Data Development

We’ve seen firsthand how many Tribes across the country are struggling to obtain and analyze the complex maze of information needed to pinpoint which climate impacts pose the biggest threats to their community’s wellbeing. It’s hard to know what data to look for, where to find it, and what it means, especially when time and resources are limited. We’ve also seen how good data can help a community avoid climate blind spots. When a Tribe can see a threat coming, they are in better position to take action to prepare and protect their people and lands. Helping U.S. Tribes more easily access meaningful climate and health adaptation data, so they can choose the most needed adaptation strategies, has become one of our biggest priorities.

Background

Tribal Climate Health Project’s data development work is an extension of our climate and health adaptation capacity building and training work, which for seven years, has aimed to make it easier for Tribes to address their unique health and climate vulnerabilities. Through this capacity-building work, we quickly recognized that trainings would not be enough to help under-resourced Native American Tribes manage the overwhelming burden of data gathering and fact finding needed to make adaptation and resilience decisions.

The Tribal Climate Health Project has received four consecutive BIA Tribal Resilience funding awards to expand upon our efforts to make it easier for tribes to access health and other data to support their climate resilience efforts (Learn more). These funds allow TCHP to scale up our intertribal resilience data development work by collaborating with California Tribes to access adaptation data needs, refine available epidemiological datasets and protocols, and build national tribal capacity through presentations and facilitated interagency discussions on Tribal data solutions with key national stakeholders (Jump to National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDWG).

To help Tribes move forward more easily from planning to action, the program has optimized access to meaningful and readily usable external data to support Tribal vulnerability and adaptation planning and supplemental monitoring needs as outlined below. Through these efforts, TCHP hopes to help Tribes retain their capacity for other critical needs such as working within their community to determine priorities, make informed decisions, and take action to address the health and other impacts resulting from climate change.

Project list

Intertribal Resilience Data Development

The 10 Southern California Tribes PMBI is currently assisting through its current BIA-funded dataset development projects have received significant vulnerability data, including new heath datasets from the California Tribal Epidemiology Center, which provided Tribes at least five years of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) data to assess trends in mental health, health status, and community social cohesion. Other findings improved access to wildfire exposure data and health effects such as allergies, heat-related illness, and storm-related injuries. The 10 Tribes are also providing insights into remaining gaps in the data required for effective Tribal adaptation planning due to accessibility, geographic scale, or lack of research. For example, health incident data is typically gathered on the county scale and not always tied to the extreme event, e.g., respiratory illness rates due to wildfire smoke. These project findings are being used to further develop the EISI dataset tool, a data needs list, and replicable health dataset request protocols that are being distributed in California and the U.S. For example, TCHP hosted a training on Accessing Tribal Climate and Health Resilience Data (recorded May 5, 2021) and produced a companion guide called “Accessing Tribal Climate and Health Resilience Data: A Step-by-Step Guide.”

Exposures, Impacts, and Strategies Inventory (EISI) Tool

To help Tribes move forward more easily from planning to action, the program has worked to lower the burden of climate information fact-finding by optimizing access to meaningful and readily usable external data to support Tribal adaptation planning and supplemental monitoring needs. The program developed a customizable Excel-based tool called the Exposures, Impacts, and Strategies Inventory (EISI) tool, and made it available for free download so Tribes don’t have to start from scratch when beginning their adaptation planning processes.

National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDW)

The Tribal Climate Health Project facilitates the National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDWG). The NTRDWG is comprised of over 50 experts from across the country who are collaborating to identify solutions that help tribes more easily access meaningful climate vulnerability and resilience data. Recordings of NTRDW meetings are provided below. For inquiries on the NTRDW, or to join our meetings, contact us at info@tribalclimatehealth.org.

Meeting #1: NTRDW

June 9, 2021

Kickoff of National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDW) meetings with introductions from State, Federal, private, Tribal, local government, and health agency representatives.

Meeting #2: NTRDW

July 14, 2021

This is a recording of the second meeting of the National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDW), hosted by the Tribal Climate Health Project on July 14, 2021. The purpose of these meetings is to connect dozens of national health and climate data experts to exchange knowledge and advance solutions to address tribal climate adaptation and resilience data needs. This meeting featured a discussion of the Tribal Climate Health Project’s Exposures Impacts and Strategies Inventory (EISI) tool.

Meeting #3: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

August 11, 2021

This is a recording of the second meeting of the National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup (NTRDW), hosted by the Tribal Climate Health Project on August 11, 2021. Featuring a discussion of the Temperate.io tool, presented by Jessica Cahail at Azavea.

Meeting #4: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 8, 2021

Featuring a discussion of the Tribal Climate Tool, presented by Meade Krosby from the University of Washington.

Meeting #5: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

October 13, 2021

Featuring a discussion of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Heat & Health Tracker and the Climate Change and Public Health dashboards, presented by Claudia Brown at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Meeting #6: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

November 10, 2021

Discussion led by Angie Hacker at Prosper Sustainably on data gaps and resources from attendees of NTRDW meeting.

Meeting #7: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

December 8, 2021

Featuring a discussion from the Office of Coastal Management and their Digital Coast Tools, presented by TJ Moore at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Meeting #8: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

January 12, 2022

Featuring a discussion on the County of San Diego’s 2019 Tribal Brief for Health Conditions Among the Non-Hispanic American indian/Alaska Native Population, presented by senior epidemiologists Isabel Cortez and Christopher O’Malley from the County of San Diego’s Health & Human Services Department

Meeting #9: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

February 9, 2022

Featuring a discussion from the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 team at the State of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), presented by Walker Wieland and Laura August.

Meeting #10: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

March 9, 2022

Featuring a discussion from fellow NTRDW members Isabel Cortez (Senior Epidemiologist, County of San Diego), Thomas Gates (CEC), Claudia Brown (CDC), and Angie Hacker (Tribal Climate Health Project), and others provide updates on their work, upcoming projects, and more.

Meeting #11: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

April 13, 2022

Featuring a discussion from Zoe Varner (UC Berkeley, MPH Candidate) and Laurie Monserrat (CalEPA’s OEHHA) on “Assessing Exposure Risks and Non-compliance Violations in Drinking Water Among Tribal Water Systems in California”

Meeting #12: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

June 8, 2022

Featuring a discussion on the newly revamped Healthy Places Index (HPI) 3.0, presented by Helen Dowling and Neil Maizlish from the Public Health Alliance

Meeting #13: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

August 10, 2022

Featuring a presentation from the Climate Change and Health Equity section at the California Department of Public Health, presented by Osamu Kumasaka

Meeting #14: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 14, 2022

Featuring updates from Angie Hacker at Prosper Sustainably and a discussion with NTRDW members

November 9, 2022

Meeting #16: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup6

Featuring a presentation conducted by Ben Hatchett and Katheryn Lambrecht (Western Regional Climate Center) regarding California weather and climate-inspired research activities

Meeting #17: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

December 14, 2022

Featuring a presentation by Laurie Monserrat and Carmen Milanes from California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment on their recently released reports following their Tribal listening sessions on climate adaptation.

Meeting #18: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

January 11, 2023

Featuring a conversation about future work and meetings of the National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup.

Meeting #19: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

March 8, 2023

Discussing Tribal Climate Health Project data development and Tribal funding opportunities with featured speaker James Rattling Leaf (North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center)

Meeting #20: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

May 10, 2023

Featuring presentations from Lori Cary-Kothera (White House Council on the Environmental Quality) and Patricia Kennedy (CA Governor’s Office of Planning and Research)

Meeting #21: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

July 12, 2023

Featuring a presentation from Claudia Brown, Health Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) on the Heat and Health Tracker tool.

Meeting #22: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 13, 2023

Featuring a presentation from Ankitha Doddanari, Staff Analyst, Climate Equity and Resilience Engagement, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) on the Vulnerable Communities Platform.

Meeting #23: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

March 13, 2024

Featuring a presentation from Ben Hatchett and Emily Wells, Global Systems Laboratory (GSL), NOAA Research Laboratories on the Fire Weather Testbed.

Meeting #24: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

April 10, 2024

A special Agency collaboration meeting to coordinate Research & Information Services for Tribal and Climate Health Adaptation.

Meeting #25: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

May 8, 2024

Featuring a presentation from Bailey Smith (CARB) and Eagle Analytics on CARB’s new climate risk assessment tool.

Meeting #26: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

July 10, 2024

Bret Folger (NOAA) gives a presentation on data sovereignty.

Meeting #27: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 11, 2024

Featuring a presentation by Robert Maxim, Brookings Fellow on dat development work for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

Meeting #28: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup8

November 13, 2024

Featuring Meade Krosby, Climate Adaptation Barriers and Needs Experienced by Northwest Coastal Tribes.

The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative conducted an assessment to better understand the state of climate adaptation among Northwest coastal Tribes, and to elevate Tribes’ experience of key barriers and needs which, if addressed, could help advance Tribal resilience.

Meeting #29: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

January 8, 2025

Featuring a presentation by Anna Holder, State Water Resources Control Board, on their Tribal Water Data Initiatives and a discussion of support of our federal partners and others in 2025 and beyond.

Presented slides

Meeting #30: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

March 12, 2025

Featuring Walker Wieland from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment demonstrating the new Cal HeatScore tool.

Updates on the status of climate data.

Meeting #31: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

July 9, 2025

Featuring a presentation by Robert Maxim from the Brookings Metro and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). SCAG has just completed an assessment of Tribal economic and demographic data needs and resources that is informing the development of actionable strategies and recommendations for creating more inclusive economic and demographic data collection on Tribal communities for data sovereignty.

Meeting #32: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 10, 2025

Featuring Tracking California’s Executive Director, Shubhayu Saha, and staff members who detail a few of Tracking California‘s current and upcoming projects.

Updates on the status of climate data.

Meeting #34: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup4

March 11, 2026

Anny Huang from CARB discusses the newly launched statewide prescribed and wildfire emission inventory. The inventory has been updated to refine the emission quantification methodology, expand activity data sources, and add new frameworks for generating event-based inventory using satellite-based fire detection. It’s an interesting new tool that will give Tribes and others a new way to see wildfire smoke.

Elizabeth Rhodes from CDPH discusses their Shared Vision and Action Plan (SVAP).

Meeting #35: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

May 13, 2026

Featuring a presentation by Emily Wells, CIRA, Fire Weather Testbed. Emily shares findings from the upcoming paper “California Tribal Advisors Share Contemporary Environmental Data and Information Needs.”

Meeting #36: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

July 8, 2026

Featuring James Peurini from the Climate and Wildfire Institute speaking about their work with the UCLA IoES beneficial fire practicum.

Meeting #37: National Tribal Resilience Data Workgroup

September 9, 2026

Featuring a presentation by Daniel Beene, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University, on his work on NavajoWaterGIS during his time at the University of New Mexico.