Resources & Tools
Alberta Métis leverage geomatics to manage natural resources
Many northern Canadian communities sit amidst valuable woodlands or on top of rich oil and gas deposits. What these communities often lack, however, is information, technology, and skilled workforces–prerequisites in the 21st century to manage these valuable natural resources.
Recognizing this need, Alberta's Métis Settlement General Council (MSGC) wanted young adults from six northern Alberta Métis settlements to gain an interest in resource management. The MSGC also wanted to build resource-management capacity in the six communities by applying state-of-the-art technologies: geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS).
GeoConnections' Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) contributed technical support and funding to this resource-management project, known as the Northern Alberta Métis Project. The Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada and the MSGC headed the project and also provided funding, as did Human Resources Development Canada, Agriculture Canada, the Privy Council of Canada, and the Province of Alberta. The settlements and the MSGC contributed 45 percent of the project's resources.
Community-initiated projects
Staff from GeoConnections' SCI visited the six Métis settlements with two objectives in mind. First, they let communities know what roles GIS and GPS could play in managing resources. Most people had little idea how these technologies could help them.
Second, SCI staff worked with the settlements to come up with a list of potential projects. "The communities didn't fully understand the technology at the time," says Mr. Brad Henry, coordinator of the project with the Canadian Forest Service, "and the SCI staff helped them choose appropriate projects."
Launching sustainable careers
The Northern Alberta Métis Project taught 24 youth and 6 adult supervisors from the communities how to use GIS and GPS technologies. The youth and the supervisors attended Northern Lakes College in Alberta for a month before returning home to implement the projects their communities had selected. In addition to funding $65,000 worth of training, SCI contributed $25,000 toward the equipment, software, and data that the fledgling geomatics professionals needed to complete the varied projects.
For instance, one community devised a forest mapping sequence that specified which blocks of trees to cut from year to year. "Before we got the GIS system, the community didn't have a good feel for how much forest was being cut," says Mr. Rob Hall, Forestry Coordinator with the Paddle Prairie Métis settlement. "We didn't have enough information to achieve our long-term forest-management objectives. But by introducing both a GPS unit and GIS mapping system, the forestry department has been able to plan more efficiently and effectively, and that's reduced our forest-management costs."
Communities also mapped oil and gas pipelines, roadways, and settlement buildings, and they developed emergency preparation plans. "Our mapping system contains up-to-date information about all roads, buildings, and utilities, which allows the settlement to be better prepared for wildfires or other emergencies," says Mr. Hall. "The maps will also enable other government departments in the settlement to better plan for their projects and the settlement's needs."
By gaining hands-on experience, the communities can now use modern geomatics techniques to contribute to a sustainable future. "Without this project, the six communities would be at square one, with no infrastructure and little idea of the technology's potential," says Mr. Henry. "Now they've developed the capacity to manage their resources themselves. They can take charge and go in whatever direction they want. Self-empowerment is one of our major accomplishments."
Of the 24 youth who started the project, 12 continued to work for the settlements until funding ran out. Six are still involved in geomatics, one has a job with industry, one works full time in the largest settlement, and four returned to school.
"The success of these youths can be directly attributed to the project," says Mr. Henry. "We helped them develop new skills, and we influenced their career choices."
Improving geomatics education
The youth and their communities have benefited from the Northern Alberta Métis Project but so too has Northern Lakes College. Using the equipment, software, and data that SCI helped provide to train the Métis youth, the College has expanded its forestry program to include a greater GIS and GPS component. This expansion has generated more interest in their forest technician program.
"I can't say enough about SCI and the role they played in making the Northern Alberta Métis Project a success," says Mr. Henry. "I certainly look forward to working with them again."
GeoConnections is a national partnership initiative, led by Natural Resources Canada, to build the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) and to make Canada's geospatial databases, tools, and services readily accessible on-line. |