e-Science for the project “Integrated Doctoral Program for Environmental Policy, Management and Technology (INTENSE)”

 

INTENSE e-Science description: presentation

INTENSE e-Science website

 

WHY INTENSE AND WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?

This project, coordinated by the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Tartu, Estonia), addresses the causes of environmental problems in Mongolia, Ukraine and Vietnam, as poorly formulated policies, inadequate selection of management actions and the lack of suitable technology, by building capacity for academic excellence in doctoral training in environmental studies in partner countries (PCs) and beyond. The main objectives are:

  1. To improve the practice of doctoral training and professionalise its governance by integrating PhD programs dealing with environmental policy, management and technology in 7 PCIs to 3 nationwide integrated doctoral schools (INTENSE NIDS), based on common Code of Operational Practices & research framework (COP & RF), and consolidating these schools into the INTENSE International Network.
  2. To enhance doctoral training provision by integrating and upgrading existing learning contents that can be used for doctoral provision (total 80 ECTS by M36), infrastructure for accessing the courses and setting&monitoring flexible research training trajectories and their progression (INTENSE open education platform, including sustainable mechanisms for its development and maintenance) and shared access to research facilities.
  3. To build the capacity of PhD students to improve their published output, through a strengthened multidisciplinary approach to doctoral training, aided by facilitating access to global and EU research networks (including facilitation of academic mobility), development of transferable skills, promotion of joint research/supervision arrangements & interdisciplinary & practice-oriented thesis topics.

The INTENSE project is a  Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of higher education project (K2).

You can find the main information of this project on the following links:

Here, you will find the information of this project where they publish important events, links, results and so on, related to INTENSE. The aim of this website is to let people know about this project and the great capacity of training, according to the objectives.

This is a company working on the research-higher education-business and public policy. They also offer events related to INTENSE.

 

INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND EVENTS INVOLVED IN INTENSE

E-science supports the complete scientific lifecycle: experimental design, data collection and analysis to publication.

Then, the following points are considered:

Skill-related and technical info, e.g. publishing requirements and recommendations, links to indexing databases, etc.

The first thing to remark about technical info, is the Book “Enviromental Policies in Asia” : https://doi.org/10.1142/9109

There is a list of general resouces about the European Union Database and Tools developed by the UNIC, Library and Information Center: https://www.library.unic.ac.cy/european-union-databases-and-tools

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides a su,,ary of state of sustainability around the world. https://epi.yale.edu/about-epi, https://epi.yale.edu/downloads

The European Union works on projects fully accessible to all institutions, companies and universities, as it is 100% transparent. In addition, environmental information is the basis on which policies are constructed. Then, several resources are available:

  • European Environmental Agency (EEA). In charge of improving the environment, integrating environmental considerations into economic policies and moving towards sustainability. In cooperation with the The European environment information and observation network (Eionet), it generates common contents of data, information, and infrastructure and tools to analyze the environment.

Portal: https://www.eionet.europa.eu/ and more specifically, spatial datasets are available in: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/wise-eionet-spatial-3

  • The network is also supported by European Topic Centers (ETCs). These are centres of thematic expertise. https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs
  • Eurostat: provides a range of statistics and accounts about the state of the environment and the drivers. The database stores all type of information within Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/data/database
  • The Joint Research Center (JRC) and the Insitute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) provides scientific and technical support to the European Union’s policies for the protection and sustainable development of the European and global environment. It monitors the environment at the European and global level (climate change, hydrology, agriculture, forests, pollution of soil, air and water, etc.). A list of tools and databases is provided: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tools. The JRC also has a data catalogue classified in different collections: https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/. It is possible to search by Keywords, for example: GIS digital format, coastal environment, processes, etc. The JRC also operates the Operationalization of natural Capital and Ecosystem Services (OpenNESS). http://www.openness-project.eu/node/58
  • The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization with 22 member states and external countries. This agency is in charge of different satellite missions, divided into science missions (Earth Explorers, currently on orbit: SMOS, CRYOSAT, SWARM and AEOLUS), operational missions (Sentinels) and meteorological missions (MetOp, for instance). In total, since 2014, there are 80 satellites. The remote sensing technology is improving more and more each year and specially the data infrastructures. Currently, there is a portal with access to data of current missions which the Ground Segments distribute. https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/ and https://www.copernicus.eu/en/accessing-data-where-and-how/conventional-data-access-hubs. It is very important to keep updated in the ESA innovations for Earth Observation. There are many publications on youtube, one of the latest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIQbz6uh2ds

 

 

Once we have the data, it is important to follow ethical guidelines, as we are dealing with public data. We should start with publication ethics: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01230.x

And to follow the guidelines for Research Ethics in Science and Technology: https://www.forskningsetikk.no/en/guidelines/science-and-technology/guidelines-for-research-ethics-in-science-and-technology/

The Web of Science Group has created a browser to search and explore the journals indexed in the Web of Science. It is possible to retrieve the exact journal on the browser but also related journals. The browser is called the “Master Journal List tool”: https://mjl.clarivate.com/home

 

Links to research databases, libraries, real life observations, research and study versions of models and analysis tools:

United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). The UNSD Environmental Statistics measure ten indicators globally, compiled from a wide range of data sources, according to the demands for international environmental statistics and the availability of internationally comparable data. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/qindicators.cshtml. It is still in an early stage of development in many countries.

The EARTHDATA developed by NASA provides a wide range of resources for Open Science https://earthdata.nasa.gov/ . It is recommended to dive into the resources provided. The data available can be downloaded from https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data. The most common tool used to find remote sensing data is the EarthExplorer: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov

The European Union protects the status of fragile species and habitats through the Natura 200. This is the European network of protected sites , based on the 1979 Birds Directive and the 1992 Habitats Directive. They provide alphanumeric and geographical data: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/natura-11.

The Copernicus Programme is the “Europe’s eyes on Earth”. It provides six services with remote sensing data, fundamentally for policy management.

All data together is available in: https://www.copernicus.eu/en/accessing-data-where-and-how/conventional-data-access-hubs

In addition, the Copernicus with the European Commission hosts the Data and Information Access Services (DIAS) platforms to facilitate and standardise access to data in the cloud. This allows to operate without downloading a huge amount of datasets. They are not free. https://www.copernicus.eu/en/access-data/dias

Land Use and Coverage Area  frame Survey (LUCAS). This data is managed by the Eurostats. It is in situ land cover and land use data collection over EU’s territory based on statistical calculations that interpret observations in the field. Harmonised and unbiased for validation. Point data with alphanumeric information. It is in point geometry and allows us to validate land cover polygons, such as Corine Land Cover polygons. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=LUCAS_-_Land_use_and_land_cover_survey#How_can_LUCAS_data_be_used.3F

EARTH ONLINE platform: it is a scientific and technical portal on Earth Observation activities by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is the entry point of all remote sensing data from Copernicus and Third Party Missions (Earth Explorers, such as SMOS). This platform provides the access to the following data hubs:

  • Copernicus Open Access Hub
  • Earth Observation Catalogue (EO CAT)
  • Copernicus Space Component Data Access Portal (CSCDA)
  • Planetary Data Access (PANDA)
  • Data and Information Access Services (DIAS)

There are user manuals and additional documentation in each data hub. The data of future missions will be included in this platform.

Essential Climate Variables: These are geophysical records generated from systematic Earth Observations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides a very detailed data access matrix of Atmosphere, Ocean and Land monitoring. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/gosic/gcos-essential-climate-variable-ecv-data-access-matrix

Although they do not provide direct access to data, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) provides information about the global environment monitoring. https://gcos.wmo.int/en/essential-climate-variables/table

ETOPO1 Global Relief Model. This was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2009. It’s a 1 arc-minute global digital elevation model (DEM) of the Earth’s surface that includes both land topography and ocean bathymetry. There is the possibility to download the data in two different formats: geotagged TIFF or netCDF.

https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/global.html

 

News feed with conferences, seminars, summer schools, upcoming special issues etc.:

Programming languages

As seen in previous sections, all the data tends to migrate on the cloud. In order to standardize the access to them, there are common programming languages to process the data hosted in that infrastructure. These languages are mainly JavaScript, Python and R.

The Internet is full of tutorials and resources to learn these languages and it is very important to pay attention to the news and updates made to the platforms that use them.The most useful way to do this is to attend to conferences such as FOSS4G (Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial). https://2021.foss4g.org/

Why open source software? Because more and more people prove their skills by creating new robust and accessible infrastructures and software, in addition to providing free access to everyone. Then, they are easy to use and quite straightforward.

Google Earth Engine (ready to use with JavaScript and Python) provides the data access to most common remote sensing images taken through the history. They also provide training and documentation. https://developers.google.com/earth-engine

R and Python are the most common programming languages used for desktop applications as well. The Anaconda framework is a ready to use notebook with all python functionalities. In order to know more, the University of Tartu has an open access documentation: https://kodu.ut.ee/~kmoch/geopython2020/

 

Conferences

There are plenty of conferences related to environmental policy, management and technology. There is a database that stores all the information needed. https://conferenceindex.org/. It is possible to look for the conferences by Category, Tag, Country or City.

Some of the most well-known conferences about remote sensing and environment are the following:

ICERSM

International Conference on Environmental Remote Sensing and Modelling

IALE

International Association of Landscape Ecology

IGARSS

IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

ESP

Ecosystem Services Science, Policy and Practice in the face of Global Changes

GI_FORUM

I_Forum provides a platform for dialogue among geospatial minds, informing the GeoInformation Society, contributing to a more just, ethical and sustainable society. It is organized by ZGIS from the university of Salzburg.

Some of the conferences have changed the dates due to the COVID-19 crisis, so I cannot provide the dates because they might be cancelled. On the other hand, they can take place in an online format.

 

Summer schools

OpenGeoHub Summer School. This year, it will take place virtually: https://opengeohub.org/summer_school_2021

IGARSS Summer School. The registration is already closed but it this is to consider for the future. https://igarss2021.com/SummerSchoolProgram.php

European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE). EAERE Summer School In Resource And Environmental Economics 2021. https://www.eaere.org/events/schools/eaere-and-uni-graz-european-summer-school-in-resource-and-environmental-economics-2021/

EAERE – ETH Winter School. Natural resources and development in resource-rich countries. https://www.eaere.org/events/schools/eaere-eth-winter-school-on-natural-resources-and-development-in-resource-rich-countries/

AniMove summer school. We are aware of the situation of Biodiversity worldwide. But how can we handle its study? Remote Sensing helps us to monitor the animal movement and habitat changes. To do so, AniMove offers courses and summer courses to know how to use R software in order to manipulate such datasets. https://animove.org/

WIN!

Water Innovations. Policy, Management and Research. This summer school deals with the water sustainability challenges and the state of art in water science, policy and management.

 

 

Journals and Special Issues

Ecological Indicators

This journal aims to integrate the monitoring and assessment of ecological and environmental indicators with management practices. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

Special issues of interest:

– The value of long-term ecosystem research (LTER): Addressing global change ecology using site-based data. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators/vol/65

– Developing and Applying Ecosystem Services Indicators in Decision-Support at Various Scales. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators/vol/61/part/P1

– Policy use and influence of indicators. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators/vol/35

– Biodiversity Monitoring. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators/vol/33

– Landscape Assessment for Sustainable Planning. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators/vol/10/issue/1

 

Journal of Environmental Management

This journal requires a distinctive link with environmental management applications. The specific objectives are listed on the website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-environmental-management

Special issues of interest:

– Environmental management as a pillar for sustainable development. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-environmental-management/vol/203/part/P3

– Advanced Processes for Environmental Management and Remediation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-environmental-management/special-issue/10LXCJW5JR7

– Innovative solutions for sustainable management of nitrogen. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-environmental-management/special-issue/10NMLW5DS9W

 

 

 

Remote Sensing of Environment

It emphasizes on biophysical and quantitative approaches to remote sensing at local to global scales, publishing results on the theory, science, applications, and technology of remote sensing studies. https://www.journals.elsevier.com/remote-sensing-of-environment

Special issues of interest:

– Earth Observation for the Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/remote-sensing-of-environment/special-issue/10RFDS7BFNH

– Earth Observation of Essential Climate Variables. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/remote-sensing-of-environment/vol/203

– The Sentinel Missions – New Opportunities for Science. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/remote-sensing-of-environment/vol/120

 

Remote Sensing (MDPI)

This journal publishes regular research papers, reviews, technical notes and communications covering all aspects of remote sensing science, from sensor design, validation / calibration, to its application in geosciences, environmental sciences, ecology and civil engineering. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing

There is a great variety of special issues in this journal. Most of them have a close deadline although similar special issues open:

– Geospatial Monitoring on Local to Global Scale Impacts of Anthropogenic Landscape Changes https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/GeospatialMonitoring

– Baltic Sea Remote Sensing https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/Baltic_RS

– EO for Mapping Natural Resources and Geohazards. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/EO_Natural_Resources_Geohazards

– Global Urban Observation for SDG Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/urban_SDG

– Earth Observations for Ecosystem Resilience. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/ecosystem_resilience_RS

 

ZSL (Zoological Society of London). Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.

This is a new journal, multidisciplinary research from the interface between remote sensing science and ecology and conservation https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20563485

Special issues of interest:

– Training in Remote Sensing. https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/20563485/2017/3/1

Methodological guidelines on research and supervision for post-graduated students (MSc and PhD Students)

 

The ThingsBoard IoT open source platform http://e-science.intense.network/ is launched to connect the hardware component of the INTENSE e-science module. The platform provides training in the mode of joint access of project partners to the equipment.