Starting this September, University of Ottawa geography professor Jackie Dawson will help connect these sources through Beyond Arctic PASSION, an international research initiative designed to build a more integrated system for observing and understanding the Arctic.
Turning Arctic data into practical tools
Within this broader initiative, Dawson and her team will focus on developing AI-enabled risk assessments, forecasting tools and interactive dashboards. By combining environmental observations, climate and species models, and other Arctic data, the team will turn complex information into practical tools that people can use to anticipate changing conditions.
The goal is not simply to build better models, but to support better decisions. The tools could help hunters assess ice conditions before travelling, assist fishers in adapting to shifting species distributions, and provide shipping operators with information about emerging risks in Arctic waters. They could also help communities manage resources and plan for environmental and economic change.
“The Arctic is going to change dramatically, and it’s going to impact the whole world,” says Dawson, director of uOttawa’s Arctic Research Hub. “But we have no idea how. The only way to figure it out is to bring all the data together. That’s what this project allows for.”
Bringing Indigenous knowledge and AI together
Developing useful tools will require more than combining scientific datasets. Dawson’s approach is based on co-creation with Inuit communities and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, who will work alongside researchers as partners in shaping how information is collected, interpreted and applied.
Through this partnership, environmental observations, climate and species models, and the firsthand knowledge of Inuit communities will come together to develop tools that are scientifically rigorous, culturally respectful and practically useful. Ikaarvik, an Indigenous research hub based in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, is part of this collaborative work.
“People who have lived on the land for generations notice changes that don’t always show up in scientific data,” says Dawson. “We’re trying to revolutionize how local and Indigenous knowledge can be integrated into highly technical AI models, making them more relevant and useful.”
“We’re trying to revolutionize how local and Indigenous knowledge can be integrated into highly technical AI models, making them more relevant and useful.”
Jackie Dawson
— Professor of geography and director of uOttawa’s Arctic Research Hub
Dawson’s project is being co-developed with core partners that include the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada and the Arctic Mayors’ Forum. Local and Indigenous knowledge will shape the project’s priorities, methods and outcomes, with community members and academic researchers working together to understand how patterns identified by AI can be interpreted and applied in real-world contexts.
For example, a computer model may detect a shift in animal migration patterns, but local hunters can provide essential context for understanding whether that change has meaningful consequences for food security, safety or livelihoods.
Connecting Arctic observing systems
Dawson’s work represents one part of Beyond Arctic PASSION’s much larger goal, which is to improve how Arctic observations and knowledge systems connect with one another.
Governments collect environmental data, scientists operate monitoring programs, communities contribute local observations, and Indigenous Peoples hold generations of knowledge about Arctic ecosystems. Although each source is valuable, the information is often stored across separate systems and is not always accessible in ways that allow researchers, communities and decision-makers to see the larger picture.
Beyond Arctic PASSION aims to address this challenge by connecting observations from satellites, ship-based sensors, research programs and community monitoring initiatives through an Arctic Observing System of Systems, or AOSS. Common standards and shared platforms will allow information from different sources to be compared and combined, helping users to develop a more complete understanding of Arctic change and to anticipate its impacts.
The risk assessments, forecasting tools and dashboards developed through Dawson’s project will contribute to this broader observing system by transforming connected data and knowledge into information that can support practical decisions.
“It’s not enough just to have more data,” says Dawson. “We need data that can be shared, compared and used across jurisdictions. The challenges we’re facing are interconnected, so the information we use to address them has to be interconnected too.”
Dawson’s team will also contribute its data and research outputs to the European Union’s Copernicus program reflecting that initiative’s commitment to open science and in the process, helping to make Arctic information more accessible to researchers, decision-makers and communities worldwide.
Why better Arctic observations matter now
The need for connected and accessible information is becoming increasingly urgent as changing conditions draw attention to previously inaccessible parts of the Arctic.
One area of particular interest is the Central Arctic Ocean, a vast region that has historically remained inaccessible because of year-round sea ice. As conditions change, questions about future shipping routes, resource management and unregulated fishing are becoming more pressing. Yet researchers still know relatively little about what is happening in these waters.
“We need to make sure the Central Arctic Ocean is managed sustainably and responsibly,” says Dawson. “Right now, there are still major gaps in our understanding.”
Those gaps have become even more significant as international tensions and disruptions to scientific cooperation have reduced some traditional sources of Arctic data. Consequently, building resilient and openly accessible monitoring systems has become a strategic priority, as well as a scientific one.
Better Arctic observations could improve weather forecasting, make maritime transportation safer, and help fisheries respond to rapidly changing ecosystems. The information will also contribute to international monitoring and forecasting systems, which will strengthen the world’s ability to understand and respond to climate change.
Collaboration across borders
No single country, institution or discipline can fully understand what is happening in the North. The Arctic spans oceans, continents and political boundaries, while its ecosystems and weather systems influence climates around the world.
“The Arctic is simply too big and too complex for any one country to study on its own,” says Dawson. “If we want to understand what’s happening and prepare for it, we have to work together.”
Beyond Arctic PASSION brings together researchers, Indigenous organizations, government agencies and institutions from Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. Their expertise spans climate science, artificial intelligence, marine transportation, community monitoring and Indigenous knowledge systems.
By allowing data, knowledge and expertise to flow across disciplines and borders, the initiative aims to create a stronger and more inclusive Arctic observing system—one that advances science while helping communities, governments and industries prepare for the changes ahead.
“I hope we can establish a truly comprehensive system for observing the Arctic,” says Dawson. “If we can demonstrate how real-time data, artificial intelligence and different knowledge systems can work together, it will fundamentally change how we understand climate change and prepare for its impacts.”