Abstract
The Canadian Cryospheric Information Network and Polar Data Catalogue (CCIN/PDC) provide: (1) a trusted archive to store data from Canadian cryospheric research and (2) a public access portal to this information. The CCIN/PDC has since expanded its collection to include data from health, ecological, social, and other sciences. Since its inception, CCIN/PDC has engaged Indigenous and northern Canadians to understand and meet their information needs. This paper describes three instances of such engagement and next steps for enhanced interaction and support. First, feedback from northern and Indigenous communities led to the development of PDC Lite. Compared to the full-featured online PDC Search application, PDC Lite accommodates slower Internet speeds and allows one to search by particular northern communities. PDC Lite continues to be improved by input from the people that it serves. Next, to facilitate discussion and strengthen collaborative relationships within the polar data community, CCIN/PDC co-hosted two major meetings in 2015. Emerging from both these events was a need to prioritize what has been termed human interoperability and the need to have Indigenous and northern community involvement at all levels of data management. Future plans for CCIN/PDC include more effective partnerships in which we work with and listen to northern and Indigenous Canadians to better understand their requirements for data management services and expertise. Our ultimate goal is to provide, through collaboration with partners, data, information, and expertise that facilitate northern and Indigenous Canadians’ access to publicly-archived data and enable and support management of their own data and resources.
Highlights
Arctic research can be difficult business, from securing funding to venturing into remote areas with harsh climates, and the transport of expensive, often delicate, research equipment
This paper describes three instances in which Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN)/Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) has engaged northern and Indigenous communities: development of the online PDC Lite application and co-hosting two major meetings related to management of polar data
A survey of northern Canadians, commissioned in 2010 by ArcticNet, revealed that users with lowspeed Internet connections—which are very common in northern Canada—often experienced long wait times when using the PDC Data and Metadata Search application
Summary
Arctic research can be difficult business, from securing funding to venturing into remote areas with harsh climates, and the transport of expensive, often delicate, research equipment. The data that are collected during such challenging ventures are valuable and deserve special handling. Do these data rest forever in the depths of personal filing cabinets, or are they only accessible via specialized or quickly outdated software programs? Church et al: The Northern Voice predictions and new discoveries related to climate and other changes occurring in the far north. These discoveries have direct impacts on the northern and Indigenous people who live in the Arctic
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