You are warmly welcome to the next DigiWorld PRA Seminar, which will take place following May's first weekend. Let’s meet on 6 May 2021 at 2 p.m. (GMT+1) on MS Teams.

The programme includes a meeting with researchers and presentation of pre-labs. Human-Environmental Systems and Geospatial pre-LAB (HES-GEO LAB) and HARDWARE ACCELERATION LABORATORY (HAL).

Pre-LAB: Human-Environmental Systems and Geospatial LAB (HES-GEO LAB)

Speakers:

D. Kaim, A. Bernatek-Jakiel, K. Gorczyca, J. Kozak, M. Kubal-Czerwińska, Ł. Musielok, A. Nowak-Olejnik, A. Wypych, E. Ziółkowska (Human-Environmental Systems and GeospatialpreLAB, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Biology).

Title of the talk: Significance of modern technologies and digital spatial data in research of human-environment interfaces

(delivered in Polish)

Abstract: Modern-day research of human-environmental systems increasingly use large data sets harvested continuously by means of different technologies. For instance, the natural data related to the condition of the Earth's surface, atmosphere and hydrosphere are obtained at different frequencies, both temporal and spatial, by different systems of Earth observation, may be sourced from open repositories. Similarly accessible are data on socio-economic systems collected by diverse government agendas, local governments or public benefit organisations. More often now researchers may tap into the data obtained through social platforms, which constitute – albeit with limitations related to data-protection regulation – a priceless treasury of information on human behaviour and activities. Sciences dealing with synthetic takes on the complex relations humans – environment must therefore reach for ever more advanced tools, enabling them to process large data pools. For instance, in Earth and environment sciences, in socio-economic geography and in spatial economy, the rapid spike in data supply resulted in the development of tools for data management and analysis, spatial data visualisation in geographic information systems (GIS). In the recent years those systems have seen evolution towards elaborate cybernetic infrastructures enabling the users to develop their own processing and modelling algorithms, offering them a close-to-real-time access to the ever growing spatial data pools. The use of large volumes of spatial data and high-end tools for processing them makes it possible to carry out the research significant in light of such modern environmental and social challenges as the climate catastrophe, soil degradation, biodiversity decline, uncontrolled urban sprawl, growing inequalities or food security. The presentation will address selected research problems currently investigated by the preLAB’s team and will hopefully envisage fields of collaboration with specialists representing other disciplines in the DigiWorld PRA.

Pre-LAB: HARDWARE ACCELERATION LAB

Speaker:

dr hab. Piotr Korcyl

Title of the talk: Hardware Acceleration Laboratory

(delivered in Polish)

Abstract: Hardware Acceleration Laboratory has been designed as a bridge between the broadly-defined computational sciences and computer science, technical informatics and electronics that are behind the inception of ever new computational platforms. The latter’s multitude –  CPU, GPU, FPGA, ARM, TPU, neuromorphic – as well as all possible combinations of those, and the fast pace of developing algorithms, including those rooted in machine learning and artificial neural networks normally goes beyond the competence of the users: biologists, chemists or physicists. The new platform of the HAL laboratory is designed as the missing interdisciplinary space in which to expand skills related to computational technologies and to exchange experience. In the presentation, I will discuss the assumptions that guided us in co-organising the lab, and the goals we have set ourselves, to be illustrated with the current research.