ELOKA: Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic

This project, Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA), addresses a gap in data management for Arctic research - the urgent need for effective and appropriate means of recording, storing, and managing data and information being collected in Arctic communities. Local and traditional knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring efforts are on the rise, but to date there has been very little done to coordinate these projects or the information they have collected. ELOKA seeks to fill this gap by supporting community-based research with accessible and useable data management that can allow findings to be shared more broadly, while still keeping control of data in local hands. Specifically, ELOKA proposes to provide data management and user support to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic. To build ELOKA, researchers, community organizations, data management specialists, web specialists, and Arctic residents will work together. ELOKA will be developed in collaboration with four pilot projects representing different regions and cultures, different priorities and goals, different topics and locations of study, and different types of data. All of the pilot projects share a focus on community-based research in the North and a common interest and need for data management and networking capability. Working closely with these projects and using their expertise, experiences, and data, we will build the core of ELOKA which includes: (a) a secure place for existing and future LTK and community-based projects to store their data in a way that is searchable and accessible to a diverse community of users while assuring protection of sensitive data; (b) a portal to finding data, information, and resources about Arctic LTK and community-based projects; and (c) developing best practices and standards in data stewardship for community-based observations.

本项目为北极本地观测与知识交换计划（Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic，简称ELOKA），旨在填补北极研究领域的数据管理空白——当前亟需高效适配的手段，以记录、存储并管理北极社区中收集到的各类数据与信息。当前，本地与传统知识（Local and Traditional Knowledge，LTK）研究及基于社区的监测工作正蓬勃发展，但迄今为止，针对此类项目及其采集的信息开展统筹协调的实践仍极为匮乏。ELOKA旨在填补这一空白，为基于社区的研究提供可及且易用的数据管理支持，既能够推动研究成果的更广泛共享，同时仍可由本地掌握数据控制权。具体而言，ELOKA计划提供数据管理与用户支持服务，以促进北极本地观测与知识的收集、保存、交换与利用。为搭建ELOKA平台，研究人员、社区组织、数据管理专家、网络技术专家以及北极居民将携手协作。ELOKA将与四个试点项目合作开发，这些试点项目覆盖不同的区域与文化、各异的优先级与目标、多样的研究主题与选址，以及不同类型的数据。所有试点项目均以北极地区基于社区的研究为核心关切方向，且共同具备数据管理与联网能力的需求与兴趣。我们将与这些项目紧密合作，依托其专业知识、实践经验与采集数据，搭建ELOKA的核心架构，具体包括：(a) 为现有及未来的LTK与基于社区的项目提供安全的数据存储空间，使相关数据可被多元化用户群体搜索与访问，同时保障敏感数据得到妥善保护；(b) 打造一个用于检索北极LTK与基于社区项目相关数据、信息及资源的门户平台；以及(c) 制定面向基于社区观测活动的数据管护最佳实践与行业标准。