Creating an Online Cybercartographic Atlas of Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge and Use

A team of community and university researchers, Inuit experts, Inuit organizations, and software developers are developing a Cybercartographic Atlas of Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge and Use. In keeping with a cybercartographic approach, the Atlas combines maps with text and multimedia representations including images, sound, video, and visualizations. Ultimately, members of the communities involved in the Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project are interested in evaluating the utility of such approaches for their educational potential as classroom tools, as well as to ensure more dynamic forms of knowledge documentation that can be easily updated and accessed over time. At the user interface level, the Atlas presents documented Inuit knowledge in new and innovative ways. The ability to support innovative representations is underpinned by a flexible data model that is populated with knowledge documented through a participatory mapping process. The Atlas presents a variety of topics including “Our Partner Communities,” “Our Contributors,” and Inuit knowledge of “Ice Conditions” and “Uses.” Future iterations of the Atlas will see a restructured and greatly expanded table of contents and potentially the addition of user-contributed content functionality.