Premium
Producing an Indigenous Knowledge Web GIS for Arctic Alaska Communities: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons Learned
Author(s) -
Eisner Wendy R.,
Jelacic Jessica,
Cuomo Chris J.,
Kim Changjoo,
Hinkel Kenneth M.,
Del Alba Dorin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
transactions in gis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.721
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9671
pISSN - 1361-1682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9671.2011.01291.x
Subject(s) - world wide web , arctic , computer science , traditional knowledge , traditional knowledge gis , web application , web 2.0 , geography , participatory gis , geographic information system , indigenous , citizen journalism , the internet , gis day , remote sensing , ecology , gis and public health , biology
A traditional knowledge “Iñupiaq Web GIS”, based on a five‐year study and containing observations and environmental knowledge of Iñupiat communities indigenous to Arctic Alaska, was incorporated into a Web‐based platform. The website, “Arctic Cultural Cartography,” was created to be an open portal through which the password‐protected “Iñupiaq Web GIS” could be accessed. We discuss the process of developing the web GIS including the incorporation of user‐friendly features such as links to interactive maps, video clips of interviews, discussion boards, and the integration of popular web interfaces such as Facebook. We also discuss short‐ and long‐term goals for the further development of the GIS, its potential as a sustainable, participatory online database for sharing pertinent ecological knowledge, and challenges in achieving optimal community involvement given constraints imposed by remote locations with limited bandwidth.