Research lines

SYSTEMS MODELING

Focused on techniques for analysis, representation, and simulation of the spatiotemporal evolution of environmental systems.

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

Involves the application of environmental analysis and modeling techniques for assessing scenarios of land use planning/intervention and environmental planning.

ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

Aimed at mapping and analyzing environmental data, particularly through the use of remote sensing.

These research lines and the projects they encompass are not isolated; they are closely interconnected. A first step in modeling involves diagnosing the environmental situation through mapping and analyzing spatiotemporal data, which relates to the analysis of environmental resources. The modeling itself focuses on techniques for constructing models, such as developing spatiotemporal representation algorithms (e.g., Dinamica-EGO software). Finally, prospective scenario modeling, combined with monitoring activities, is now a fundamental tool for land management—specifically landscape management—because any environmental planning/intervention that does not consider the time factor is doomed to failure.

These research lines encompass studies across various fields, as environmental modeling requires a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach. From a modern perspective, humans are considered co-evolutionary agents of environmental systems. Thus, demographic and economic studies inform analyses and modeling of environmental systems and are also influenced by the arrangement of landscape elements, necessitating an understanding of the impact of biophysical aspects of a territory on socioeconomic processes. Regarding the landscape management line, studies in sustainable tourism, environmental sanitation, and urban and regional planning are included.

For the analysis of environmental resources, Remote Sensing is employed as the primary source of data about the Earth, along with Geographic Information Systems for integrating data from various sources and developing spatial analyses and models representing environmental systems. Furthermore, in the context of the systems modeling line, projects for developing simulation systems and image processing provide the necessary tools for implementing these models, such as in the case of climate models and landscape dynamics.

Therefore, the instrumental set of Geoprocessing, which is widely mastered by the faculty of the program, is viewed as the integrating platform for multidisciplinary territorial studies and a means of abstraction for environmental modeling.

Special emphasis is placed on the applications of Remote Sensing, Geoprocessing, Spatial Analysis, and Computational Simulation Models in studies of Landscape Management, Urban Analysis, Environmental Economics, Land Use Planning, Landscape Ecology, Climate-Biosphere Interaction, and Water Resources.