Real time data on thickness and surface and subsurface drag coefficients of drifting open pack ice, vital for predicting its motions, are not routinely available from measurements. Hence a method for estimating these parameters, in near real time, was developed and tested in the southeast Beaufort Sea. To this end, a reduced form of the general equation of motion for drifting pack ice was employed, assuming wind stress, water drag, and Coriolis force to be at equilibrium. Data were derived from satellite images, surface weather charts, and previously observed minimum and maximum of the three parameters. Among the four data series tested, three were acceptable. Routine application of the method depends on the availability of near real time remotely sensed data from microwave systems, producing at least 3-day sequences of sidelapping images.