Inuit and Indigenous Peoples across the Canadian Arctic and beyond are accessing and using maps through SIKU: the Indigenous Knowledge Social Network, which is web (https://siku.org) and mobile app platfrom with more than 25,000 users. Hydrographic data and other map services make up an important component of northern Indigenous community members' travel planning, environmental monitoring, and knowledge communication in the context of a changing Arctic. SIKU's map services include the ability to view and contribute in-situ Indigenous observations made through the SIKU app, as well as access to a basemap and up-to-date multispectral and radar satellite missions. Hydrographic data is already available on SIKU for Indigenous users, and there are plans to increase support for hydrography on the SIKU platform. Currently, hydrographic data is part of SIKU’s default and offline-compatible basemap (Figure 1), with data to date provided by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), the United States Hydrographic Office, and the Aqqiumavvik Society. The addition of Aqqiumavvik data means that Arviat is able to access their community’s hydrography and avoid the wait time associated with integration into official charts. All hydrographic data provided through the basemap is displayed alongside features like Indigenous place names, topographic data, and a suite of other tools that enhance knowledge sharing and situational awareness. While bathymetric charts exist in many regions, official charts are unavailable, out of date or limited near some communities. Future work with the CHS Community Hydrography Program will allow community-based SIKU users to upload their own hydrographic data, including images of data collection, geojson files, and more. We will continue to add hydrographic datasets to the basemap as they are made available, allowing all SIKU users to easily access the information important to their community. Figure 1. SIKU basemap showing hydrographic data near Sanikiluaq, NU.

The territories of the Nanwakolas First Nations include 6,618km of coastline which is not surveyed or has not been surveyed to modern standards, specifically in the shallow coastal areas. This large data gap is especially pronounced in many of the remote coastal waters of British Columbia where navigation of large vessels equipped with hydrographic equipment is particularly difficult. By utilizing Guardian Watchmen vessels, surveys can be completed within these shallow coastal areas, increasing the quality and quantity of hydrographic coastal data to meet the needs of the Nations. The Nanwakolas Council's Community Hydrography project aims to harness indigenous knowledge to bolster marine conservation efforts within the water surrounding the Northern Vancouver Island. Prioritizing areas proposed for marine protection, the project's objective is to safeguard marine species and habitats, including rare corals, sponges, and culturally significant resources. Utilizing the Hydroball technology, a cost and time-efficient tool for bathymetric data collection, and bathymetric data loggers, the Nanwakolas Council partnered with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to conduct surveys in shallow coastal areas inaccessible to larger vessels. The Guardian Watchmen vessels play a pivotal role in this endeavor as platforms to collect bathymetric data. The proposed project offers a sustainable pathway for First Nations to conduct comprehensive surveys and engage community members in data collection and processing, underscoring the vital role indigenous communities serve in advancing our understanding of marine conservation areas.

In 2023, a new field course format was established for GGE5083 (Hydrographic Field Operations) at the University of New Brunswick. While technically a winter term course, the course is held over two weeks following the last day of exams in late April, where students focus on the course full-time. It is designed to be completed at the end of the FIG/IHO/ICA S5 Category “A” Hydrographic Surveying Option in the Bachelor of Science in Geomatics Engineering degree and incorporates the practical application of selected learning objectives to an engineering design problem. The field course was integrated into a community hydrography project funded through the Government of Canada's Oceans Protection Plan, which supports coastal communities in collecting and using bathymetric data and information for their community. Therefore, the course outcomes satisfied two objectives: it fulfilled the students' learning objectives and provided coastal communities with valuable information on seafloor bathymetry, backscatter, and water column targets. This presentation focuses on the structure, design, and goals of the field course. It will highlight the student-led design of the course content and planning process, interaction with outside stakeholders, and final deliverables. The 2023 and 2024 versions of the course will be reviewed, which include funded travel of the students to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, for data collection with the federal government, non-profit, and First Nations partners.

The impact of climate change is seen across the world, but nowhere is it more prevalent than in Arctic regions. The ice-rich coastal areas of the western Canadian Arctic have experienced accelerated change over the past 20 years, this has not only led to changing coastlines but to changing waterways as well. There is a concern from Inuvialuit communities like Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik, located in the shallow Mackenzie-Beaufort region, Northwest Territories that the waters of the Mackenzie Estuary within the Tarin Nunagat Marine Protected Area are changing. Areas are becoming shallower and inaccessible to travelers, fish and marine mammal habitats appear to be shifting which will have a large impact on the subsistence lifestyle of these communities. In this region local boaters rely on traditional knowledge (TK) and word of mouth to determine best navigation routes. This practice continues into the ocean where older Canadian Hydrographic Charts (upwards of 50 years out of date) have not kept up with the demands of climate driven changes to the seabed and water levels in this dynamic environment. The Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik Bathymetry projects were initiated to tackle this problem head-on. Through a grant from CIRNAC, CHS and FJMC the communities developed crowd sourcing community driven methodology to collect bathymetry information. Using popular off the shelf sonars (Lowrance ©) a total of 21 sonars were purchased and installed on 21 boats (14 in Aklavik, 7 in Tuktoyaktuk). Already the program has produced over 10,000 km of single-beam sonar readings. The value of this data will be highlighted through the integration into usable mosaics for several popular navigation routes for the communities. Although still in its early stages the project will: 1. Ensure the safety of travelers; 2. Provide more information of ecosystem changes; and 3. Provide a means for the community members to adapt through this knowledge.