Meeting ICT Challenges in the Arctic

Nancy N. SoreideNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

Seattle, Washington

Meeting of Arctic Council of Ministers for Education and ScienceAn International Conference of the Arctic Council

Reykjavik, Iceland, June 9, 2004

• 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

Technology Challenges

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

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?

Information Technology can meet these challenges

• A lack of basic ICT services prevents the most remote rural Arctic residents from developing their full potential

• 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, medical and research experiences can be provided remotely

Global Internet Growth

Global count for 1994-2004

Non-English-speaking on-line Internet Users

• Internet growth is a global phenomenon

Source: Global Reach, Global Internet Statistics by Language, http://www.glreach.com/globstats

projected

1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

Arctic countries are leaders in building and using ICT

Reaping the benefits of ICT: Europe’s productivity challenge Economist Intelligence Unit white paper, sponsored by Microsoft

http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/MICROSOFT_FINAL.pdf

Nunavut Broadband

Development Corporation

(NDBC)

Aims to bring affordable high speed Internet access to every

Nunavut community by March 2005.

Wireless Arctic NetworkWireless Arctic Network(proposed)(proposed)

• Proposed by: Proposed by: – U. of Alaska, U. of Cincinnati, AT&T, NASA U. of Alaska, U. of Cincinnati, AT&T, NASA

• Integrate: Integrate: – Wired, wireless, terrestrial, airborne and space based Wired, wireless, terrestrial, airborne and space based

communications technologies into a robust and reliable communications technologies into a robust and reliable infrastructureinfrastructure

• Objective:Objective:– Support remote instrumentation and scientific Support remote instrumentation and scientific

communication in remote Arctic regionscommunication in remote Arctic regions– Meet communication and informational needs of remote Meet communication and informational needs of remote

Arctic residentsArctic residents

The Web

The most universally available technology for transcending barriers in communication and

cooperation in the Arctic

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

Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network website

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

Distance Learning• Public educational institutions offering courses over

the Internet advanced from 33% in 1995 to >90% 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

The Internet Style of Learning

• “The Internet Style of Learning entails use of vast information resources, collaboration and self-expression via multimedia self-publishing worldwide.

• Unable to afford many textbooks, the excitement for the learning resources which would soon be available was contagious.

• One of the teachers' sons had attended the Galena* workshop and she reported he could speak of little else.”

*the first Yukon village to receive two-way Internet via Satellite (1998)

fromTHE FRONTIER OF COMMUNITY LEARNING; INTERNET ON THE YUKON

by Frank Odasz (http://lone-eagles.com/articles/arctic.htm)

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)

The Web supports human interests that transcend cultural and geopolitical boundaries

Let’s see some examples that illustrate these ideas…..

English-Inuktitut weekly newspaper serving the people of [Nunavut] and the Nunavik region of Arctic Quebec.

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)

An international nongovernmental organization representing 150,000 Inuit living in the Arctic regions of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Russia, Denmark

With the goal of stimulating interest in the peoples and environment of the Arctic and Subarctic region.

Presenting scientific data and analyses, maps, photographs, essays and other information for a wide audience including scientists, decision makers, educators, students, citizens.

Arctic Change

Detection

• Relevant, effective, reliable, understandable, objective information

• Based on the findings of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) Report

• Converted the ACIA ten key findings into six core issues

DRAFT

DO NOT QUOTE

OR REPRODUCE

Detailed narratives on Individual Indicator

Historical Indicator Time Series and scientific references provide

perspective

Summary of recent conditions

Despite significant challenges of technology, information, human factors, geography and climate …

The diverse communities of the Arctic have demonstrated exceptional resourcefulness!

Looking forward

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

• Only a few years ago, ideas such as these were considered visionary, but today they are beginning to meet the needs of remote Arctic residents and enabling the global Internet to interconnect the citizens of this one world.

• Virtual reality applications, such as computer video games, can be harnessed for distance delivery of realistic healthcare and education, as in these demonstration projects:– a “virtual classroom” in electronic space – “touch over the internet” – “virtual scalpel” telemedicine application

• There is a need for development of relevant, effective, reliable, understandable, objective information (content) that people can relate to.