Top
Skip to Content
LOGO(small) - Queen's University Belfast
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our linkedin
LOGO(large) - Queen's University Belfast

Centre for Intelligent Sustainable Computing

  • Home
  • Research
  • Our People
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Director
  • News
  • Events
  • Collaborate
  • Study
  • Home
  • Research
  • Our People
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Director
  • News
  • Events
  • Collaborate
  • Study
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our linkedin
In This Section

  • Home
  • Centre for Intelligent Sustainable Computing
  • Events

Events

E&S Seminar - AI & Natural Environment

Back to events

Prof Gordon Blair, Director of Digital Strategy at the Centre of Hydrology and Ecology, UK, is visiting QUB/EEECs on Wednesday 5th February; He will give a seminar on AI, Data Science, and Digital Technology & the Natural Environment.

Date(s)
February 5, 2025
Location
TBC
Time
14:00 - 15:00
Price
Free

A Tale of Two Cities: Reflections on AI, Digital Technology and the Natural Environment

Contemporary digital technologies can make a profound impact on our understanding of the natural environment in moving toward sustainable futures. Examples of such technologies included sources of new data (e.g., an environmental Internet of Things), the ability to storage and process the large datasets that will result from this (e.g., through cloud computing), and the potential of data science and AI to make sense of these data alongside human experts. However, these same trends pose a threat to sustainable futures through, for example, the carbon footprint of digital technology and the risks of this escalating through the very trends mentioned above. This talk will explore this ‘tale of two cities’, reflecting on my experiences of my work at UKCEH where I explore the role of digital innovation in supporting contemporary environmental science, whilst also being aware of the potential negative impact of such technologies on the very environment we are seeking to understand and steer towards more sustainable futures. The talk will conclude with thoughts on how these two perspectives can be reconciled.

Biography

Prof. Gordon Blair is Head of Environmental Digital Strategy at UKCEH. He is also a Distinguished Professor of Distributed Systems at Lancaster University, where he now works part-time. He is Co-Director of the Centre of Excellence in Environmental Data Science (CEEDS), a joint initiative between UKCEH and Lancaster University and before joining UKCEH, held a prestigious EPSRC Senior Fellowship in Digital Technology and Living with Environmental Change (DT/LWEC). His current research interests focus on the role of digital technology in supporting environmental science. This encompasses new forms of environmental monitoring and data acquisition, including the role of Internet of Things technology; new forms of computational infrastructure to support the storage and processing of such data, specifically using cloud computing; and, new forms of analysing and making sense of this data using data science and AI. He is particularly interested in the future of Digital Research Infrastructure and how such infrastructure can support a new kind of science that is more open, collaborative, and integrative. 

Event type
Lecture / Talk / Discussion
Department
Audience
All
Venue Information
Yes
Add to calendar
Event Organiser Details
Name Dr Maria Angelo Ferrario
Email m.ferrario@qub.ac.uk
Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Weibo
  • Email
Home
  • Home
  • Research
  • Our People
  • About Us
  • News
  • Events
  • Collaborate
  • Study
QUB Logo
Contact Us

Centre for Intelligent Sustainable Computing (CISC)
Computer Science Building
16A Malone Road
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT9 5BN


Email: cisc-eeecs@qub.ac.uk
Web: www.qub.ac.uk/cisc/

Quick Links

  • Home
  • People
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

 

© Queen's University Belfast 2024
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures
Information
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures

© Queen's University Belfast 2024

Manage cookies