For Alaska Native communities, maps are an essential resilience tool

In the wake of Typhoon Halong, a GIS workshop helped communities map the true extent of storm impacts

Lucy Martin sharing Typhoon Halong’s impact on her community. Photo by Greg Fiske / Woodwell Climate Research Center

Lucy Martin sharing Typhoon Halong’s impact on her community.

photo by Greg Fiske / Woodwell Climate Research Center

In October 2025, community partners from across Alaska gathered in Anchorage for a hands-on GIS and community mapping workshop organized through the Permafrost Pathways project. It was meant to be a space for learning and an opportunity to build technical skills using digital mapping software and working with environmental data. But in the wake of a devastating storm, what was initially a straightforward training became a real-time response to a region in crisis.

Read More on Permafrost Pathways.