Coastal Resource Inventory from Traditional Knowledge (1996-2007)

A geospatial inventory of coastal species and features compiled from traditional knowledge of local residents in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project assembled a database containing several decades' worth of local knowledge through individual interviews conducted from 1996 to 2007. Data includes points, polylines, and polygons detailing where resources were found, harvested, or observed.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial distribution of harvested species using point, polyline, and polygon features to map traditional fishing grounds.
• Study changes in coastal resource availability over several decades by examining temporal attributes within the interview data.
• Integrate traditional knowledge points with modern ecological datasets to validate or supplement scientific surveys of coastal areas.
• Map specific coastal features and species locations described in interviews to support marine spatial planning.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned over a decade, from 1996 to 2007, providing a longitudinal perspective.
• Information is derived from individual interviews with residents possessing extensive, lifetime knowledge of local geography and resources.
• Data includes multiple geospatial vector types (points, polylines, polygons) for detailed representation.

Limitations

• The specific number of records, interviews, or geographic features is not provided, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Data is over 15 years old at its endpoint (2007), which may not reflect current coastal conditions or resource distributions.
• Reliance on traditional knowledge may introduce recall bias or geographic focus limited to areas known to interviewed communities.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in conjunction with several Federal and Provincial agencies.

Collection Method

Compiled through a community-based program involving partnerships with Regional Economic Development Boards and community groups. Data was gathered via individual interviews with local residents possessing traditional knowledge.

Time Range

Project ran from 1996 to 2007, incorporating knowledge of coastal resources from several preceding decades.

Freshness

The data project ended in 2007; the platform metadata indicates a last updated date of 2026-03-24, likely referring to catalog management.

Geography

Focus on coastal areas, specifically through partnerships in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.