IQALUIT - Two representatives from the Geomatics for Northern Development Program, Paul Jolicoeur and Daniel Clavet, met with Nunavut geospatial data users in Iqaluit on May 26-27 and 28. Also present was Paul Briand of the Canadian Spatial Agency, an important partner to our program.

On arrival, our people met with Celine Gilbert and Lynn Peplinski, respectively of Inuit Heritage and Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Centre to discuss the primary importance of toponymy in Nunavut.

From left to right : Celine Gilbert, Lynn Peplinski and Daniel Clavet

The Inuit toponymy carries a specific dimension in Nunavut as a valuable (significant) source of territory information, which is why it is important that it be shown on future NTS topographic maps. NRCan has proposed to use the first two datasets to prototype Inuktitut toponymy on new topo maps.

Piece of map showing Inuit place names in syllabic

May 27th was spent discussing the status and progress of Nunavut mapping. The most important aspect of the workshop was the presentation of the results and recommendations for data acquisition in unmapped areas, representing approximately 1500 sheets or data sets at the 1:50 000 resolution. Attending the workshop were representatives of the following organizations or agencies: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, the Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC), Parks Canada, the Nunavut Geoscience Centre, Nunavut Tungavik Inc., the Inuit Heritage Trust, the Nunavut Government of Justice, the Nunavut Department of Environment, and the Nunavut Department of Development and Transport, in all, around 20 participants.

Base mapping workshop in Iqaluit, May 27

Workshop's main conclusions:

1. Users need precise data at the scale of 1 :50 000;
2. Given the delays to acquire new topographic data, participants agreed that the geometrically rectified 1:250 000 data is an acceptable temporary solution;
3. The Indian and Northern Affairs Canada representatives will coordinate a review of mapping priorities.

Also discussed during the workshop were toponymy, the annual production plan for other products related to Nunavut, the contribution of the Canadian Spatial Agency to the Nunavut development, and the status of the proposed NRCan distribution licence, aimed at giving to the Nunavut Government, the NPC and to specified non-private Nunavut users an unprecedented access to NRCan base data.

On May 28th, the workshop dealt with the implementation of a local distribution centre for geospatial data. Fifteen participants, mostly present the day before, discussed the following topics :

• The necessity for an Iqaluit base centre for the distribution and coordination of geospatial information and data;
• The possibility of funding by the Federal government and other partners;
• The attribution of a contract, via an RFP under the responsibility of Nunavut Department of Environment, for the implementation study of the distribution centre;
• The necessity to define the governing model for such a centre, which would be part of the contract.

This last meeting concluded a worthy trip that helped defined the needs and allowed the undertaking of immediate actions to meet Nunavut demands.

Daniel Clavet with Mosha Mosasi-Nellie, a user to be of geospatial data