorological and oceanic conditions to help countries predict tsunamis or other natural disasters. Still other research has led engineers to devise new technologies to provide environmentally friendly transportation, save energy, control pollution and limit damage from natural catastrophes.