Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region are pleased to announce the release of a new report, Water Management and Big Data Analytics: Examination of Opportunities and Approaches to Leverage Data Science, Analytics and Advanced Computing to support Watershed Planning and the health of our Great Lakes’ Ecosystem.
This report was made possible thanks to generous funding from the RBC Foundation, and the many ideas shared by experts at a workshop convened by Pollution Probe and the Council that explored watershed management and protection efforts on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with RBC on this innovative project”, says Christopher Hilkene, CEO of Pollution Probe. “This report showcases opportunities for an improved approach to watershed management and adaptive decision-making to help ensure that water in the Great Lakes basin is protected”.
The report examines the role of ‘Big Data’ and advanced computing to improve predictive decision-making for the Great Lakes watersheds, in relation to climate change, land use change and other socio-economic trends affecting the lakes.
“Millions of points of data are being collected every minute about our environment, our economy, and how people interact with their city and surrounding environment, from transportation to water use,” said Mark Fisher, President and CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region. “By connecting this data and analyzing it at incredibly fast speeds using smart computing technology, we can generate profound insights about what is happening in our watersheds, now and in the future, that will help governments, businesses, and civil society make better decisions regarding economic development, land use, and protecting the environment.”
This report will be of great value to policy-makers and organizations involved in management of the Great Lakes including government, industry, academia and NGOs. New and unique data visualization and decision-making tools, insights and knowledge can be derived using data science and high performance computing. These tools and insights can help policy-makers and other stakeholders better understand the complex factors that cause dynamic changes in the watersheds supporting the health of the Great Lakes, and inform adaptation and mitigation strategies in the basin. By helping improve watershed management in the Great Lakes region, the project will foster greater resiliency and sustainability across the Region.