MSc Defense: Nicolas Durish

A Case Study In The Design And Development Of a Community-Based
Internet Assessment Initiative In Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

Chair: Dr. Fangju Wang
Advisory Member: Dr. Dan Gillis
Advisory Member: Dr. Jason Ernst
Non-Advisory Member: Dr. Hassan Khan

Abstract

Inequitable access to telecommunication networks is having discernible impacts on
Canadians, particularly in more Northern and remote communities. More complete, available,
and interoperable datasets are needed to better understand and work to remedy this inequity.
Community-based internet assessment initiatives have been recognized as valuable programs in
this pursuit; however, more research is needed on how to utilize available internet
measurement tools and methodologies at the community level. The Rigolet Internet
Assessment Initiative (RIAI) is a project located in and supported by the Inuit community of
Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, to measure and better understanding the community's
telecommunications environment. The RIAI pilot collection period began in 2019 and involves
collecting measurements every twenty minutes from ten participating households. This thesis
presents the co-creation of the initiative, design of the system, development of the software
suite, deployment of the integrated hardware tools, and analysis of a sample of the resulting
dataset.