Welcome to the NWT Discovery Portal

The NWT Discovery Portal is the most comprehensive online source for environmental monitoring knowledge in the Northwest Territories. It is administered by the NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program. The Portal is a search tool that allows users to access data, metadata and reports. It is also a share tool that allows users to contribute by uploading research and monitoring information.

The NWT Discovery Portal includes qualitative and quantitative information, traditional knowledge, baseline studies and monitoring, as well as scientific research. The Portal may also contain monitoring information generated through land-use planning, project-specific environmental impact assessments, and regulatory processes.

The collection of monitoring knowledge is sourced, researched, and contributed to by communities, industry proponents, environmental non-government organizations, interveners in regulatory processes, project review processes, academics, and government departments and agencies.

The NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP) supports the NWT Discovery Portal, because sharing environmental observations and data is a cornerstone to understanding cumulative impacts. NWT CIMP works to analyze environmental data and establish trends that are needed to support informed decision-making about northern development. Results of all NWT CIMP-funded research and monitoring projects are located in the NWT Discovery Portal.

The NWT Discovery Portal promotes and uses standards for metadata to ensure compatibility and sharing of environmental information.

Metadata is information about data. Metadata provides the what, where, when of data and by whom it was collected, as well as its location. Metadata facilitates the understanding, use, and management of data and is a tool for networking and collaboration. Standardized metadata allows interoperability between metadata management facilities such as the NWT Discovery Portal and the Polar Data Catalog.

Information on this web is intended for the scientific community but is made available to the public for consultation by the Government of the Northwest Territories. This information is made available without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. By accessing and using the web site, users acknowledge and agree that use of the web site and the content is entirely at their own risk. The Government of the Northwest Territories, including their employees, agents, and assignees shall not be liable for losses or damages of any kind that may arise as a result of use of information provided on the web site.

The material on this web site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, and by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Material may not be used or reproduced for commercial purposes without the prior written consent arranged by the publisher of the material. If it is reproduced or redistributed for non-commercial purposes, copyright must be appropriately acknowledged.

The web site contains links to third party web sites. The links are provided solely as a convenience and are not an endorsement by the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is not responsible for the content of any third-party web-site nor do they make any representation or warranty of any kind regarding any third-party web site.

The NWT Discovery Portal was initially developed as a joint initiative between the Government of the Northwest Territories, Centre for Geomatics; and the following departments of the Government of Canada: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources. As of April 1, 2014, following signing of the Devolution Final Agreement the NWT Discovery Portal is operated by the Government of the Northwest Territories, Centre for Geomatics and NWT CIMP.