About Us

The goal of ELOKA is to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic by providing data management and user support, and to foster collaboration between local and international researchers. Over the last decade, Arctic residents and indigenous peoples have been increasingly involved in, and taking control of, research. Through Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring, Arctic communities have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to understanding recent environmental change.

A key challenge of LTK research and community-based monitoring to date is having an effective and appropriate means of recording, storing, and managing data and information. Another challenge is to find an effective means of making such data available to Arctic residents and researchers, as well as other interested groups such as teachers, students, and decision makers. Without a network and data management system to support LTK and community-based research, a number of problems have arisen, such as, misplacement or loss of extremely precious data from Elders who have passed away, lack of awareness of previous studies causing repetition of research and wasted resources occurring in the same communities, and a reluctance or inability to initiate or maintain community-based research without an available data management system. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective and appropriate means of recording, preserving, and sharing the information collected in Arctic communities. ELOKA aims to fill this gap.

Data Management and Networking

In 2006, ELOKA responded to the National Science Foundation International Polar Year (NSF IPY) Announcement of Opportunity to 'develop and deploy a pan-Arctic observing system that will measure the full range of continuing environmental changes underway.' ELOKA obtained funding and is working to support LTK research and community-based monitoring, as these are key components of any viable Arctic Observing Network (AON). Further, ELOKA will provide a data management and networking service for this research that keeps control of data in the hands of community data providers, while still allowing for broad searches and sharing of information.

We understand that the development of a circumpolar network and data management service for Arctic LTK and community-based observations will take time, collaboration, and input from many sources. Our hope for IPY is to get ELOKA off the ground and build a strong foundation for its development. To reach this goal, ELOKA will be launched through partnerships with several community-based projects that represent different regions, cultures, and data management needs. Visit the Collaborators section for more information regarding these valuable contributors.

ELOKA has the potential to fulfill an existing need in Arctic research and to support northern communities in diverse research and heritage efforts. It has the potential to make a strong contribution to IPY, AON, and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), as well as to facilitate connections between local and international researchers. If you have any questions or are interested in collaborating with ELOKA, please contact us.