The Arctic has acquired increasing importance in geopolitical debates. As investment in resource extraction grows more intensive and changes to the climate transform the landscape, understanding the Inuit historical presence in the Arctic continues to be of great importance, especially across significant parts of the Northwest Passage.

This tool looks at Inuit occupancy of the Northwest Passage through documentation of Inuit traditional trails and place names, which have interconnected Inuit groups across the Arctic since time immemorial. Although they are not permanent features on the landscape, delineations of trails and place names play a critical role in documenting the Inuit spatial narratives about their homelands. 

The Atlas is a database that focuses on historical written evidence of Inuit presence in the Canadian Arctic. It contains material obtained from hundreds of published and unpublished documents produced by explorers, ethnographers, scientists, missionaries, and other visitors who were in contact with Inuit during the early contact period or shortly before Inuit moved to permanent settlements. A significant portion of those trails and place names are still used today.