Island Avatars: Simulating Social-Ecological Systems

Presented by ETH Zurich in partnership with UC Berkeley (BIDS, ESPM, GUMP)

Enlarged view: Island Avatar
Photo: Moorea IDEA

This event will present how ETH Zurich and University of California Berkeley are working together to build the first full-scale simulation of a complex social-ecological system. The external page Island Digital Ecosystem Avatar (IDEA) is an open science initiative to build use-oriented simulations (avatars) of entire systems starting with the island of Moorea, French Polynesia. The Moorea IDEA is a sustainability simulator modeling links and feedbacks between climate, environment, biodiversity, and human activities across a coupled marine-terrestrial landscape. The resulting knowledge and tools will help predict human and natural change at scales relevant to management/conservation actions. Through exciting visualizations, the symposium will show progress to date in building this powerful new tool for scenario-based planning, education, and local population engagement.

In an era when society is seeking to transition to clean energy and sustainable economic growth, knowledge of the pathways to these futures is needed along with showcases demonstrating such change is possible. Examples are more likely to come from islands and cities than large regions and countries. Islands are disproportionately affected by global change and epitomize the coastal zones where most of humanity lives. They serve as models for continental regions and ultimately for our common island home: planet Earth.

The Consortium now includes more than eighty scientists and twenty institutions from around the world. Its efforts’ are focused on a collaborative network of islands and cities: Moorea & Tetiaroa, French Polynesia; Crete, Greece, and the cities of Singapore and New York.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016
11:00 am

UC Berkeley
190 Doe Library, Berkeley Institute for Data Science

external page Registration

Program

Speakers

Enlarged view: Neil Davies

Neil Davies, Director, external page UC Berkeley Gump Station, BIDS

Enlarged view: Matthias troyer

Matthias Troyer, Professor for Computational Physics, ETH Zurich

Enlarged view: Sally Holbrook

Sally Holbrook, Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, external page UC Santa Barbara, external page MCR-LTER

Enlarged view: George Roderick

George Roderick, William Muriece Hoskins Professor, Department Chair, UC Berkeley, external page ESPM

Enlarged view: Nicolas Gruber

Nicolas Gruber, Professor of Environmental Physics, ETH Zurich

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