Noondawind: Co-Designed Dashboard for Indigenous Data Access and Environmental Policy Implementation

Paper Title

Noondawind: Co-Designed Dashboard for Indigenous Data Access and Environmental Policy Implementation

Publication Info

• Topic area: Indigenous data access and environmental policy tools
• Keywords: Indigenous HCI, co-design, data sovereignty, environmental governance, Ojibwe, Manoomin, participatory design, policy tools, environmental dashboards, treaty rights

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Existing environmental data tools are often designed using top-down methods that exclude Indigenous communities, limiting their utility in addressing environmental governance and treaty rights. There is a lack of culturally relevant, participatory tools that integrate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) with Western scientific data.
• Significance: Addressing this gap is crucial for supporting Indigenous sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and the protection of treaty rights, particularly for Ojibwe Nations in the Great Lakes region.
• Motivation and related work: Previous research in HCI and environmental governance has explored co-design and data visualization but has largely overlooked Indigenous communities and their unique challenges. Tools like spatio-temporal dashboards and low-cost sensors have shown promise but require adaptation to Indigenous contexts.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Noondawind, an interactive, co-designed data platform that integrates Indigenous Knowledge, environmental monitoring data, and policy information to support Ojibwe Nations in environmental governance.
• Novelty:
  1. Demonstrates a functional, co-designed data platform grounded in Ojibwe cultural values and decision-making processes.
  2. Integrates Indigenous epistemologies with Western scientific data to enhance environmental governance and data sovereignty.
  3. Provides actionable design implications and lessons for developing tools in partnership with Indigenous communities.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  1. Participatory design process based on the Double Diamond framework, emphasizing relationship-building and iterative learning.
  2. Co-design sessions, UX audits, and prototyping to align with community priorities.
  3. Development of a React-based web application integrating ArcGIS, Azure, and custom sensors like Makak buoys.
  4. User studies and longitudinal reflections to gather feedback and refine the platform.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Noondawind achieved a System Usability Score (SUS) of 74, ranking in the top 30% of platforms.
  • All users successfully completed map navigation tasks; 75% completed dashboard tasks.
  • Identified pain points include missing data, unclear legends, and limited integration between map and dashboard views.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Provides localized, culturally situated data access and visualization, addressing gaps in existing Western-centric tools.
  • Supports data sovereignty and integrates Indigenous Knowledge with environmental data.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Conducted user studies with 8 participants, including task-based walkthroughs, longitudinal reflections, and final feedback sessions.
  • Key metrics included task completion rates, qualitative feedback, and user-informed design improvements.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited scale of user studies and resource constraints in development.
  • Future plans include enhanced data quality indicators, real-time alerts, mobile accessibility, and deeper integration of Indigenous Knowledge through storytelling and visual design.

Summary

Noondawind is a co-designed data platform that integrates Indigenous Knowledge, environmental data, and policy tools to support Ojibwe Nations in environmental governance and treaty rights. Developed through a participatory design process, the platform prioritizes data sovereignty, cultural relevance, and actionable insights. User studies indicate strong usability and interest, though challenges like data gaps and integration remain. This work contributes to Indigenous HCI by demonstrating how culturally situated tools can empower communities and drive environmental justice. Future iterations aim to enhance functionality, incorporate real-time alerts, and deepen cultural integration.