Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/M009009/1
Centre for Doctoral Training for Data, Risk and Environmental Analytical Methods (DREAM)
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor SJ Pollard, Cranfield University, School of Water, Energy and Environment
- Grant held at:
- Cranfield University, School of Water, Energy and Environment
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Earth & environmental
- Climate & Climate Change
- Risk in Complex Systems
- Complexity Science
- New & Emerging Comp. Paradigms
- Technol. for Environ. Appl.
- Abstract:
- The DREAM CDT will be unique, producing Doctoral students equipped to 'seize the data opportunity' afforded by Big Data, melding excellence in risk science with cutting edge Big Data interpretation across the environmental sciences. DREAM alumni will span environmental risk scientists and informaticians, whose interdisciplinary research will encompass themes including spatial epidemiology, environmental geohazard assessment, offshore energy, climate change impacts, and geo-demographic enquiry, whose expertise will maximise the untapped potential of fundamental data capture, assimilation and management, operation of multi-sensor instrumented environments, real time data trapping, advanced analytics, and risk and uncertainty science. A key impact of DREAM will be delivery of industrially-relevant, doctoral training, leading to the emergence of a forward-looking cadre of leaders for the growing and dynamic risk and Big Data sector. DREAM students will be at the frontier of innovation, competition and productivity, well-positioned to enhance the transparency and accountability of Big Data, fuelling economic growth, able to communicate with non-specialists and decision makers. The CDT directly addresses the skills-shortage in the data analytics market, harnessing the volume, variety and velocity that Big Data presents to businesses, requiring new information, innovation and strategy approaches. Big Data represents a high impact sector; the information economy sector contributing #58bn GVA (2011). The UK leads the world in the collection, manipulation and interpretation of Big Data, but requires investment and a skilled workforce to address the challenges of a complex and interconnected society and environment; natural and engineered. Today's highly interconnected global networks have produced highly interdependent complex systems, and risks that are poorly understood and difficult to interpret or predict. Complex environmental and human systems are vulnerable to failure (e.g. flood, earthquake, disease) at all scales, posing serious threats to the fabric and conduct of society, even when such external shocks are absent. As the complexity and interaction strengths in our networked world increase, understanding how systems can become unstable and create unpredictable situations, even when decision-makers are well-skilled, and have data and technology at their disposal becomes the challenge. Big Data alone does not result in better decision making capability as, to understand the risks embedded within such systems, different techniques in extracting knowledge are required, together with a paradigm shift in thinking - a central tenet of DREAM. The impact of DREAM will be the delivery of Doctoral students, equipped to work across a range of core environmental thematic areas, who are well-versed in the technological and analytical methods and approaches of defining, constructing, manipulating, interpreting and communicating dynamic Big Data, yet whose skills are couched in the context of applying these to resilience, risk assessment and mitigation supporting risk-based decision making. Such traits will help bridge the skills gap recognised by UK Government, providing a new generation of industry and policy leaders able to draw effectively on Big Data. The DREAM CDT will be delivered by four leading UK academic centres of research excellence in Big Data and Risk and Mitigation; coordinated by Cranfield University, together with Cambridge, Newcastle and Birmingham Universities. Key to DREAM is the extensive partnerships with Big Data and policy and risk sector institutions, including: EU-JRC, ESRI-UK, BGS; CEFAS; CEH; Defra; OS; EA; Atkins; Herbert Smith Freehill Lawyers; Marine Scotland; LAs; MMO; SNH; James Hutton Institute; and Landmark Information Group, to develop stakeholder-driven, challenging research, allowing talented researchers to develop skills to support insightful, high impact, industrially-relevant Doctorates.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/M009009/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- CDT
This training grant award has a total value of £2,877,017
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs | Total - Fees | Total - Student Stipend | Total - RTSG |
|---|---|---|---|
| £191,172 | £524,419 | £1,831,426 | £330,000 |
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