The University of Reading in the United Kingdom has made progress on a new £12 million environmental science big data and analysis center called the Institute for Environmental Analytics.
The University of Reading in the United Kingdom has made progress on a new £12 million environmental science big data and analysis center called the Institute for Environmental Analytics. The institute is working to develop technology, skills and commercial enterprises to adapt to environmental pressures and extreme weather events.
Colin McKinnon, the institute's inaugural CEO, commented, “Climate and environmental change already has an impact on every aspect of business and society, and we are in an unprecedented time of opportunity for U.K. businesses in this space. The institute will act as a conduit between organisations spanning the whole environmental analytics community, pulling together expertise to create value and growth for the United Kingdom. It will focus on developing the tools, techniques and people to make the United Kingdom a world leader in using environmental big data for commercial applications.”
According to the institute's website, the mission revolves around reducing the costs of adapting to the increased cost of adapting to extreme weather events. The insurance costs of U.K. flooding in winter are £500 million, with added damage to the U.K. economy of £630 million.
More information about the Institute for Environmental Analytics can be found here.
