Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project (ISIUOP)

The Inuit Sea Ice Use and Occupancy Project (ISIUOP) built on previous sea ice research in Nunavut and Nunavik communities (for 4-8 years prior to the start of this project) and aimed to further document and map local sea ice expertise and experiences. Inspired by the Inuit Land Use and Occupancy Project of 1976, ISIUOP undertook collaborative investigations to document and map sea ice knowledge and use around several Inuit communities. These efforts will contribute to the provision of a new map conception where the dynamic nature, use, and importance of seasonal sea ice cover is portrayed according to current Inuit practices and perspectives, based upon the rich local knowledge base and oral history. The main objectives of the project are to (1) document and map sea ice conditions, uses, and hazards; (2) evaluate sea ice changes (and local impacts of change) over time; (3) investigate new technologies to map and/or represent the dynamic ice environment using the concept of cybercartography; (4) develop community-based monitoring/ice safety programs or materials; and (5) develop educational materials for Inuit youth, researchers, and governments. The project aimed to develop new technologies or protocols for community-based sea ice monitoring related to Global Positioning Systems (GPS), satellite imagery, and local ice/weather indicators to improve forecasting services and to develop new northern-focused multi-media educational tools through an online, interactive atlas framework. ISIUOP consisted of four sub-projects: (1) Mapping Inuit Sea Ice Knowledge and Use (C-SIKU) (Cape Dorset, Igloolik, and Pangnirtung, Nunavut); (2) Igliniit (Clyde River, Nunavut); (3) Nunavik Communities and Ice: Environmental change and community safety (Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangiqsujuaq, and Umiujaq, Nunavik); and (4) Multi-media educational materials and online cybercartographic atlas development (Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre). Cybercartography and the innovative approaches to the management and presentation of data are playing a role in international data management approaches to scientific information for the International Polar Year and the team is involved in international collaborative endeavors with a number of nations around the world.