Environmental informatics

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Environmental informatics is the science of information applied to environmental science. As such, it provides the information processing and communication infrastructure to the interdisciplinary field of environmental sciences [1] aiming at data, information and knowledge integration, the application of computational intelligence to environmental data as well as the identification of environmental impacts of information technology. Environmental informatics thus acts as a bridge, providing an interdisciplinary means of analysing, describing and understanding the complex interactions between humans, nature and technology. [2]

Contents

Since each field of applied computer science has its own subject matter, terminology and methods, specialised disciplines, [1] such as environmental, bio- and geoinformatics have emerged, each of which combines computer science with a specific field of application such as environmental, bio- or geosciences. Environmental informatics, bioinformatics and geoinformatics all deal with computer-based processing of environmental phenomena. However, environmental informatics is the only field that pursues normative goals (e.g., political goals of environmental protection, environmental planning, and sustainability). [1] This also influences the choice of methods. [1] This also distinguishes it from application areas such as numerical weather prediction, which is considered an early and important example of computer simulation of environmental phenomena.

The UK Natural Environment Research Council defines environmental informatics as the "research and system development focusing on the environmental sciences relating to the creation, collection, storage, processing, modelling, interpretation, display and dissemination of data and information." [3] Kostas Karatzas defined environmental informatics as the "creation of a new 'knowledge-paradigm' towards serving environmental management needs." [4] Karatzas argued further that environmental informatics "is an integrator of science, methods and techniques and not just the result of using information and software technology methods and tools for serving environmental engineering needs."

Environmental informatics emerged in early 1990 in Central Europe. [5]

Current initiatives to effectively manage, share, and reuse environmental and ecological data are indicative of the increasing importance of fields like environmental informatics and ecoinformatics to develop the foundations for effectively managing ecological information. Examples of these initiatives are National Science Foundation Datanet projects, DataONE and Data Conservancy.

Subject matter and objectives

The subject of environmental informatics are environmental information systems (EIS). An EIS 'is a computer-based system that integrates and stores data collected about the natural environment and provides powerful methods for accessing and evaluating it.' [6] This allows environmental data to be processed by computers for environmental protection, planning, research and technology. [6]

According to Jaeschke [2] and Bossel [7] , environmental informatics has three interrelated objectives:

  1. Environmental informatics serves to procure data and information for describing the state and development of the environment. [2] Of particular importance is information that is needed to prevent or limit undesirable changes and to support desirable changes. [7]
  2. Based on the evaluation and analysis of data, environmental informatics improves our understanding of the environment and the interactions between nature, technology and society. [2] It thus supports environmentally relevant decisions. [7]
  3. This enables the influence of development (system correction), [2] the assessment of the effects and side effects of potential measures, and the creation of tools for the routine planning, implementation and monitoring of measures. [7]

History

The simulation model World3, which formed the basis of the highly acclaimed study The Limits to Growth, is considered the starting point of environmental informatics. [8] It incorporated environmental information, among other things, to calculate scenarios for global development. In the mid-1980s, interest grew in structuring environmental protection as an area of application for computer science. [9] One of the first publications in German was the book Informatik im Umweltschutz. Anwendungen und Perspektiven (Computer science in environmental protection. Applications and perspectives) [9] from 1986. The term 'environmental informatics' did not appear until around 1993, [1] which is why the development of environmental informatics is usually referred to as having taken place in the 1990s. [10] In 1993, the first university chair for environmental informatics was established in Cottbus. [11] In 1994, the anthology Umweltinformatik. Informatikmethoden für Umweltschutz und Umweltforschung (Environmental Informatics: Informatics Methods for Environmental Protection and Environmental Research) [12] was published. The development of environmental informatics was 'primarily initiated by German computer science.' [6] In the English-speaking world, the volume Environmental Informatics [13] was published in 1995, mainly based on the German anthology of 1994.

An article in the conference proceedings of the World Computer Congress of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) in Hamburg in 1994 describes the initial situation of environmental informatics as follows:

'On the one hand, we suffer from the huge amount of available data – people sometimes speak of data graveyards – on the other hand, the really relevant data may still be missing.' [14]

This statement indicates the need that led to the emergence of environmental informatics as a specialised discipline of applied computer science. Furthermore, the specific characteristics and processing requirements of environmental data necessitated the emergence of environmental informatics. [1] The special features of environmental data include:

A new "knowledge paradigm" has emerged to meet the requirements of environmental management. [15] Environmental informatics produces its own concepts, methods and techniques and is not merely the result of using information and communication technology methods and tools to meet environmental requirements. [15]

The development of environmental informatics since the 1990s has been significantly influenced by the newly established conferences EnviroInfo, ISESS and ITEE and is documented in the respective proceedings. [16] Aspects of sustainability and sustainable development were increasingly integrated into environmental informatics after 2000, thereby expanding the field. [17] In 2004, the Working Group on Sustainable Information Society of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. (German Informatics Society, GI) published the Memorandum on a Sustainable Information Society, [17] which formulates recommendations for an information society that is compatible with human, social and natural needs. Since 2007, environmental informatics has often been described in more detail as informatics for environmental protection, sustainable development and risk management. [8] The increased focus on sustainability has also contributed to the formation of the research focus Information and Communications Technology for Sustainability (ICT4S) and to the emergence of the international conference ICT4S in 2013. [18]

ICT-ENSURE, the European Commission's funding measure for the establishment of a European research area on "ICT for Environmental Sustainability Research" (2008–2010), has also contributed to the structuring of environmental informatics. [19]

Environmental informatics and sustainable development

Efforts to place environmental informatics within the context of sustainable development have been growing since 2000 and were significantly influenced by the Memorandum on a Sustainable Information Society. [11] [18] According to this Memorandum, the information society offers great but unevenly distributed opportunities for education, participation and intercultural understanding. [11] [18] In addition, the Memorandum highlighted the material and energy consumption of information and communication technology and the amount of waste it generates. [11] [18] The hope was expressed that environmental informatics could contribute to the formation of a consensus in environmental policy and, thus, to the development of sustainable action strategies. [19] The systematic collection, processing and analysis of environmental data should lead to better environmental monitoring, better environmental management and progress in the sustainable management of natural resources. [20] In fact, the topics addressed in environmental informatics since the 1980s and the further development of remote sensing methods are widely used, e.g. in the environmental information systems of different countries. [8]

Conferences

Journals

Institutions

Collaborations

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 L.M. Hilty, B. Page, F.J. Radermacher and W.-F. Riekert. Environmental Informatics as a new discipline of applied computer science. N.M. Avouris and B. Page (eds.), Environmental Informatics (1995), pp. 1-11. Kluwer Academic Publishers. The Netherlands. ISBN   0-7923-3445-0
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jaeschke (1994). Umweltinformatik – Ein neues Anwendungsgebiet der Informatik (in German). Wissenschaftsverlag. pp. 10–13.
  3. ↑ "NERC - Science topics within NERC's remit". www.nerc.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-12-22.
  4. ↑ K. Karatzas. Environmental Informatics: Concepts and Definitions. In: A. Gnauck and R. Heinrich (eds.), Proceedings of "The Information Society and Enlargement of the European Union"-17th International Conference Informatics for Environmental Protection, Part 1: Concepts and Methods. Metropolis publishers, pp. 146-151, ISBN   3-89518-440-3.
  5. ↑ B. Page, V. Wohlgemuth. Advances in Environmental Informatics: Integration of Discrete Event Simulation Methodology with ecological Material Flow Analysis for Modelling eco-efficient Systems, Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 2, International Conference on Ecological Informatics and Ecosystem Conservation (ISEIS 2010), 2010, Pages 696-705, ISSN 1878-0296, doi : 10.1016/j.proenv.2010.10.079
  6. 1 2 3 Page (1998). Umweltinformatik (in German). Oldenbourg: Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. p. 905.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Bossel (1994). Umweltinformatik. Informatikmethoden für Umweltschutz und Umweltforschung (= Handbuch der Informatik) (in German). Oldenbourg: Oldenbourg Verlag. pp. 33–42.
  8. 1 2 3 Horbach, Matthias; Gesellschaft für Informatik, eds. (2013). Informatik 2013 - Informatik angepasst an Mensch, Organisation und Umwelt; Tagung vom 16.-20. September 2013 in Koblenz. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Informatik (in German). Bonn: Ges. für Informatik. pp. 1005–1012. ISBN   978-3-88579-614-5.
  9. 1 2 Page, Bernd; Hilty, Lorenz M., eds. (1986). Informatik im Umweltschutz: Anwendungen und Perspektiven. München: R. Oldenbourg. ISBN   978-3-486-26166-0.
  10. ↑ Wohlgemuth; Page. Advances in Environmental Informatics. Integration of Discrete Event Simulation Methodology with ecological Material Flow Analysis for Modelling eco-efficient Systems (2nd ed.). Procedia Environmental Sciences. pp. 696–705. ISSN   1878-0296.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Tochtermann, Klaus; Scharl, Arno, eds. (2006). Managing environmental knowledge: proceedings of the 20th International Conference "Informatics for Environmental Protection" Graz (Austria). Aachen: Shaker. ISBN   978-3-8322-5321-9.
  12. ↑ Page, Bernd, ed. (1994), Handbuch der Informatik. 3: 13. Produktionsorientierte Anwendungen Umweltinformatik: Informatikmethoden für Umweltschutz und Umweltforschung, München: Oldenbourg, ISBN   978-3-486-22723-9
  13. ↑ Avouris, Nicholas M.; Page, Bernd (1995). Environmental informatics: methodology and applications of environmental information processing. Euro courses. Dordrecht Boston London: Kluwer academic publ. ISBN   978-0-7923-3445-3.
  14. ↑ Brunnstein, Klaus, ed. (1995), Information processing '94: proceedings of the IFIP 13th World Computer Congress, Hamburg, Germany, 28 August - 2 September, 1994. Vol. 2: Applications and impacts / ed. by Klaus Brunnstein, IFIP transactions A, Computer science and technology, International Federation for Information Processing (1. ed., 2. impr ed.), Amsterdam: North-Holland, ISBN   978-0-444-81987-1
  15. 1 2 Gnauck, Albrecht; Heinrich, Ralph (2003). The Information Society and Enlargement of the European Union. Marburg: Metropolis Verlag. ISBN   978-3-89518-440-6.
  16. ↑ Aebischer; Hilty (2015). CT Innovations for Sustainability. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing (310 ed.). Springer. pp. 3–36.
  17. 1 2 Dompke, Mario, ed. (2004). Memorandum nachhaltige Informationsgesellschaft. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer-IRB-Verl. ISBN   978-3-8167-6446-5.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Dompke (2004). Memorandum Nachhaltige Informationsgesellschaft. Fraunhofer IRB Verlag. ISBN   3-8167-6446-0.
  19. 1 2 Hilty, Lorenz M.; Aebischer, Bernard (2015). Hilty, Lorenz M.; Aebischer, Bernard (eds.). "ICT for Sustainability: An Emerging Research Field". ICT Innovations for Sustainability. Cham: Springer International Publishing: 3–36. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09228-7_1. ISBN   978-3-319-09228-7.
  20. ↑ Environmental Informatics: Aspects in Society, Economy and Development – A Study. New Delhi Publishers. 2020. pp. 73–83. ISBN   978-93-8887990-3.
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