Geospatial analysis and modelling of riverine systems: realising the potential for satellite supplied data assimilation

This project aims to analyse the potential and practicalities of creating a Digital Twin of a riverine environment for use by water managers and engineers. The high rate of spatial and temporal change in rivers make them difficult to monitor in-situ especially over an extended period of time. As a result, satellite remote sensing has been identified as a key tool to improve system management. Many riverine characteristics have been measured from space but for the most part, these are limited to proof-of-concept studies and a lack of research into conversion into actionable and applicable products.
Thus, there is currently a research niche to be found in producing a Digital Twin virtual environment powered by Earth Observation to solve real world engineering management problems. First this would involve examining which river characteristics are most important for different types of river manager or engineer. These will be organised into those that can currently be measured through earth observation, those that theoretically can be measured but currently lack algorithms or methodology to be implemented and those that would require in-situ sensors or higher resolution imagery. The former category will be developed into a novel dashboard, analogous to a low-level Digital Twin, which will collate these existing methods and provide a state of the art for managers to rely on for decision making. Cloud computing software, such as Google Earth Engine, will be relied upon to provide the framework to compose the big data required for this assimilation and the processing power to make it feasible to use.
Using this dashboard as a foundation there are three workflows to be undertaken. Firstly, similar systems and APIs are very difficult for a non-expert to use and when compared, to the vast visualisation leaps taken by computer games, these can be viewed as clunky and unappealing. Google has created some conceptual flood maps which use gaming engines to give a real idea of what predicted flood water would look like in a 3D valley and this work package will aim to incorporate some of these improvements into the dashboard.
Secondly, it is proposed that a set of studies will be undertaken to compare different resolutions of satellite data, aerial and drone based remote sensing in the areas already identified. Direct use cases will be assessed, in order to outline an understanding of what the business cases are for companies to pay for proprietary satellite data or field programmes to enhance their Digital Twins. This would also include an appreciation of the required twinning rate (how often the virtual environment would need to be updated) during the example scenarios in order to better understand the system.
Finally, a work package will be put together to investigate the possible ways in which characteristics, not currently measurable through satellite remote sensing, can be measured through aerial remote sensing or sensor systems. It is expected that some of the key variables for managers will not be available and therefore the use of a Digital Twin will be reliant on alternative methods fitting seamlessly into the model. Therefore, some of these methods will be tested in field programmes with sensors or smaller scale remote sensing methods assessing their possible contribution and interactions. The final product will be a comprehensive understanding of the ability for satellite Earth Observation to live up to its potential to revolutionise river management and engineering. This will be facilitated through the construction and improvements made to a Digital Twin collating all these available data and algorithms. Along with work packages assessing the possible improvements and viability of different aspects of this virtual environment including its ability to visually communicate, the need for higher quality data in specific cases and the ability to add external datasets to compensate where satellite data cannot carry out the task

We have identified the potential impact of the CDT in consultation with 44 partner organisations, ensuring we are meeting the needs of potential beneficiaries. The impacts that we will develop robust pathways to achieve include:

Economic:
Our graduates will be a key pool of knowledge and skills to deliver the annual £11bn of economic benefit to the UK from 'opening-up' geospatial data. Their advanced skills in a rapidly changing technological field will help the UK geospatial industry realise the predicted global annual growth of 13.8% and transform the use of geospatial data and technology in smart cities, urban-infrastructure resilience, energy systems and structural monitoring.
Through continuous two-way engagement with our partners we will shape and deliver industry relevant PhD projects that apply students' unique training. Ongoing knowledge exchange with industry will be facilitated through regular interaction with the centre, the Industrial Advisory Board and partner participation at the Innovation Festival, CDT Assembly and Challenge Week events. We will work with the recently announced £80m Geospatial Commission to ensure the translation of new methods, techniques and technology to the broadest possible user base; using our partnerships with professional bodies to recognise the opportunities and challenges to realising the economic benefits of geospatial data.
SME and start-ups are will be major drivers of global geospatial industry growth. Innovation and entrepreneurial training will position our graduates to act as a catalyst of the growth needed in the UK to remain internationally competitive. Working with Satellite and Digital Catapults, and the £30million National Innovation Centre for Data, we will foster a 'full-circle' engagement with SME's and start-ups; to ensure our graduates understand the drivers for innovation, facilitate co-production and ensure the timely adoption of academic driven advances for economic growth.

Societal:
We have recognised the significant role geospatial data will play in providing the evidence for improved planning and response to significant global societal problems. The interdisciplinary PhD research conducted within the CDT will provide new insight and understanding in climate impacts and adaption, sustainable cities, and healthy living and aging. Our graduates will engage with key international and national organisations (e.g., Cities Resilience Programme of the World Bank, UK National Infrastructure Commission) to ensure the widest adoption of their research.

Academic:
Our graduates will form the next generation of geospatial scientists and engineers vital for interdisciplinary research at the engineering-societal-environment nexus. Their combined skills in geospatial technology and methods, along with advanced mathematical, statistical and computing skills, will provide the UK with a unique resource pool of academic leaders. The research produced by the centre, sustained and embedded by the skilled workforce it creates, will help address the Grand Challenges of the UK Industrial Strategy; AI and the Data Driven Economy, Future Mobility and an Aging Society.

To maximize academic outreach we will provide a Geospatial Systems Resource Portal that will allow researchers to access the new techniques and methods developed. Software and related methods will be open source, and tutorials and training guides will be developed as a matter of routine. We will organise CPD courses based on our unique integrated training in Geospatial Systems, open to cohorts from other CDTs within the digital economy space. We will foster cross-UKRI translation and learning by working with related CDTs; the ESRC CDT in Data Analytics and Society and NERC CDT in Data, Risks and Environmental Analytical Methods. Via our 9 international research partners our unique training approach and strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research will become internationally impactful.