ELOKA. It is a collaborative international effort that was launched during the 2007–2009 International Polar Year. ELOKA facilitates the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic. Data management and user support are provided by ELOKA while it fosters collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers. By working together, Arctic residents and researchers have made significant contributions to our understanding of the Arctic and recent changes to it. A key challenge of local and traditional knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring is having an effective and appropriate means of recording, storing, and managing data and information. There is also the issue of finding an effective means of making such data available to Arctic residents and researchers, as well as other interested groups such as teachers, students, and decision makers. Without a network and data management system to support LTK and community-based research, a number of problems have arisen. ELOKA aims to fill this gap. See also CIRES Distributed Active Archive Centers Earth Observing System Antarctic ice pack Arctic ice pack University of Colorado at Boulder References Further reading US National Research Council (1983) Snow and Ice Research: An Assessment US National Academies Press pg 115 US National Research Council (1995) Study on the Long-term Retention of Selected Scientific and Technical Records of the Federal Government US National Academies Press pg 115 Minster, J./NRC (1998) Review of NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers US National Academies Press pp 147–163 Simpson, Robert in Oliver, John E. (ed) (2005) The Encyclopedia of World Climatology Springer pg 232 Burden, Paul R. (2010) A Subject Guide to Quality Web Sites Scarecrow Press pg 626 Barry, Roger and Gan, Thian Yew (2011) The Global Cryosphere: Past, Present and Future Cambridge University Press pg 5 External links NSIDC main page NSIDC Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis Icelights, a regular column by cryosphere experts and questions from the public Serious Science, an interview with NSIDC lead scientist Ted Scambos from The Antarctic Sun Glaciology of the United States Earth sciences organizations Snow and Ice Data Center Scientific organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1957 1957 establishments in Colorado