Transcending barriers in communication and cooperation in the Arctic

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Transcending barriers in communication and
cooperation in the Arctic

• Nancy N. Soreide
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
• Seattle, Washington

Information and Communication Technology in the
ArcticAn International Conference of the Arctic
CouncilAkureyri, Iceland, 2021 October, 2003
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Technology Challenges

• Overall global infrastructure
• Availability of the Internet
• Access to high quality resource material
• Ability to interact with the global community
• Computing infrastructure
• Computers
• Computer skills
• Advanced software
• Technical support

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Information Challenges

• Availability of high quality information and
  resource material on the Internet
• Clarity of presentation of educational materials
• Ease of exchanging information and ideas with
  others
• Alternative presentation of material for access
  when bandwidth is limited

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Human Challenges

• Human challenges are subtle, but recognized
• Is available content suitable to meet students
  and other users needs?
• Are students and other users interested in
  utilizing information technology for educational,
  medical and other purposes?

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Information Technology is already beginning to
meet these challenges

• Technology advances are making real inroads
  towards global Internet access
• Satellite communications, fiber capacity and
  wireless connectivity
• When the requisite IT resources are available
• Fast computers, high bandwidth Internet, advanced
  software and high level of technical support for
  users
• Extremely functional shared classroom, laboratory
  and medical experiences can be provided remotely

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Global Internet Growth
Global count for 1991-2003

• Since the invention of the web browser, the
  global Internet backbone has doubled every year
• Although the rate of growth of international
  bandwidth is slowing, growth of 67 is forecast
  for 2003

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Non-English-speaking on-line Internet Users

• Internet growth is a global phenomenon

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Internet access in the Arctic

• Increases in the use of satellite communications,
  fiber and wireless technologies are reducing the
  of cost providing significant bandwidth capacity
  to Arctic residents.
• fixed wireless technologies are designed to be
  rugged for deployment in harsh environments, such
  as the Arctic.
• Wireless deployments are already providing
  broadband or high-speed Internet access for
  remote and rural areas, including the Arctic.

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The Web The most universally available
technology for transcending barriers in
communication and cooperation in the Arctic

• Transcends geographical, political,
  climatological, cultural and regulatory barriers
• Enables telemedicine and distance learning
• Creates a global society

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• The Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network
  (AFHCAN) is developing sustainable telehealth
  systems.
• Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network website

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• Some Technologies used in Telemedicine
• The AFCHAN advanced workstation consists of a
  mobile cart loaded with a workstation, power
  management hardware, and telemedicine
  peripherals. Digital cameras capture diagnostic
  images for referral to a specialist.
• For most sites especially the small village
  clinics - it is more cost effective and reliable
  to use wireless connectivity.
• To assure wide accessibility, AFCHAN software is
  web-based.
• Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network website

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• Distance Learning
• Public educational institutions offering courses
  over the Internet advanced from 33 in 1995 to
  gt90 today
• Internet and video were the two most commonly
  technologies used for instruction delivery.
• The Web is a primary delivery vehicle, leading to
  the creation of entire virtual schools
• US Department of Education
• Education Week on the Web

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The Web can serve as a reference
library Information portal to health issues of
Northern peoples. It provides access to evaluated
health information from hundreds of local, state,
national, and international agencies, as well as
from professional societies and universities (US
National Library of Medicine)
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The Web supports human interests that transcend
cultural and geopolitical boundaries

• Opportunities for learning are not restricted to
  the classroom, nor are Arctic residents the only
  students
• Citizens of lower latitudes are interested in
  learning about the lives, interests and
  perspectives of the citizens of the Arctic and
  visa versa.
• Web pages provide a forum that supports
  communication and cooperation spanning global,
  national, regional and personal interests.

Lets see some examples that illustrate these
ideas..
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High-level intergovernmental forum addressing the
common concerns and challenges faced by the
Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic
(Eight countries, Icelandic chairmanship)
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International organization of northern countries
addressing common political, environmental and
economic issues (Ten northern nations)
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Using Internet communications to cover and report
on international negotiations and broker
knowledge gained through collaborative projects
with global partners, resulting in more rigorous
research, capacity building in developing
countries and a better dialogue between North and
South (Canada)
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An international nongovernmental organization
representing 150,000 Inuit living in the Arctic
regions of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Russia,
Denmark
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International network working to strengthen the
cooperation between individuals, NGOs and
indigenous peoples and nations concerned with the
protection, restoration and sustainable use of
the world's boreal forests (Sweden, Russia,
Canada, Europe)
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With the goal of stimulating interest in the
peoples and environment of the Arctic and
Subarctic region.
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A European web resource on human-environment
relationships in the Arctic.
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US site that explores the history of northern
peoples, cultures, and environments and the
issues that matter to northern residents today.
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• Climate change is one of the most significant
  sustainable development challenges facing the
  international community1
• the health and well-being of the Earths
  ecosystems
• economic enterprises and social livelihoods
• Change in the Arctic may play a substantial role
  in climate change throughout the globe Global
  change may have its most pronounced effects in
  the Arctic2
• 1International Institute for Sustainable
  Development on Climate http//iisd.ca/climate/
• 2U.S. Arctic Research Commission, 1999

Presenting scientific data and analyses, maps,
photographs, essays and other information for a
wide audience including scientists, decision
makers, educators, students, citizens.
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Bering Sea climate and ecosystem information,
data, scientific analyses, trends, essays, maps,
photographs, and other topics for a wide audience
including scientists, decision makers, educators,
students, citizens.
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The web fosters active interaction between the
Native community and scientific researchers
investigating Native lives and environment
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English-Inuktitut weekly newspaper serving the
people of Nunavut and the Nunavik region of
Arctic Quebec.
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Informative forum that highlights Alaska Native
news, entertainment, and local resource numbers.
(Sponsored by the Mat-Su Native Community Church,
Wasilla, Alaska)
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Advanced Information Technology has made great
strides towards transcending barriers to
communication and cooperation in the Arctic
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Arctic citizens, and citizens from the most
sophisticated and well-populated areas in lower
latitudes, are part of the global village,
immediately connected and part of one
interdependent world
The Global Village
Through the web
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Looking forward

• The trend of increasing penetration of internet
  availability and use will continue to unite
  people across vast distances and cultural
  differences.

• Seemingly frivolous activities, such as young
  people playing computer video games in
  collaborative mode across the internet,
• Illustrate the use of the internet to bring
  people together
• Have resulted in a tremendous decrease in the
  cost of high-end computer video cards needed for
  virtual reality applications

• Virtual reality applications for distance
  delivery of realistic healthcare and education
  are already being prototyped in demonstration
  projects
• a virtual classroom in electronic space
• touch over the internet
• virtual scalpel telemedicine application

• Only a few years ago, ideas such as these were
  considered visionary, but today they are being
  harnessed to serve the needs of distance
  education and tele-medicine and are enabling the
  global Internet to interconnect the citizens of
  this one world.