Documenting Inuit Knowledge Using Distributed Information and Multimedia Interfaces

Knowledge Preservation and Sharing through Partnership

Pulsifer, Peter L.(1), Nickels, Scot(2), Tomlinson, Scott(3), Laidler, Gita(1), Aporta, Claudio(1), Taylor, D.R. Fraser(1), Hayes, Amos(1)

1 Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Department of Geography, Carleton University

2 Inuit Circumpolar Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

3 Canadian International Polar Year Program Office

GeoNorth 2009 Conference, Fairbanks, AK 4 - 6 August 2009

Presentation Overview

• Trends in polar data management

• Documentation, dissemination and use of Inuit knowledge

• Integration

• Information model

• Web services

• Interactive atlases

• Building new partnerships

Trends in Polar Data Management

Recent Trends in Polar Data Management

• Interoperability: use of standards-based, ‘web services’

• Integrating different knowledge domains: document data; understand language and concepts; recognize community-specific semantic heterogeneity

• Appropriate digital representations: use of audio, video with text and maps

• Preserving information systems: standards, meta-documentation, working with many ‘communities’

• User contributed content: Web 2.0, participatory, collaborative, social networking, file sharing, mashups (interoperable)…

Collaborative Knowledge Preservation & Sharing

Documentation, Dissemination and Use of Inuit Knowledge

Methods

• Community partnerships

• Qualitative approach

• Participatory mapping

• Conversion, representation

• Ongoing dialogue

Integration

Integration

• Definition: The making up or composition of a whole by adding together or combining the separate parts or elements; the combining of diverse parts into a complex whole (OED)

• Projects focus on integrating elements of Inuit Knowledge using digital representations

• Digital representations become part of the whole of contemporary Inuit Knowledge…

• … representations are NOT Inuit Knowledge

• Integration is challenging - must recognize the partial nature of representation and strive to use appropriate tools

Information Model

Current Information Model

Geographic Features

Events

Multimedia

Terminology

Interviews

Place

People

Peter L. Pulsifer, 2009

Rich Semantics

• Focus on Inuit terminology, local context, situated meaning

• Building on existing research (e.g. Laidler & Elee 2008)

• Developing a system that supports formal documentation & flexible visualization

• Aim to document and preserve community-specific semantics

Laidler, G., & Elee, P. (2008). Human Geographies of Sea Ice: Freeze/Thaw Processes around Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada. Polar Record, 44(228), 51-76.

Web Services

Generalized Info Infrastructure

DatabaseDatabase

Data providers

Data mediation

Data interface(s)

GPS data GPS data (.gpx,.csv)(.gpx,.csv)

Map data Map data (.shp)(.shp)

Multimedia Multimedia data(.png,.mov,.odata(.png,.mov,.o

gg)gg)

Data publisherData publisher

Associated Associated data (.doc)data (.doc)

IK Atlas IK Atlas GISGIS GISGIS

QGISQGIS

Catalogue WMS, WFS, WCS, [SOS]

CSW

Data Catalogue

• Using ISO 19115 Standard

• Supports OGC Catalogue Service for Web access and harvesting

• Compliant with national and international models

Interactive Atlases

Sea Ice Features

Travel Features

Building New Partnerships

Evolving Partnerships• Several Canadian IPY projects have focused on Arctic people and Inuit

Knowledge: e.g. Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project, Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study (Team #10)

• New partnerships are emerging that build on complementary IPY research projects

• Establishing a distributed but coordinated network of expertise that focuses on key themes related to Inuit and Indigenous Knowledge representation:

Human networks and building capacity within communities

Community-driven documentation and preservation of knowledge representations

Community-based research programs

Promoting infrastructure development

Next Steps

• Working with Canadian IPY Federal Program Office to establish strategic plan to achieve priority objectives over coming years

• Aiming to engage a broad range of community, academic, government and NGO partners

• Developing community-based methods, profiles and standards - promoting interoperability while respecting difference

• Drawing on, and contributing to, an Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure

Thank You!Questions?

• Acknowledgements:

contact: ppulsife@connect.carleton.ca http://gcrc.carleton.ca

Residents of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, and Ulukhaktok Nortwest Territories