Modeling Research Line
Environmental Modeling Applied to Water Resources
In this line of research, computational models are developed and validated to represent natural processes of the hydrological cycle or those arising from anthropic interventions involving the environment and water resources.
In the understanding that in order to correctly make decisions it is essential to quantify, this line recognizes the importance of computational modeling platforms as strategic tools for the quantification of key variables for the decision-making process, both in the planning process, implementation and operation.
The development and application of models in studies related to the environment, with emphasis on hydric resources, has been increasing in recent years. This is due to the fact that computational modeling tools are important to facilitate the application of scientific knowledge, and their use can be associated with the following advantages: aid in decision-making in the implementation of hydric systems; use as a tool for planning and managing watersheds; possibility of a systemic and multidisciplinary view of the system to be modeled; and possibility of performing a series of simulations, quickly and at low cost.
The development of the modeling depends on the availability of data for the variables of interest, such as: precipitation, evapotranspiration, flow, surface runoff, soil losses and others. Therefore, this line of research in modeling aims to create and validate models to solve and/or minimize issues related to desilting, erosion control, control and monitoring of salinization, slope containment, relocation / resettlement of population, land use and occupancy for prevention of springs, erosion control and preservation of springs, restoration of drainage network and riparian vegetation, mapping of risks and opportunities that encompass the theme, as well as the development of models on the impact of water on operations and business finances.
Among the models to be studied and applied, we highlight the work that includes the improvement of the MOHID platform, developed by MARETEC, consisting of a set of specialized software for simulation of water bodies, freely available for research and development.
Besides the development and improvement of specialized solutions in the area, the goal of this line is also the realization of numerical experiments to analyze the peculiarities of the same, evaluating strengths and opportunities for improvement for different needs.
The modeled environmental scenarios and the simulations produced will be associated with holistic systems of environmental indicators, as input data necessary for the sustainability assessment of the socio-environmental systems under study, having as conceptual basis the impossibility of transfer between natural capital and manufactured capital (conditions of strong sustainability) and as assumption the imperative of prosperity for all, in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030.
The integration of this line of research in modeling with the line of research in technology will occur, whenever possible, with the validation of the results obtained in the modeling process from the use of already consolidated technologies or those that will be developed from the applied research in the line Technology for Environment Applied to Water Resources.
The disciplines, in addition to the compulsory ones, that will support this line of research in modeling are: Sustainability Indicators Applied to Environmental Management and Water Resources, Computational Intelligence, Numerical Methods, Numerical Methods in Environmental Management and Water Resources, Inverse Problems Applied to Environmental Management and Water Resources, Hydrological Simulation, Deterministic Hydrological Simulation, Decision Support Systems, Geographic Information Systems in Environmental Management and Water Resources, and Computational Techniques.