Download or read book Value of Information in the Earth Sciences written by Jo Eidsvik and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Value of Information in the Earth Sciences written by Jo Eidsvik and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gathering the right kind and the right amount of information is crucial for any decision-making process. This book presents a unified framework for assessing the value of potential data gathering schemes by integrating spatial modelling and decision analysis, with a focus on the Earth sciences. The authors discuss the value of imperfect versus perfect information, and the value of total versus partial information, where only subsets of the data are acquired. Concepts are illustrated using a suite of quantitative tools from decision analysis, such as decision trees and influence diagrams, as well as models for continuous and discrete dependent spatial variables, including Bayesian networks, Markov random fields, Gaussian processes, and multiple-point geostatistics. Unique in scope, this book is of interest to students, researchers and industry professionals in the Earth and environmental sciences, who use applied statistics and decision analysis techniques, and particularly to those working in petroleum, mining, and environmental geoscience.

Download or read book A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020 2030 written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Earth system functions and connects in unexpected ways - from the microscopic interactions of bacteria and rocks to the macro-scale processes that build and erode mountains and regulate Earth's climate. Efforts to study Earth's intertwined processes are made even more pertinent and urgent by the need to understand how the Earth can continue to sustain both civilization and the planet's biodiversity. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time provides recommendations to help the National Science Foundation plan and support the next decade of Earth science research, focusing on research priorities, infrastructure and facilities, and partnerships. This report presents a compelling and vibrant vision of the future of Earth science research.

Download or read book Geoscience Data and Collections written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-09-23 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geoscience data and collections (such as, rock and sediment cores, geophysical data, engineering records, and fossils) are necessary for industries to discover and develop domestic natural resources to fulfill the nation's energy and mineral requirements and to improve the prediction of immediate and long term hazards, such as land slides, volcanic eruptions and global climate change. While the nation has assembled a wealth of geoscience data and collections, their utility remains incompletely tapped. Many could act as invaluable resources in the future but immediate action is needed if they are to remain available. Housing of and access to geoscience data and collections have become critical issues for industry, federal and state agencies, museums, and universities. Many resources are in imminent danger of being lost through mismanagement, neglect, or disposal. A striking 46 percent of the state geological surveys polled by the committee reported that there is no space available or they have refused to accept new material. In order to address these challenges, Geoscience Data and Collections offers a comprehensive strategy for managing geoscience data and collections in the United States.

Download or read book Modeling Uncertainty in the Earth Sciences written by Jef Caers and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-05-25 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modeling Uncertainty in the Earth Sciences highlights the various issues, techniques and practical modeling tools available for modeling the uncertainty of complex Earth systems and the impact that it has on practical situations. The aim of the book is to provide an introductory overview which covers a broad range of tried-and-tested tools. Descriptions of concepts, philosophies, challenges, methodologies and workflows give the reader an understanding of the best way to make decisions under uncertainty for Earth Science problems. The book covers key issues such as: Spatial and time aspect; large complexity and dimensionality; computation power; costs of 'engineering' the Earth; uncertainty in the modeling and decision process. Focusing on reliable and practical methods this book provides an invaluable primer for the complex area of decision making with uncertainty in the Earth Sciences.

Download or read book New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-04-26 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2001 National Research Council (NRC) report Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science (BROES) described how basic research in the Earth sciences serves five national imperatives: (1) discovery, use, and conservation of natural resources; (2) characterization and mitigation of natural hazards; (3) geotechnical support of commercial and infrastructure development; (4) stewardship of the environment; and (5) terrestrial surveillance for global security and national defense. This perspective is even more pressing today, and will persist into the future, with ever-growing emphasis. Today's world-with headlines dominated by issues involving fossil fuel and water resources, earthquake and tsunami disasters claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, profound environmental changes associated with the evolving climate system, and nuclear weapons proliferation and testing-has many urgent societal issues that need to be informed by sound understanding of the Earth sciences. A national strategy to sustain basic research and training of expertise across the full spectrum of the Earth sciences is motivated by these national imperatives. New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences identifies new and emerging research opportunities in the Earth sciences over the next decade, including surface and deep Earth processes and interdisciplinary research with fields such as ocean and atmospheric sciences, biology, engineering, computer science, and social and behavioral sciences. The report also identifies key instrumentation and facilities needed to support these new and emerging research opportunities. The report describes opportunities for increased cooperation in these new and emerging areas between EAR and other government agency programs, industry, and international programs, and suggests new ways that EAR can help train the next generation of Earth scientists, support young investigators, and increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the field.

Download or read book Transferring Earth Science Information to Decisionmakers written by Thomas F. Bates and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-02-01 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science identifies areas of high-priority research within the purview of the Earth Science Division of the National Science Foundation, assesses cross-disciplinary connections, and discusses the linkages between basic research and societal needs. Opportunities in Earth science have been opened up by major improvements in techniques for reading the geological record of terrestrial change, capabilities for observing active processes in the present-day Earth, and computational technologies for realistic simulations of dynamic geosystems. This book examines six specific areas in which the opportunities for basic research are especially compelling, including integrative studies of the near-surface environment (the "Critical Zone"); geobiology; Earth and planetary materials; investigations of the continents; studies of Earth's deep interior; and planetary science. It concludes with a discussion of mechanisms for exploiting these research opportunities, including EarthScope, natural laboratories, and partnerships.

Download or read book The Cambridge Handbook of Earth Science Data written by Paul Henderson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-11 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook presents an indispensable compilation of fundamental facts and figures about the Earth. It brings together reliable physical, chemical, biological and historical data in a series of 145 easy to read tables, supplemented by maps, charts and color plates. Eleven sections cover topics spanning the Earth's geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, with one section focusing on other bodies in the Solar System. Full references for the original data sources are provided to enable users to access further detail, and the appendix provides practical information on units and conversion factors. Compact and easy to use, this handy book provides a time-saving first point of reference for researchers, students and practitioners in the Earth and Environmental Sciences. It allows scientists easy access to basic information on topics outside their specialization, and is also a convenient resource for non-scientists such as economists, policy makers and journalists.

Download or read book Statistics of Earth Science Data written by Graham J. Borradaile and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the reviews: "All in all, Graham Borradaile has written and interesting and idiosyncratic book on statistics for geoscientists that will be welcome among students, researchers, and practitioners dealing with orientation data. That should include engineering geologists who work with things like rock fracture orientation measurements or clast alignment in paleoseismic trenches. It won’t replace the collection of statistics and geostatistics texts in my library, but it will have a place among them and will likely be one of several references to which I turn when working with orientation data.... The text is easy to follow and illustrations are generally clear and easy to read..."(William C. Haneberg, Haneberg Geoscience)

Download or read book Decision Science for Future Earth written by Tetsukazu Yahara and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-01-29 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book provides a theoretical framework and case studies on decision science for regional sustainability by integrating the natural and social sciences. The cases discussed include solution-oriented transdisciplinary studies on the environment, disasters, health, governance and human cooperation. Based on these case studies and comprehensive reviews of relevant works, including lessons learned from past failures for predictable surprises and successes in adaptive co-management, the book provides the reader with new perspectives on how we can co-design collaborative projects with various conflicts of interest and how we can transform our society for a sustainable future. The book makes a valuable contribution to the global research initiative Future Earth, promoting transdisciplinary studies to bridge the gap between science and society in knowledge generation processes and supporting efforts to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Compared to other publications on transdisciplinary studies, this book is unique in that evolutionary biology is used as an integrator for various areas related to human decision-making, and approaches social changes as processes of adaptive learning and evolution. Given its scope, the book is highly recommended to all readers seeking an integrated overview of human decision-making in the context of social transformation.

Download or read book Use and Abuse of Statistical Methods in the Earth Sciences written by William B. Size and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1987 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major goal of earth scientists is to make geological interpretations based on statistical inferences, but accomplishing this is difficult due to the "abuse" of statistical methods. This book, the first in the International Association for Mathematical Geology Series, addresses the underlying assumptions of randomness, normality, and variance of sample data used with statistical methods. The authors uncover the reasons for unreliable or invalid statistical results and discuss the use of statistical measures of association, correlation, and regressions with relatively uncontrolled and variable natural data. Their analyses help to bridge the gap between geostatisticians and earth science researchers, and will be valuable to a wide range of earth scientists.

Download or read book Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists written by John H. Schuenemeyer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-04-12 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive treatment of statistical applications for solving real-world environmental problems A host of complex problems face today's earth science community, such as evaluating the supply of remaining non-renewable energy resources, assessing the impact of people on the environment, understanding climate change, and managing the use of water. Proper collection and analysis of data using statistical techniques contributes significantly toward the solution of these problems. Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists presents important statistical concepts through data analytic tools and shows readers how to apply them to real-world problems. The authors present several different statistical approaches to the environmental sciences, including Bayesian and nonparametric methodologies. The book begins with an introduction to types of data, evaluation of data, modeling and estimation, random variation, and sampling—all of which are explored through case studies that use real data from earth science applications. Subsequent chapters focus on principles of modeling and the key methods and techniques for analyzing scientific data, including: Interval estimation and Methods for analyzinghypothesis testing of means time series data Spatial statistics Multivariate analysis Discrete distributions Experimental design Most statistical models are introduced by concept and application, given as equations, and then accompanied by heuristic justification rather than a formal proof. Data analysis, model building, and statistical inference are stressed throughout, and readers are encouraged to collect their own data to incorporate into the exercises at the end of each chapter. Most data sets, graphs, and analyses are computed using R, but can be worked with using any statistical computing software. A related website features additional data sets, answers to selected exercises, and R code for the book's examples. Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists is an excellent book for courses on quantitative methods in geology, geography, natural resources, and environmental sciences at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable reference for earth scientists, geologists, hydrologists, and environmental statisticians who collect and analyze data in their everyday work.

Download or read book On the Value of Information for Spatial Problems in the Earth Sciences written by Whitney Jane Trainor and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two value of information (VOI) methodologies for spatial Earth problems are proposed. VOI is a tool to determine whether purchasing a new information source would improve a decision-maker's chances of taking the optimal action. These actions represent alternatives to spatial decisions regarding the sustainability of aquifers or enhanced recovery of oil or minerals. These decisions are difficult due to uncertainty in the Earth properties and the predictions made from Earth models. The risk of making poor decisions due to this uncertainty may justify the collection of more information. Both the prior geologic uncertainty and the information reliability must be quantified before the data are collected to estimate the VOI, making it challenging to obtain. A flexible prior geologic uncertainty modeling scheme is presented that allows for the inclusion of many types of spatial parameters and used for both VOI methodologies. In the first methodology, we describe how to obtain a physics-based reliability measure by simulating the geophysical measurement on the generated prior models and interpreting the simulated data. Repeating this simulation and interpretation for all datasets, a table can be obtained that describes how many times a correct or false interpretation was made by comparing them to their respective original model. This table is the reliability measure, which is required for the VOI calculation. An example VOI calculation is demonstrated for a spatial decision related to aquifer recharge where two geophysical techniques are considered for their ability to resolve channel orientations. As necessitated by spatial problems, this methodology preserves the structure, influence and dependence of spatial variables through the prior geological modeling and the explicit geophysical simulations and interpretations. The focus of the second methodology is to 1) represent the uncertainty of a dynamic response of the unknown subsurface, 2) provide a quantitative data reliability and 3) use both of these to propose a VOI workflow for spatial decisions and data. The dynamic response of the subsurface is the result of some stress or perturbation (which is either important for or representing the decision action) and the geologic spatial heterogeneity. Prior models are used to capture the prior uncertainty of the dynamic response. Geostatistical simulation and a dynamic simulation function are both used to actualize the data reliability. The geostatistical simulation requires a likelihood function. Likelihood functions describe a particular data attribute's discrimination ability of the key geologic indicators (deemed to influence the decision outcome). The geostatistical simulation creates Earth models conditioned to the synthetic geophysical data, thereby representing possible interpretations that could be made if the information was purchased. Using these prior and conditioned models' dynamic responses, a VOI workflow is proposed for dynamic spatial problems. Specifically, two VOI calculations were determined using two different likelihoods. This thesis contributes VOI methodologies that incorporate the spatial element into Earth science decisions. Previous VOI studies ignored the spatial dimension. Spatial modeling is included in the prior model uncertainty and in both proposed information reliability methodologies. In the first method, the spatial aspect is included by simulating the interpretation of a geophysical image. The second method proposes geostatistical simulation to represent the variability in the geophysical message and how geophysics could resolve the static properties which influence a dynamic response. These methods for obtaining spatial data reliability and consequently a VOI estimate will become increasingly important with changing uncertainties and risks regarding decisions related to the management of our natural resources.

Download or read book Computational Intelligence Techniques in Earth and Environmental Sciences written by Tanvir Islam and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-02-14 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Computational intelligence techniques have enjoyed growing interest in recent decades among the earth and environmental science research communities for their powerful ability to solve and understand various complex problems and develop novel approaches toward a sustainable earth. This book compiles a collection of recent developments and rigorous applications of computational intelligence in these disciplines. Techniques covered include artificial neural networks, support vector machines, fuzzy logic, decision-making algorithms, supervised and unsupervised classification algorithms, probabilistic computing, hybrid methods and morphic computing. Further topics given treatment in this volume include remote sensing, meteorology, atmospheric and oceanic modeling, climate change, environmental engineering and management, catastrophic natural hazards, air and environmental pollution and water quality. By linking computational intelligence techniques with earth and environmental science oriented problems, this book promotes synergistic activities among scientists and technicians working in areas such as data mining and machine learning. We believe that a diverse group of academics, scientists, environmentalists, meteorologists and computing experts with a common interest in computational intelligence techniques within the earth and environmental sciences will find this book to be of great value.

Download or read book Spatial Modeling in GIS and R for Earth and Environmental Sciences written by Hamid Reza Pourghasemi and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2019-01-18 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spatial Modeling in GIS and R for Earth and Environmental Sciences offers an integrated approach to spatial modelling using both GIS and R. Given the importance of Geographical Information Systems and geostatistics across a variety of applications in Earth and Environmental Science, a clear link between GIS and open source software is essential for the study of spatial objects or phenomena that occur in the real world and facilitate problem-solving. Organized into clear sections on applications and using case studies, the book helps researchers to more quickly understand GIS data and formulate more complex conclusions. The book is the first reference to provide methods and applications for combining the use of R and GIS in modeling spatial processes. It is an essential tool for students and researchers in earth and environmental science, especially those looking to better utilize GIS and spatial modeling. - Offers a clear, interdisciplinary guide to serve researchers in a variety of fields, including hazards, land surveying, remote sensing, cartography, geophysics, geology, natural resources, environment and geography - Provides an overview, methods and case studies for each application - Expresses concepts and methods at an appropriate level for both students and new users to learn by example

Download or read book Earth Science and Applications from Space written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-10-01 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural and human-induced changes in Earth's interior, land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans affect all aspects of life. Understanding these changes requires a range of observations acquired from land-, sea-, air-, and space-based platforms. To assist NASA, NOAA, and USGS in developing these tools, the NRC was asked to carry out a "decadal strategy" survey of Earth science and applications from space that would develop the key scientific questions on which to focus Earth and environmental observations in the period 2005-2015 and beyond, and present a prioritized list of space programs, missions, and supporting activities to address these questions. This report presents a vision for the Earth science program; an analysis of the existing Earth Observing System and recommendations to help restore its capabilities; an assessment of and recommendations for new observations and missions for the next decade; an examination of and recommendations for effective application of those observations; and an analysis of how best to sustain that observation and applications system.