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Oglala Lakota College Integrated Data Cube Project

Welcome to the OLC NIFA IDC repository, part of the USDA-NIFA IDC project at Oglala Lakota College. A community-driven platform for integrating Earth data science with Tribal knowledge systems. This repository serves as the central hub for our group, hosting our project description, member bios, codebase, datasets, and more.

What We Do

We support Tribal Nations in:

  • Accessing and analyzing environmental data
  • Building local data science capacity
  • Integrating Traditional Knowledges with modern tools
  • Supporting sovereignty and self-determined decision-making

Why It Matters

Environmental challenges like climate change, water scarcity, and habitat loss disproportionately impact Tribal communities. The IDC helps ensure that:

  • Data is accessible
  • Knowledge is respected
  • Decisions are community-led

Our Project

Communities across the globe are navigating an era of profound environmental disruption, including the contamination of air and water, declining freshwater availability, habitat loss, and an accelerating climate crisis. For many Tribal Nations, these challenges are compounded by the legacies of colonization and systemic inequities that have limited access to environmental data and decision-making tools.

At the same time, Tribal peoples bring generations of knowledge and enduring relationships with their homelands that offer critical insights for sustaining ecosystems. Traditional ways of understanding the world—rooted are in balance, respect, and reciprocity hold lessons for all of us.

The Integrated Data Cube (IDC)/Cubedynamics initiative seeks to unite these strengths with the capabilities of modern Earth data science. Our team is creating a flexible, community-driven data and workflow platform that allows students and faculty at Oglala Lakota College to gather, interpret, and apply environmental information in ways that align with their own priorities and governance systems. It is both a research infrastructure and a learning environment designed to expand local expertise in data analysis and evidence-based decision-making while also integrating principles of traditional knowledge systems and inherent Tribal sovereignty.

Ultimately, this work supports Tribal sovereignty and resilience. Equipping communities with tools to visualize and interpret their own environmental data allows this project to ensure that responses to climate and ecological change are guided by Tribal leadership, knowledge, and values.

Expected Impact

  • Increased Tribal Access to Data Science
    Making EDS accessible supports Tribal-led environmental research and resource management.

  • Capacity Building and Training
    The DataCube will serve as a teaching and learning tool for Oglala Lakota College, students, Elders, and community members, expanding technical and data literacy skills.

  • Stronger Environmental and Climate Resilience
    With improved data and tools, Tribes can develop more effective, self-determined responses to environmental challenges, ensuring long-term sustainability.

  • Advancing environmental data science is about equity, sovereignty, and inclusion.
    Our project centers Tribal self-determination and the integration of Tribal Knowledges with state-of-the-art Earth data science tools to create lasting, meaningful change.

Learn more on the About page.

Team Members

Name Affiliation
J. Foster Sawyer, PhD Faculty, Oglala Lakota College
Elisha Yellow Thunder Adjunct Faculty, Oglala Lakota College
Lilly Jones, PhD Daear Consulting, LLC; CIRES Earth Lab, CU Boulder
Camille Griffith, PhD Faculty, Oglala Lakota College
James Sanovia Tribal Data Scientist, CIRES ESIIL Lab, CU Boulder
Ty Tuff Lead Data Scientist, CIRES ESIIL Lab, CU Boulder

Questions?

For questions or collaboration inquiries, please contact:
James (Jim) Sanovia, Tribal Data Scientist, CIRES ESIIL Lab, CU Boulder
Email: [James.Sanovia@colorado.edu]

Acknowledgment

This work is guided by the principles of Tribal data sovereignty, Tribal knowledge integration, and Community-led research.
We honor the Oglala Lakota Nation, the Oceti Sakowin and the lands that sustain this work.