Returning Knowledge Home: Building a Research Governance Database with Participatory AI in Nunavik

Moonshot Award

Community Impacts

Abstract

Decades of research in Nunavik have generated substantial knowledge, but much of it remains scattered across academic literature and difficult for communities to access and use. NORDvik (Nunavik’s Own Research Database) is a community-owned research atlas being developed with Atanniuvik, Nunavik’s Inuit-led research governance organization, to make this knowledge accessible and actionable. 

Beginning with a collection of more than 6,300 research documents, we developed computational workflows using natural language processing (NLP) to extract, geolocate, and classify research across Nunavik. Equally important, this technical development was grounded in relationship building and in-person workshops with Inuit community members, where participants helped define exactly how research should be categorized and organized. 

These community-defined priorities were then incorporated into the AI workflow, creating a Participatory AI approach that connects community knowledge with computational methods. The resulting web platform will enable community members to identify research relevant to their livelihoods and locale, while supporting Atanniuvik in synthesizing existing knowledge, identifying research gaps, and informing future research priorities and governance decisions.