Arctic Connectivity: A Frugal Approach to Infrastructural Development

• Main Authors: Simonsen Abildgaard, Mette, Ren, Carina, Leyva-Mayorga, Israel, Stefanovic, Cedomir, Soret, Beatriz, Popovski, Petar
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2022
• Subjects: connectivity; infrastructure; collaborative methods; Arctic studies; science and technology studies; 5G; frugal; ICT; connectivité; infrastructures; méthodes collaboratives; études de l’Arctique; études scientifiques et technologiques; économe; TIC; Arctic; Greenland
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/74869

As the Arctic is heating up, so are efforts to strengthen connectivity within the region, enhance the connections from remote settlements to the global networks of trade, and increase sociality. With global interest in the Arctic on the rise, it becomes increasingly relevant to ensure that investments in Arctic infrastructure actually serve the people of the Arctic, while promoting industrial and commercial innovation in the region through widespread access to broadband and Internet of things (IoT) services. This challenge calls for interdisciplinary research strategies that are able to connect and integrate technological and societal approaches, which are commonly applied in isolation from one another. In this article, we propose an interdisciplinary collaborative research agenda for Arctic connectivity. Drawing on examples from Greenland, we stress the need for localized knowledge to design valuable and cost-effective connectivity solutions that cover the needs for everyday life and may also provide a new set of collaborative connectivity tools for innovation at an international level. Such solutions, termed “frugal connectivity,” are vital for the development of connected Arctic communities. L’Arctique se réchauffe et en même temps, les efforts visant à renforcer la connectivité dans la région, à améliorer les connexions des localités éloignées aux réseaux mondiaux du commerce et à accroître la socialité s’intensifient. Puisque l’intérêt que porte la planète à l’Arctique augmente, il est de plus en plus pertinent de faire en sorte que les investissements dans les infrastructures de l’Arctique servent vraiment la population de l’Arctique tout en favorisant l’innovation industrielle et commerciale dans la région grâce à l’accès répandu aux services à large bande et à l’Internet des objets (IdO). Ce défi fait appel à des stratégies de recherche interdisciplinaire capables de connecter et d’intégrer des approches technologiques et sociétales, approches couramment appliquées indépendamment les unes des autres. ...