Environmental communications for water monitoring program
Interactive Map and Information Design
This project translates Keepers of the Water’s Indigenous-led, community-based water monitoring into a story‑first digital experience that centres Traditional Knowledge, relationships, and responsibility to water.
Building on this foundation, I designed an accessible interactive map and information model that turns complex water quality data, media, and site‑specific context into a clear, navigable interface for communities, educators, and decision‑makers.
Client
Keepers of the Water Society — Indigenous-led nonprofit coalition for watershed protection
Sectors
Environmental justice, water governance, Indigenous-led nonprofits
Services
Information design, interactive map design, web design, search engine optimization, capacity building and training
Timeline
2025
Problem
Water monitoring results from dozens of sites were hard to access, compare, and share with communities and decision‑makers.
Approach
I translated the program’s data, site descriptions and Traditional Knowledge into an interactive map and information model grounded in Indigenous-led priorities.
Outcome
Keepers of the Water now has a public, map‑based tool that connects complex water quality data with Traditional Knowledge, helping community members, educators, and leaders explore water quality in the Athabasca River watershed.
About Keepers of the Water
Keepers of the Water is an Indigenous-led organization that protects land and water by exercising Indigenous sovereignty and applying the spirit and intent of Treaty. Their community‑based water quality monitoring program focuses on the Athabasca River and its tributaries, using scientific measures and Traditional Knowledge to document change and support action on the impacts of industry and policy decisions.
The challenge
Keepers of the Water had been running a community‑based water monitoring program across multiple sites in the Athabasca watershed, collecting scientific data alongside Traditional Knowledge from staff, volunteers, and Elders. The data existed, but it wasn’t accessible in a form that communities, decision‑makers, or funders could easily use. Their existing map had technical problems that made it difficult to use, and there was no structured way to present the full picture of each site — the numbers, the Traditional Knowledge, and the place — in a single, coherent resource.
What we did
Working directly with Keepers staff who supplied the data and Traditional Knowledge, I rebuilt the map from the ground up and designed 18 site‑specific pages to accompany it. The goal throughout was clarity: make complex monitoring data readable, give Traditional Knowledge its proper place alongside the science, and present each site in a way that supports real decisions and planning — not just reporting. A secondary goal was to provide training and process documentation so Keepers staff could maintain and evolve the map and pages over time.
What I delivered
I designed and built a map‑based experience that connects monitoring data, media, and Traditional Knowledge for each site in the Athabasca watershed.
- A new interactive map of all water monitoring sites across the Athabasca watershed, with pop-ups displaying key information about each location
- 18 site-specific pages, each combining:
- Water quality monitoring data (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, conductivity, and total dissolved solids)
- Site coordinates and photography
- Traditional Knowledge in text, video, or both, as contributed by Keepers staff, volunteers, and Elders
- Information design that presents scientific and Indigenous knowledge together, without subordinating one to the other
Outcomes
The new map and site pages give communities, educators, and leaders a clearer way to see what’s happening in the Athabasca watershed — where monitoring is taking place, what the water data shows, and how it connects with Traditional Knowledge and local experience. Externally, this makes it easier for Keepers of the Water to share their monitoring results as a living, map‑based story rather than static reports, supporting education, advocacy, and conversations about the impacts of industry on the river. Internally, staff now have a structured, documented way to publish new monitoring results and TK contributions, so the resource can continue to grow as the program evolves.
The map and site pages have honestly been exactly what we needed. It has made the information far more user-friendly and accessible for communities, educators, leadership, and the public as a whole.
Working with you was exciting because you understood the importance of presenting both Traditional Knowledge and scientific monitoring together in a respectful and accessible way. Beyond building the map itself, you also gave us the tools, guidance, and setup support needed so our team could confidently use and maintain the platform moving forward.
This project has become a real asset to Keepers of the Water and to our website overall. It strengthened how we share our monitoring work.
Thank you again for your work with Keepers of the Water.
— Talon Giroux, Communications Coordinator
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