Planning Grant: I/UCRC for Creating a New Research Site of the I/UCR Center for Visual and Decision Informatics

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is proposing to join the I/UCRC for Visual and Decision Informatics as a new research site, bringing together expertise in coastal hazards and data management with visual and data analytics and decision science. A planning grant workshop involving potential industry partners, academic researchers from the existing Center and UNC, NSF, and evaluators will be organized to develop the research and operation plan that defines member activities, describes member benefits and responsibilities, identifies specific industry needs, and designs initial research projects. A large gap exists between rapidly advancing capabilities for predicting coastal hazards and the products made available to decision makers for interpreting the predictions and taking action. Whether used for risk assessment, protection system design, or event forecasting, advanced coastal hazard prediction models are complex, computation intensive, and data intensive. Thus far, both model and product developments have mostly been driven by modeler needs as opposed to end-user needs. As a result, advances in predictive modeling have been slow to translate into products that can help save lives, protect property and enhance coastal sustainability and resiliency. New analytical methods, techniques, and models are needed for both mining the data as well as curating the data for future and as yet unforeseen uses. By joining the existing CVDI I/UCRC, critical research and applications between visual and data informatics and coastal hazards and risk will be posed and addressed. Academic and industry researchers will come together to tackle problems that may only be tractable with a broad and multidisciplinary perspective motivated by industry needs and requires academic expertise, technology, and resources. It is expected that the projects will result in significant leaps forward in understanding and improving risk assessment and management of coastal resources, assets, and people in risk-prone coastal areas, and will motivate business opportunities with startup and spin-off potential.

The new understanding, techniques, models, and data strategies that emerge from individual Center projects will help in improving the risk management of coastal resources. Since non-governmental insurers back much of the protection of coastal assets and investors, helping relevant industry sectors find new ways to better understand, manage, and diversify their risks is essential for long-term sustainability and maintenance of coastal resources. These resources will experience increasing pressures in the future, due to demographic, environmental, economic, and natural changes. A well-trained and knowledgeable workforce is thus essential to meet the employment demand for research and applications in the insurance, science services, and related industries. Post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students, including women and underrepresented minorities, will participate in Center activities to give them a full perspective on societally relevant research and provide a conduit for skilled people who can enter the commercial workforce with immediate benefit to industry and society.