This project integrates physical, anthropological, and survey data to assess coastal vulnerability and to identify areas of concern for local and regional planning and environmental protection. This study analyzes and integrates historical and projected physical coastal changes within the Kotzebue Sound region with (1) a coastal vulnerability index (CVI); (2) community-based participatory GIS maps of community subsistence resources; and (3) representative surveys of local communities to determine the importance of each type of resource."

This Master's project documented an evaluation of the spatial utility of the Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op database and the many steps that are involved in the collection, storage, and organization of the Co-op’s data. It provided an excellent opportunity to explore the problem of depicting complex qualitative information on northern landscape change in an intelligible GIS format. Initial attempts to develop the database in spatial format were critically evaluated and recommendations were provided in order to explore whether the data gathering and subsequent mapping process can be improved, whether more useful information can be obtained from the data, and to ensure the proper handling of the data in future years.

This project explored the challenges of representing Traditional Knowledge using western technologies, and the application of fuzzy methodologies for improving the representation. Inuit Elders and hunters in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, used maps to help represent their knowledge of caribou in the region, and these maps were processed in a GIS.