Geographical Information Management in Polar Regions: Mediation, Data Sharing and Interoperability

Peter Pulsifer is a research scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado at Boulder where he leads the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic project (ELOKA). His research addresses questions related to the use of computer--based forms of geographic information. He focuses on theory, methods and tools that inform and support "interoperability. Interoperability refers to the ability to readily share information and/or operations for a particular purpose. As an applied researcher, Peter has focused his activities on the polar regions for more than fifteen years. He has worked extensively with Indigenous organizations, Arctic residents, and the science community to facilitate ethical sharing of data including local observations and traditional knowledge. He is the Canadian Representative to the Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management, the American Representative to and Chari of the Arctic Data Committee.As a scholar who has expertise in cartography and geographic information science, science data management, Indigenous knowledge and epistemology and who is a leader in the polar data management and policy community, Dr. Pulsifer is in a unique position to linking the increasingly important polar knowledge domain to the opportunities and issues facing cartographers and geographic information practitioners and theorist.

Mark A. Parsons is Secretary General of the Research Data Aliiance/US and the Rensselaer Center for the Digital Society.