The Russian Arctic is swiftly transitioning to digital, and it's not just about new satellites, fibre optics spanning the entire Northern Sea Route, and an 'ice navigator' for nuclear icebreakers. Evens, Chukchi, Nenets, Veps, and other indigenous peoples of the North have also become part of the global internet ecosystem, along with their cultural heritage. In recent years, Russia alone has launched dozens of web projects aimed at preserving the languages of indigenous peoples, as well as knowledge about their culture and traditional nature use. Today, the first suggestions have emerged within the Russian scientific community to consolidate the accumulated data into a unified system that would allow to collect and systematize the work of hundreds of individuals.

According to Anatoly Zhozhikov, Head of the UNESCO Department at North-Eastern Federal University, one option for project integration could be a unified GIS map of the languages and cultural heritage of the indigenous minorities of the North. He proposed this idea during the international Arctic: Present and Future forum. The development of the GIS map was initiated by Russia during its chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023.

The GIS maps are being produced by specialists from Rosreestr and Roskadastr. The map will not only show the geographical distribution of languages but also the number of speakers, a brief history of the people, their living environments, features of their traditional lifestyle, and much more. Based on statistics collected since 1939, including data from All-Union and All-Russian population censuses, it's possible to track the evolution of indigenous languages over nearly a century. Also available are linguistic materials presented in an accessible and popular format. Scientists note that the new system could be used to create dictionaries of languages and dialects, conduct statistical studies, and serve as an educational platform.

The concept of a GIS map for Arctic indigenous languages first emerged in 2010. Initially, these were local initiatives confined to specific regions, but by 2022 they had merged and achieved international status. The project for a universal map of languages and cultural heritage is designed to cater to both Russian and international audiences.

The GIS map is part of another ambitious project — the Arctic Megapedia portal, which involved the participation of 6 countries, 7 universities, specialized research institutes, and other organizations at various stages. This international encyclopedia and database allows each participating country full access to manage materials about its inhabitants and freely use the work of their colleagues. Moreover, NEFU is implementing several other projects aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of the Arctic indigenous peoples. These include a collection of 3D models of cultural objects and a scientific database featuring text, video and audio materials. Many of these are the results of years of expeditions.

The final phase of work on the unified portal begins next year — everything is expected to be ready by December 2024. The leadership of NEFU has not only suggested integrating existing projects with the GIS map, but also plans to submit relevant requests to the State Commission on Arctic Development and relevant legislative and executive bodies. If the initiative is endorsed, Russia could become the owner of one of the largest public databases detailing the current state of the indigenous minorities of the Polar region. Based on this project, comprehensive didactic courses can be developed for teaching indigenous languages, promoting their culture and knowledge, and conducting extensive scientific research.

At present, numerous scientific, as well as cultural and educational projects aimed at preserving the heritage of indigenous peoples can be incorporated into the Arctic Megapedia and GIS map. These range from local initiatives by researchers or local communities, which organize periodicals in the languages of the Northern peoples, to regional programs that involve thousands of people. There are also popular federal initiatives that target a broad audience. One such initiative is the Children of the Arctic portal, hosting interactive courses for learning languages of the indigenous peoples of the North, educational programs about the Arctic, and a namesake cartoon that introduces the youngest viewers to the Arctic.