Minnesota Permafrost Pathways Leveraging LiDAR for Climate Resilience

Niriqatiginnga's Youth, Arts, and Media Team believe that the initiatives and research carried out under projects such as the Defense Resiliency Platform Against Extreme Cold Weather (DRP) can significantly contribute as a model for the Indigenous Reconciliation Program.
The use of technology like LiDAR and 3-D cameras in visualizing permafrost features presents a whole world of unique opportunities to integrate and preserve Indigenous Cultural Expressions, and to do it in new and exciting ways. Photo: Kami Norland, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

One of our favourite sessions from the Arctic Congress ended just an hour before ours started. The Permafrost Pathways Project with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. presented last week for the 2024 Arctic Congress. Part of the Defense Resiliency Platform Against Extreme Cold Weather, this presentation documents the 3-D visualization and measurement of features in the CRREL permafrost tunnel in Fox, Alaska, using a Matterport Pro-3 LiDAR camera.

This exciting presentation was led by Dr. Olaf Kuhlke as part of Session: 2.1.2 Permafrost Thaw, Infrastructure and Indigenous Communities: Lessons from Alaska, and took place on May 31, 2024 from 11:00 to 12:30 in Hall Two at the Fram Cinema in Bodø, Norway.

Leveraging Technological Integration for Indigenous Communities

The Defense Resiliency Platform has proven effective in employing advanced technologies such as LiDAR and AI-driven data analytics to monitor and understand permafrost terrain changes. Applying these technologies can help address future infrastructure challenges, improve climate resilience, and protect cultural landscapes. For example, the insights gained from precise mapping and data modeling could also be harnessed to safeguard sites of cultural importance and assist in the efficient planning of community resources.

Dr. Olaf Kuhlke’s presentation showcased how technology can be used to link traditional community ventures with modern advancements. We think Canada, Norway and the United States could be talking about this more and we would like to propose bringing everyone together for a special session during Northern Lights 2025 in Montreal next year. Youth are also suggesting this would be a good conference session to invite the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence to also take part!

[matterport src=”c3R2ShgvaFM” width=”900″]

We tried out our own little version during the 2024 Northern Perspectives Conference. It’s not as fancy as the amazing and high-tech resources the Permafrost Pathways project is using, but we learned a lot about the concepts.

We think this kind of project would be a really great approach to learning about climate change and permafrost changes and how those can impact supply chains and food security for trade corridors like the Hudson Bay railway and Port of Churchill.

A model for the Indigenous Reconciliation Program

Art Borups Corners Youth, Arts, and Media Team believe that the initiatives and research carried out under projects such as the Defense Resiliency Platform Against Extreme Cold Weather (DRP) can significantly contribute as a model for the Indigenous Reconciliation Program in Canada.

Thanks to MCAD and the organizers of the Arctic Congress for this exceptional session on climate resilience and infrastructure!

To learn more about the 2024 Arctic Congress, visit their web site at: https://arcticcongress.com

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Jamie Bell

Jamie Bell is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in journalism, public affairs, participatory media arts, and community engagement within the arts, government, research and non-profit sectors. His expertise includes strategic communications, arts project management, and community engagement. He is a founding member of Art Borups Corners and its Winnipeg-based Arts Incubator program (2019-2025) and the Arviat Film Society (2010-2021). His projects have been funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Manitoba Arts Council and the OpenAI Researcher Access Program.

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