Call for Collaboration
IPY Indigenous/Local Knowledge Projects
"Arctic Peoples' Observations Centre" (APOC)
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Word Data Center for Glaciology (WDC)
For further information, please contact:
Shari Fox Gearheard
E-mail: sgearh [at] fas.harvard.edu
Phone: 867-924-6555
or contact:
Michelle Holm
E-mail: mholm [at] nsidc.org
Dear Colleague,
In the last decade of Arctic environmental research, there has been a
notable surge in projects that document the observations and knowledge
of arctic peoples and more of these projects will be proposed for IPY
and beyond. Yet, little effort has been made to archive and manage the
information these projects have collected. With indigenous knowledge
(IK) such a quickly growing field in the Arctic, steps must be taken
soon to ensure that projects are complementary and that research results
are preserved and made accessible - for the sake of sound research and
so that the work is of benefit to arctic peoples themselves.
The Arctic Peoples' Observations Center (APOC) is envisioned as a
central data portal, data management service, networking service, and
resource center related to the knowledge of arctic peoples. APOC will
have a strong emphasis on serving indigenous knowledge projects and
arctic communities by developing new management systems for data in
non-numerical formats such as video, audio, maps, artwork, photographs,
and context-specific data such as interviews and recorded oral
histories. APOC will help projects manage their data, or simply provide
links to projects and networks that are managing their own information.
APOC would also handle numerical data related to arctic communities such
as demographic information, harvest data, GPS and GIS data, and survey
data. APOC will take up the challenge to design data management systems
that will respect the unique sensitivities and protections needed in
community-based projects, while still allowing for broad searches for
information. APOC has a strategy for a number of specific activities
including linking indigenous and scientific observations to produce
integrated data products such as maps, atlases, and CD-ROMS that will be
accessible to arctic communities and schools, as well as southern
researchers and scientists.
The World Data Center for Glaciology (WDC) in Boulder, Colorado,
proposes to host APOC and the Expression of Intent (EoI) for APOC was
approved by the IPY Joint Committee. APOC would work closely with the
proposed IPY DIS (Data and Information Service) centered at WDC.
We are looking for projects or networks (existing or IPY) who might be
interested in collaborating with us as we develop the next APOC proposal
for IPY (due in June). We are looking for indigenous and local knowledge
projects that are interested in data management and would be willing to
work with us in developing appropriate data management systems for
accessible information and data products for arctic communities and
researchers - either through participation in planned workshops on IK
data management, or by working with us on the management of their own
project data.
The IPY Framework document requires that all projects must have plans
for data management. Our goal is to help IK projects and arctic
communities develop a data management system that is appropriate for
them. We are interested in partnering with other PIs, projects, and
networks so that APOC can develop and evolve with as much diverse
collaboration and input as possible.
If you are interested in further information or linking your project or
network to APOC, please contact:
Shari Fox Gearheard
NOAA Postdoc, Harvard University
E-mail: sgearh [at] fas.harvard.edu
Phone: 867-924-6555
or contact:
Michelle Holm
National Snow and Ice Data Center
E-mail: mholm [at] nsidc.org