Navigating maps in the Arctic: tracing more-than-human interactions of mapping practices in Norwegian rescue services

Abstract

ABSTRACT When responding to an incident, Norwegian rescue services in the Arctic have to consider weather conditions, surface features, infrastructure scarcity, and technological availability. To some extent, safe navigation is based on the use of digital maps. In this article, I analyze how maps are assembled for their role as navigation tools and how this interlinks with the capacity for timely incident response in the Arctic context. My study is based on new materialism, which pays attention to interactions. I investigate maps as processes, focusing on how they are constituted through practices. Therefore, I follow heterogeneous entanglements of more-than-human actors. In this article, I focus on localities related to the Svalbard archipelago, including incident response on land, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, and information support services. I explore the assemblages of maps through three aspects: institutional mapping of Svalbard, avalanche observations around Longyearbyen, and mapping practices of the local rescue services on land. I argue that safe navigation, and consequently a timely incident response, is embedded in more-than-human networks and depends on their flexibility and durability. Divergence of mapping practices between those in Svalbard and on the mainland further highlights the need for an analysis of socio-technological entanglements in the Arctic.