Environmental Intelligence Conference

Date: Thursday 17 - Friday 18 December 2020

Location: Online Event

Event overview:

Understanding the complex interactions between the environment, climate, natural ecosystems, societies, economies and human health requires Environmental Intelligence: the meaningful insight needed for informed decision-making, improved risk management, and the technological innovation that will lead us towards a sustainable interaction with the natural environment.

Join us for a showcase of Environmental Intelligence, bringing together presentations from international leaders in the field with interactive sessions to discuss key priorities and challenges in this area of global importance.

Key note speakers include Sir Adrian Smith, Chief Executive of the Alan Turing Institute.

There will be an on-line poster session with opportunities for Q&A. Participants are invited to submit abstracts of posters for consideration by the organising committee.

Registration for the event is free and provides access to all sessions over two days.

Agenda:

Thursday 17 December 2020

13:30 - 13:40: Welcome

Professor Penny Endersby, Chief Executive, Met Office and Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice Chancellor, University of Exeter

13:40 -14:10: Opening address

Address by Professor Sir Adrian Smith FRS (Institute Director and Chief Executive, The Alan Turing Institute; President of the Royal Society)

14:10 -14:20: Introduction

Dr Kirstine Dale & Professor Gavin Shaddick (Co-Directors, Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence)

14:25 -14:50: Presentation

Professor Gideon Henderson (Chief Scientific Advisor, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)

14:50 -15:05: Break

15:05 -15:25: Presentation: Using AI to achieve Environmental Intelligence

Professor Nick Jennings (Vice-Provost – Research and Enterprise, Imperial College London)

15:30 -15:50: Presentation: Opening the black box of data-driven environmental science

Professor Wilco Hazeleger (Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences & Professor of Climate System Science, Utrecht University)

15:50 - 16:10: Break

16:10 - 16:30: Presentation: Viewing Climate Signals through an AI Lens

Professor Elizabeth Barnes (Associate Professor, Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University)

16:35 -17:15: Panel discussion

Introduction: Professor Stephen Belcher (Chief Scientist, Met Office)

Panel: Stephen Belcher (Chair), Wilco Hazeleger, Nick Jennings, Gideon Henderson and Elizabeth Barnes.

17:20 - 17:35: Wrap-up & close

Dr Kirstine Dale & Professor Gavin Shaddick (Co-Directors, Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence)

Friday 18 December 2020

09:00 - 09:10: Introduction

Dr Kirstine Dale & Professor Gavin Shaddick (Co-Directors, Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence)

09:10 - 09:40: Keynote presentation

Dr Vanessa Lawrence (Adjunct Professor in Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; formerly Director-General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, Great Britain's national mapping agency)

09:45 - 10:05: Presentation: Machine learning for numerical weather predictions

Dr Peter Dueben,(Coordinator of Machine Learning and AI Activities, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)

10:05 -10:25: Break

10:25 -10:45: Presentation

Dr Ben Murton (Head of Professional Development and Academic Programmes, The Alan Turing Institute)

10:50-11:30 Panel discussion

Panel: Professor Gavin Shaddick (Chair), Vanessa Lawrence, Peter Dueben and Ben Murton.

11:30 - 11:50: Break

11:50 -13:20: Poster Q&A session

Virtual rooms. Attendees will be able to move freely between rooms to join discussions.

13:20 - 13:35: Wrap-up & close

Dr Kirstine Dale & Professor Gavin Shaddick (Co-Directors, Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence)

Registration:

Please register for the event by using the ‘register’ link on this page. The deadline for registrations is Friday 11 December.

If you have any questions regarding the event please contact: research-events@exeter.ac.uk

Poster submissions:

There will be a poster session on Friday 18 December. If they wish to, participants are invited to submit a poster to display at the sessions.

All posters will be aligned to the following five themes:

1. Climate change
2. Biodiversity and conservation
3. Clean air
4. Weather and disaster resilience
5. Technology and infrastructure

Please enter brief details of your poster upon registering.

Please note you will only be contacted if your poster is confirmed for inclusion at the event.

If your poster is confirmed for inclusion, the deadline for submissions will be Monday 30 November, as the posters will be made available to participants prior to the event. You will also be invited to attend a Q&A as part of this session.

About the Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence

The Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence is a new initiative designed to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Professor Gavin Shaddick from the University of Exeter, and Dr Kirstine Dale from the Met Office, have been appointed as Co-Directors of the new centre.

The ground-breaking new centre will bring together world-leading researchers from the University and the Met Office to spearhead the development of Environmental Intelligence and promote the UK as a global trailblazer in this fast-growing new field.

Research in the Joint Centre will focus on utilising the power of data to transform our understanding of a changing environment and find solutions to the challenges that this presents. Initial areas of research will include climate change, clean air, extreme weather events and environmental challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Joint Centre will create, and support, a global community in the application of data science and artificial intelligence to a wide range of environmentally related issues and challenges. The Joint Centre is exploring collaboration with The Alan Turing Institute, the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, to ensure this work benefits from access to the wealth of expertise within The Turing Institute and its partners and is based on the very latest developments in data science and artificial intelligence.

Data Protection and Privacy

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Code of Conduct

The Met Office and University of Exeter are committed to enabling events, both in-person and virtual, at which everyone can participate in a respectful, inclusive and safe environment, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof). We invite all participants to help towards creating a safe and positive experience for everyone.

Expected behaviour

We expect all participants to behave with integrity, respect and consideration towards all participants attending or involved with the event. We encourage the diversity of views, expertise, opinions, backgrounds, and experiences reflected among all participants.

We ask all participants to avoid harassing or hostile conduct or commentary (e.g. based on gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, religion, or other protected category).

What to do if you experience or witness inappropriate behaviour

If you feel that you are being or have been harassed, or notice that someone else is being harassed, please contact the event organiser. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form and all reports of harassment will be treated seriously.