Inhabitants of an Inuit community in Labrador are using an app developed at the University of Guelph to help keep track of the effects of climate change on their health and their landscape.
The residents of Rigolet use the eNuk app to document local climate conditions, such as unsafe ice or dangerous roads, as well as the effect shifting weather patterns are having on their mental well-being.
The region is one of the fastest-warming corners of the world, and the shorter winters are affecting the Inuit’s ability to access the land and the activities that have sustained them for generations.
Because the area has no cellular and little Internet coverage, the eNuk team has had to create technology that turns the users’ devices into transmitters as well as receivers, allowing for connectivity and the sharing of real-time data.
The local community asked the eNuk team that it “not be just another app – it has to be part of our lives”. It is all set to deliver.
