GIS applications and Indigenous Land Use Information in the Canadian north: An evaluation

The introduction and diffusion of GIS technology throughout the north has been a result of several developments; the negotiation and implementation of First Nations' land claims. Northern Land Use Planning and the devolution of administrative responsibilities from the federal to the territorial governments. These developments have also brought about increased opportunities for public involvement in Northern planning and resource development and a corresponding rise of First Nations' power and influence in decision-making processes. As a result, government and First Nations have begun to recognize the necessity of incorporating indigenous environmental knowledge, also known as Indigenous Land Use Information (ILUI) into resource management processes. However, the oral tradition and nature of ILUI does not conform to the Euro-Canadian scientific framework used for collecting and recording data for resource management. GIS has been proposed as the most viable means, given the technology available for portraying ILUI for integration into existing resource management regimes.;In this thesis, a framework for evaluating GIS use and ILUI applications was established, based on prerequisites for planning, implementing and operating GIS identified in the literature and the collection and use of ILUI. This framework served to illustrate the opportunities and constraints and limitations of using GIS for depicting ILUI. Although the nature of ILUI imposes several limitations for using GIS to integrate the two knowledge frameworks, the lack of careful planning and inappropriate GIS implementation were found to be seriously affecting the success of GIS use for ILUI applications. However, despite the present failure of most organizations in the north to use GIS effectively for ILUI applications, it presents several advantages, such as enhanced opportunities for decision-making, the ability to co-ordinate use for data sharing and resource management activities, and the ability to view the landscape both cumulatively and holistically.