CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2013 – R&D PROJECTS - STATE PROGRAMME FOR THE PROMOTION OF EXCELLENT SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH. STATE SUB-PROGRAMME ON THE GENERATION OF KNOWLEDGE.

• REFERENCE: BIA2013 – 43462 – P
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: MARIA TERESA CAMACHO OLMEDO
• TITLE (IN SPANISH): SIMULACIONES GEOMÁTICAS PARA MODELIZAR DINÁMICAS AMBIENTALES II. Horizonte 2020.
• Acronym: SIGEOMOD_2020
• TITLE (IN ENGLISH): GEOMATIC SIMULATIONS FOR MODELLING ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS II. Horizon 2020.
• ENTITY: UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA
• CENTRE: DEPARTMENT OF REGIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY AND LETTERS.
• DURATION: 4 YEARS, 1/01/2014 – 31/12/2017
• DIRECT COST (EUROS): 72,000 EUROS
• PRE-DOCTORAL CONTRACTS: 1

Environmental dynamics, land use/land cover changes, vegetation phenology, simulation models, 2020 scenarios, Geomatics, Geographical Information Systems

The project “GEOMATIC SIMULATIONS FOR MODELLING ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS II. Horizon 2020 (SIGEOMOD_2020)” is a continuation of the project BIA2028-00681 “GEOMATIC SIMULATIONS FOR MODELLING ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS: methodological and thematic advances (SIGEOMOD)”. Geomatic simulations for environmental modelling based on models embedded in Geographical Information System (among other specific software), contribute to the understanding and prediction of its future evolution, and constitute a very valuable tool for decision support. The aim of SIGEOMOD_2020 is twofold: i) the modelling of both, land use and land cover changes (LUCC), and vegetation phenology, through the methodological comparison of a number of models applied to different study areas; and ii) the proposal of different future scenarios with the horizon 2020.

The application of LUCC simulation models to different areas in Spain, France and Mexico, will allow obtaining an outstanding database and multi-scale thematic maps. Additionally, modelling knowledge will be gathered, improving its generalisation capacity. The modelling of Iberian and European vegetation phenology will allow the mapping of its spatio-temporal variability and will contribute to a better understanding to the vegetation response to climate and anthropic drivers.

The accuracy assessment of LUCC simulation models and the integration and development of new functions for prediction improving, together with the modification of classic assessment measures, constitute the methodological aims of SIGEOMOD_2020. The applied methodologies will be able to be applied to other geographic environments. Knowledge transfer to different entities in Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, and USA, and its divulgation, is one of the expected results of this project.

The forecasting of LUCC and vegetation phenology scenarios in the Horizon 2020 will support decision agents in the regional planning and environmental management. This forecasting is a thematic and methodological challenge as it entails transition from the pure scientific research to the integration of local agents for obtaining different scenarios.