NNA Track 2: Exploring The Benefits and Challenges of Community-Powered Connectivity In The New Arctic

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Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate. This award fulfills part of that aim by supporting planning activities with clear potential to develop novel, leading edge research ideas and approaches to address NNA goals. It integrates aspects of the natural environment, built environment, and social systems, and addresses important societal challenges, builds significant educational opportunities, and engages internationally and with local and Indigenous communities Arctic telecommunications has emerged as a key tool in responding to the unprecedented changes being experienced in the region, from environmental shifts to globalization. Unfortunately, small rural and Indigenous communities are seldom included in discussions of telecommunications, leaving them underserved and incapable of leveraging technology advances to ensure their own resilience. This project is developing a model that small Arctic communities can use to design and implement community technology infrastructure to support their unique needs. Findings advance understanding of how technology can be developed and used to support rural and Indigenous communities as they manage a changing Arctic environment; collaborate with environmental scientists; seek out education and sustainable economic opportunities; and preserve their culture. This research is empowering small Arctic communities and contribute to scientific understandings of how to design more equitable and accessible forms of technology. Significant gaps remain in understanding how digital infrastructures and services can be best designed to support the unique needs of Arctic communities. In response to these gaps, this project asks: (1) How can telecommunications infrastructure be codesigned and architected for the rugged and isolated conditions and communities in the Arctic? (2) How can telecommunications infrastructure and digital services best support Arctic communities in responding to rapidly changing environmental and social conditions? (3) What are the social, cultural, and economic implications of increased connectivity for Arctic communities and peoples? The project answers these questions by studying the deployment of a community network in an Inuvialuit community. Researchers, in collaboration with the Internet Society and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, are holding a series of workshops that involve the community in the development of the network, evaluate the long-term operation of the network, and explore the socio-cultural and economic impacts of connectivity for the community. Major outcomes of these activities include the installation of the network in the community, measurement and evaluation of the network’s performance, and increased social scientific understanding of how Arctic Indigenous communities adapt technology to their own needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.