Mapping Arctic Change for Communities

Mapping the Changing Arctic

Wildfire Data

Active and historical wildfire perimeters, fire tracking models, and data on far-north fire changes.

Climate Impacts

Research and data on environmental changes, permafrost thaw, and planetary climate warnings from the Arctic.

Subsistence & Access

Studies and experiential resources on how climate-driven disruptions affect food gathering and travel for Interior Alaska populations.

Mapping Tools

Web map applications, satellite imagery integration, and spatial data models for environmental research.

Tracing Historical Fire Perimeters

Monitoring data shows shifts in burn severity across the boreal forest. We map these historical fire perimeters in Interior Alaska from aggregated public data spanning 1940 to the present. This spatial data forms the baseline for understanding how permafrost thaw accelerates following severe burn events.

Researchers rely on this continuous dataset to model future risks. Integrating field measurements with spatial data models allows us to track these far-north fire changes accurately. By isolating specific burn scars, we identify areas where vegetation recovery lags behind historical norms.

Main Point: Continuous historical mapping provides the necessary context for evaluating current Arctic climate anomalies.

Satellite Telemetry vs. Ground Truth

Remote sensing offers broad coverage of the Arctic landscape. However, satellite imagery alone often misses the nuanced realities of shifting seasons on traditional food gathering. We contrast automated environmental change detection with direct community-based monitoring.

When ice thickness algorithms suggest safe travel, local observations frequently reveal compromised river crossings. Combining these two data streams yields a practical framework for assessing subsistence access. Field teams document physical trail conditions, which we then overlay onto our web map applications to calibrate the remote sensors.

Caution: Relying exclusively on remote sensing in high-latitude environments can obscure critical micro-climate variations affecting local populations.

Our Research Team and Methodology

MapVenture operates through an ongoing collaboration with climate researchers and Alaskan community members. Verification data supports our approach to cloud-native geospatial infrastructure. We prioritize open access to our spatial data models for environmental research. While our spatial models provide high-resolution environmental tracking, they cannot account for unpredictable, localized weather events in real-time.

Emily Mercer

Senior Wildfire Data Analyst

Historical wildfire perimeters and burn severity mapping

Marcus Ashcroft

Remote Sensing Scientist

Arctic satellite imagery validation and environmental change detection

Mei-Ling Chen

Climate Risk Strategist

Climate adaptation frameworks and Arctic decision support

Thomas Whitaker

GIS Program Manager

Operational GIS workflows and public-facing mapping systems

Rebecca Kalluk

Community-Based Monitoring Specialist

Subsistence access, local observations, and environmental change reporting

Gabriel Rojas

Geospatial Data Engineer

Cloud-native geospatial infrastructure and Arctic data integration