Environmental informatics

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. 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."[2] Kostas Karatzas defined environmental informatics as the "creation of a new 'knowledge-paradigm' towards serving environmental management needs."[3] 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.[4]

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.

Conferences

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  • EnviroInfo 2013, 2012
  • Environmental Information Management 2011, 2008
  • International Conference on Adaptive and Natural Computing Algorithms ICANNGA
  • International Conference on ICT for Sustainability (ICT4S) 2014, 2013
  • International Conference on Information Technologies in Environmental Engineering 2013
  • International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software (iEMSs) 2014, 2012, 2010
  • International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM) 2013
  • International Symposium on Environmental Software Systems (ISESS) 2013, 2011

Journals

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Institutions

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Collaborations

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  • DataONE: Data Observation Network for Earth
  • Data Conservancy: Leading the movement to build data management tools and services across institutions and disciplines

References

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  1. ^ 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. ^ "NERC - Science topics within NERC's remit". www.nerc.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-12-22.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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