Michael "Chak-hau" Tso

Congratulations to you all! We are delighted that DAFNI has been used for modelling in Leyang Liu, Francesca Pianosi and Ana Mijic's paper for this publication: A benchmarking framework to enhance cost-efficiency in water systems resilience planning under deep uncertainty, which can be used by councils, policymakers and water companies when planning for flood mitigation measures

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Newly released! Reference data plots for the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) using a stratified random sample.  Reference plot attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984–2023) to a reference sample of 8,360 Landsat resolution (30m x 30m) pixel. Valuable data for more than just assessing accuracy of the 1985-2023 NLCD. https://lnkd.in/gpbPEiV3

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🌧️ Flood risk is changing. Verisk’s new Inland Flood Model for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland reflects today’s climate reality with: 🔹 High-resolution hazard data 🔹 Advanced vulnerability and financial modeling 🔹 Climate-aware analytics across fluvial, pluvial, and coastal risk Get the insights you need for underwriting, portfolio management, and regulatory reporting. 📈 See how the model can support your decisions: https://vrsk.co/41PlqWj #CatModeling #Insurance #Data #Risk

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JUST RELEASED! 📣🏭🌋 A project I started during my studies and continued to lead with the The University of Edinburgh team over the past few years was published by The Geological Society on Tuesday. Our novel assessment shows that UK volcanic rocks could provide secure geological storage for significant volumes of unavoidable industrial CO2 - adding to the UK's toolkit of decarbonisation solutions. A huge thanks to Prof. Stuart Gilfillan and Chris Holdsworth for getting this over the line. Plus also Emma Martin-Roberts and Ian Watt for their expert contributions. Really proud of what we’ve pulled together! Read our open access article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRFvXtJB We hope this work will provide a foundation for further studies. A PhD position is open at the School of GeoSciences to keep the work going 👉 https://lnkd.in/eN3SWUdw

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Why is a National Geological Repository important from a science and economic perspective? Read on to find out more from my colleagues Emma Bee and Dan Condon at the British Geological Survey

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💧 New datasets enabled by #FDRI to support hydrological modelling  💧  Amazing job from Matthew Fry, Gemma Coxon, Felipe Fileni, Alison (Ali) Rudd and Helen Harfoot, bringing these to life with a host of collaborators. Find out more about FDRI's role in flood and drought resilience here: https://lnkd.in/e2B3NQJE

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#NewResearch in GSA Books: Yu-Huan Hsieh et al. have published a paper on “Architecture and deep laccolithic inflation of the short-lived (~15 m.y.) Luzon arc near Taiwan.” They integrate marine seismic imaging and outcrop data from the deformed onshore arc to determine stages of laccolith emplacement for the Luzon arc, which has not yet developed a crustal root. Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/eNANZGY9) Image: Figure 21 from the paper: Multiscale Lichi-MGL0906-16 transect, integrating teleseismic P-wave tomography, seismic reflection profile, seismicity, and on-land geologic strike and dip data, shows the upper crust to mantle lithosphere structures. #LuzonArc #HuatungBasin #Laccolith #Bathymetry Yu-Huan Hsieh John Suppe 國立臺灣大學 National Taiwan University UH College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics (NSM)

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National-scale optimisation modelling shows that spatially differentiated land-use strategies outperform uniform policies, revealing trade-offs between food production and environmental quality.​

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Great to see the second paper from Qiuyu Zhu’s PhD now out showing interactions between natural flood management interventions that have been applied to an ~80 km2 catchment. 16% reduction in flood peak was possible once the interventions matured. The paper also improved the efficiency of Spatially Distributed TOPMODEL. Our paper is open access here: https://lnkd.in/ebkxWv6j Megan Klaar water@leeds British Hydrological Society University of Leeds

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Our paper 'Extremal properties of max-autoregressive moving average processes for modelling extreme river flows' is now published in Extremes: https://lnkd.in/esA4yBWP 🎉   In this paper we explore max-autoregressive moving average (Max-ARMA) processes as powerful tool for modelling time series data with heavy-tailed behaviour. River flow data typically have features of heavy tails and non-linearity, as large precipitation events cause sudden spikes in the data that then exponentially decay. Therefore, stationary Max-ARMA models are a suitable candidate for capturing the unique temporal dependence structure exhibited by river flows. This paper contributes to advancing our understanding of the extremal properties of stationary Max-ARMA processes. We detail the first approach for deriving the extremal index, the lagged asymptotic dependence coefficient, and an efficient simulation of a general Max-ARMA process. We use the extremal properties, coupled with the belief that Max-ARMA processes provide only an approximation to extreme river flow, to fit such a model which can describe key features of river flow behaviour over a high threshold. We make our inference under a reparametrisation which gives a simpler parameter space that excludes cases where any parameter is non-identifiable. We illustrate results for river flow data from UK rivers Thames and Lune, that exhibit different response characteristics to extreme rainfall events.   As always, it was a pleasure to work with Jonathan Tawn on this! 

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Good day out at the #AGIScotland conference yesterday and great to catch up with old faces and meet some new ones. It's always a highlight to see how GIS is being used across Scotland and how different practitioners are leveraging emerging tech to stay ahead of industry trends. Plenty of insightful work happening in the field💡

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Our first blog post to start the year. In forest carbon, no matter the methodology, you need a counterfactual. We're building the tools to make them better ✌️.

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📢 Exciting Update from GESGB YPs! 📢 A few months ago, we awarded multiple £600 mapping scholarships to support UK-based undergraduate geology students. Several of our recipients have now returned from the field and shared updates on their independent mapping projects across Europe. From tackling steep, highly vegetated terrain to unravelling complex stratigraphic relationships, students reported the challenges and rewards of bringing together structural and sedimentary observations at map scale. Exceptional fossiliferous limestones, salt-related tectonics, and diverse sedimentary successions provided opportunities to deepen geological understanding and refine interpretation skills. These scholarships continue to provide valuable opportunities for undergraduates to build confidence in field mapping, data collection, and geological interpretation - skills that are vital for future academic and professional success. Read a snippet of the article here! Full version will be available in the upcoming GESGB October Magazine: https://lnkd.in/e9VahCPx If you are interested in becoming a member of GESGB please visit: https://lnkd.in/e36mFS7F To learn more about GESGB Young Professionals visit: https://lnkd.in/eatdFtKy #GESGB #Geology #MappingScholarship #StudentSuccess #YoungProfessionals Emily Walker, GESGB Young Professionals

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We’ve just released a new paper on Earth Observation across the carbon value chain as part of Project Credible. 🌳 In this paper, EARSC shows how EO can support shows from land owners and project developers all the way to verifiers, certifiers, and finance. One of the key takeaways is that EO works best as part of a hybrid Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification framework (MRV), alongside field data and models. The paper shares practical examples like setting baselines, detecting practices, supporting sampling, and monitoring permanence and risks over time. We also discuss key enablers and barriers such as standards, interoperability, uncertainty, and audit readiness. This paper does not aim to cover every aspect of the value chain; rather, it focuses on structuring the conversation around how Earth Observation (EO) can be more effectively integrated into the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) processes for carbon farming. Monica Miguel-Lago ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/e7W7U6Dz

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Early biodiversity data is critical to shaping better design decisions. The mapping shown here was generated by an AI system built and trained internally at SLR Consulting. Using computer vision on Bluesky’s high-resolution aerial imagery, the system automatically produces habitat mapping at landscape scale. Developed by our talented data scientists, Siobhan Corbett and Dixy Msapato, in collaboration with our ecologists & geospatial team, this capability is already supporting environmental assessment work across large projects. By generating habitat data across extensive areas quickly, it enables early-stage screening and optioneering - helping teams identify constraints and opportunities sooner, influence design before decisions are locked in, and focus field survey effort where it matters most.

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📢 Our latest paper has been published in Scientific Reports: "Randomised land use pathway generation allows efficient multi-outcome appraisal" 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e7qqpsnC Our paper explores how generation of 10,000 random UK land use scenarios can help identify more efficient and balanced ways to achieve climate, food, and biodiversity goals. 🔍 Key findings: • There are multiple viable routes to net zero for the UK land sector, each with different trade-offs & co-benefits. • Some scenarios offer greater efficiency, achieving better outcomes across food production and biodiversity with fewer compromises. • The scale of decision-making (UK-wide vs devolved nations) affects not only efficiency but also equity - raising important questions for governance. 📚 This study builds on our earlier work developing multi-criteria land use scenario modelling: Spatially targeted nature-based solutions can mitigate climate change and nature loss but require a systems approach: https://lnkd.in/eifCdg7t Ambitious onshore renewable energy deployment does not exacerbate future UK land-use challenges: https://lnkd.in/eetTF-9Y #landuse #climatepolicy #biodiversity #netzero #modelling #scienceforpolicy #UKlanduse

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Whether and why streams flow year-round or seasonally has many practical implications for watershed and water management, but accurate data are unavailable in many areas. This new research helps mind this key information gap. Plain Language Summary. Understanding where small streams are located and if they flow year-round or seasonally matters for how these streams and their watersheds are managed. We developed a model trained on simple flow/no flow field observations and 13 variables that describe climate, topography, and land cover conditions to provide predictions of whether a 5-m stream sub-reach is likely to have late summer flow or may go dry. The model is applied to a high resolution, light detection and ranging-derived stream network for 426 sub-watersheds in western Oregon and represents years with average to slightly drier-than-average rainfall. We also evaluated differences in model accuracy between watersheds that did and did not have training data to provide more realistic uncertainty estimates of model predictions. Field observations for these types of models is generally limited both in number of observations and their geographic distribution. Accuracy estimates for watersheds with (83% correct) and without (67% correct) training data can help managers decide if they use model predictions or if they need to collect additional field data. In addition, this model identifies stream locations where the model is extrapolating, which can be used for identifying locations where more data collection is needed for model improvement. https://lnkd.in/gDfHzHKa

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Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd (RPA) welcomes the publication of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's report on the impact of coastal erosion on coastal communities, developed as part of their inquiry into climate and weather resilience. Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd (RPA) was one of 64 submissions to the Committee's call for evidence and one of only two consultancy firms to respond, reflecting our commitment to advancing resilience of individuals, communities, properties, infrastructure and ecosystems facing the increasing risks posed by coastal erosion. We were pleased to see the Committee acknowledge our points on community impacts: while relocation services for social housing reduce physical impacts, psychological effects run far deeper. The trauma of displacement, anxiety of living under constant threat, and grief of losing homes and familiar landscapes can erode personal identity: effects rarely captured in conventional risk assessments. On the economic valuation of coastal communities, the report recognises that the wider risks and benefits of mitigation are not adequately reflected in the Environment Agency's FCERM Capital Investment Programme. The true social and economic value of coastal communities (particularly those reliant on tourism) is not captured by traditional cost-benefit analysis, something Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd (RPA) is actively addressing through its work to develop a new economic approach to valuing coastal communities for the Resilient Coasts project. The report also rightly acknowledges that impacts extend well beyond tourism. Coastal regions host nationally important infrastructure, such as renewable energy, ports, gas terminals and nuclear power stations. The location of these, and need of coastal communities for the accommodation of workforces, further underscores the potential national-scale impacts that coastal erosion can have, emphasising further inclusion within future FCERM policy guidance.  At a headline level, we welcome the Parliamentary-level acknowledgement within the reports conclusion that past FCERM funding arrangements have provided limited support for coastal management, despite the pressures faced by coastal communities in the face for a changing climate. We also welcome the report’s recommendation that Defra set out how non-monetised benefits for coastal erosion will be incorporated into the new FCERM funding model, and look hope to see this through changes made in the coming months. Furthermore, we look forward to seeing how outputs from our innovative work for the Coastwise and Resilient Coasts projects can help to inform this process.  If you would like to know more about what we included in our submission, or the flooding and coastal erosion risk management services that we provide, please feel free to get in touch. https://lnkd.in/ea46NztM

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Friday afternoon blog update (with Brightband and Daniel Rothenberg) on AI model forecasts for Typhoon Fung-Wong, which will be impacting the Philippines over the weekend. https://lnkd.in/eWknSsVK

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