Syntheses on digitization as support for sustainable management

Collection of sound and image data holds a great and untapped potential to simplify environmental monitoring.This synthesis reviews the state of the art in the use of sound and image data for noise monitoring and mapping,species identification of animals and plants and invasive species monitoring. It reviews and analyses current andemerging technology and methods, and judges their maturity, availability, and reliability. Considering the needsand goals of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Agency for Marine and WaterManagement, the synthesis develops recommendations for future research. Such research promises to greatlyimprove the authorities’ environmental monitoring capacity in a cost-effective manner. The topics of noise datacollection, sound and image-based species identification and invasive species detection are studied togetherbecause of significant synergies. Swedish environmental quality objectives require that disturbance from noiseshould be minimal, but it is today difficult and costly to monitor the compliance to these requirements. Theobjectives also specify requirements on the prevalence of different animal and plant species, including naturallyoccurring, threatened and invasive species. Manual sampling and data collection is time-consuming and costly,and autonomous sound and image data collection can serve as a widespread and cost-effective complement,especially in difficult to reach locations including underwater sites. Finally, the public could be engaged to assist ininvasive species detection using a mobile phone application with artificial intelligence methods for speciesidentification.

Torbjörn Johansson

797 550 SEK

The aim of this synthesis is to propose suitable ways forward for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency(NV) and the Marine and Water Authority (HaV) to harness and exploit the capabilities of remote sensing (RS)information, facilitating and further developing sustainable management, and to contribute to the streamlining of the work of NV and HaV towards achieving both the national Environmental Quality Objectives and the global sustainable development goals (SDGs).The availability and access to vast amounts of satellite images (e.g. through the European Space Agency Copernicus initiative) have opened up new possibilities for collection of larger and new types of data sets in the terrestrial and aquatic environment, in unprecedented spatiotemporal resolutions. It is, therefore, imperative, to adapt some of these features and frameworks to the Swedish national authority frameworks based on its user and stakeholder needs and idiosyncrasies.RS has a wide range of applications in environmental monitoring, relevant for both NV and HaV, e.g., air quality applications, coastal and ocean applications, natural resource management, hazard assessment and urban green infrastructure mapping and monitoring. Although the capabilities of RS for environmental monitoring is evident, several challenges have emerged. The availability of openly available satellite and airborne data is massive (high computational and processing burden). It is challenging to collect and pre-process these data to allow rapid analysis and to integrate harmonically with other sources of information such as ground truth data, mobile phone data etc. This synthesis will provide NV and HaV with a comprehensive compilation and review of relevant, applicable methods for innovative data collection with support of RS. The synthesis will also include descriptions of opportunities, challenges and limitations of the technology, hence providing important input for the design of future research programs.

Sofie Hellsten

799 279 SEK

This project will generate a knowledge overview of digital tools that can facilitate extended dialogue between the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) and the public. The focus will be on digital tools currently in use in environmental and water management internationally and in smart cities. In both these areas the development of digital tools for dialogue with diverse publics have been an objective promoted in research and development efforts world-wide. We will use web-searching, document analysis and expert interviews to generate materials for analysis of digital tools for public engagement that are currently in use. The analysis will include characterization of the digital tools as well as of their context of use. Frequent contacts with the EPA and SwAMwill ensure that the digital tools we select for closer scrutiny and the question we ask about hem will be relevant. Already at the beginning of the project three webinars with interested staff at the EPA and SwAM will be scheduled. Each webinar concentrates on one of the project tasks as defined by investigative focus (qualitative overview of digital tool types and usage, close analysis of tools in context and interactive probing of the institutional users' experience). To facilitate good quality discussions we will circulate reports of relevant findings in advance of each webinar. Output from the project will include a final report, with recommendations written for readers in the EPA and SwAM and an open access publication in an academic journal.

Catharina Landström

697 000 SEK

Environmental monitoring is an essential part of safeguarding the sustainable use of natural resources. Current methods for identification and monitoring of biodiversity, especially analysis of microorganisms, involve time-consuming and expensive microscopy analyses performed by specialists, and are frequently a bottleneck in th eanalysis chain from sampling to data analysis and environmental status evaluation. Consequently, many environments cannot be monitored with the temporal and spatial resolution desired. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has proven to be a powerful tool for biodiversity assessment and identification of a broad range of organism groups in a variety of different environments. Technological advance sin DNA sequencing technology have made eDNA methods viable for analysis of biological diversity on a largescale. However, for this emerging technology to reach its full potential, issues concerning reproducibility of the results, as well as comparability of results over time, need to be addressed. Many of the problems faced by biodiversity researchers using computational methods and big data are similar to problems identified in other areas, such as software development and cloud computing. To that end, this project will compile a synthesis of literature that describes the technological solutions available for performing reproducible identification and monitoring of biodiversity, using eDNA technology. A reproducible approach to analysing this type of data will enable data sources of different origin and quality to be combined and analysed together, even as new technologies develop, thereby enabling comparison of results across for example long time series suitable for national monitoring programs. Through this synthesis we will identify reproducibility problems faced in eDNA analyses, highlight how these problems are currently being handled, and discuss the potential for knowledge transfer from adjacent fields using big data.

Mats Töpel

500 000 SEK

Coastal marine ecosystems worldwide are under great pressure due to human activities and climate change. The Maritime special planning directive (2014/89/EU) states that the maritime planning should support and facilitate sustainable growth of ocean-based activities such as fisheries, shipping, and aquaculture, and at the same time preserve, protect and improve the marine environment. To succeed, careful planning and great understanding of our complex marine ecosystems is required. Models can be efficient tools for coastal planning and management, as they allow for scenario simulations and non-invasive experiments. Having access to good quality data both for model input as well as for model validation is important for the reliability of the model output. However, finding good quality model input data is often a challenge. The overall purpose of this synthesis is to identify, describe and evaluate how models and big data can be combined and used to aid coastal zone planning and management. This to support an ecosystem-based planning and simplify permit processes as well as strengthen the transformation to a sustainable blue economy. A state-of-the-art review of models suitable for Swedish conditions, and available data sources will be conducted. New potential sources of data will be identified and methods for data quality assurance and harmonization will be described. Dealing with large datasets and advanced computer models often requires large computer resources, as well as technical and programming skills. We will assess the technical requirements and evaluate potential technical solutions that can aid in working with large data quantities and models. In the second phase of the project, a case study will be conducted, addressing a relevant case using the models and data identified within this project. Finally, implementations and ways forward for Sweden to best utilize the potential in data driven coastal planning and management will be proposed.

Malin Gustafsson

800 000 SEK

The purpose of this project is to generate a critical overview of tools for digital participation in the public sector. Two sources of empirical material are used to accomplish this goal: 1. Literature from the e-participation research field and 2. survey answers from the Swedish national government agencies. By combining findings from these sources, this study reveals the levels of participation encouraged by the identified tools and methods, comparing theory with practice. Theoretical points of departure are gathered from three streams of literature: 1. Levels of digital, or e-participation; 2. smart, sustainable cities; and 3. participatory design. Using these different streams facilitates the analysis of results regarding levels of participation; environmental sustainability (e.g., participatory tools used for including citizens in processes that promote sustainability); and normative perspectives on what it means to “participate.” The research design consists of three components: 1. A systematic literature overview, 2. a survey of Swedish national government agencies, and 3. a synthesis of 1+2. Through this synthesis, the study advances the research front regarding knowledge of methods and tools for participation while identifying practical cases among Swedish agencies. Through communication with various organizations, such as coordinating with the Swedish Agency for Digital Government, this research team aims to share their findings with relevant actors in the Swedish public sector. Two publications are planned within the project: 1. Tentative findings from the survey will be presented as ongoing research (open access) at the 2022 EGOV-CeDEM-ePart conference 2022. 2. An article will be submitted for publication to the highly regarded journal Government Information Quarterly.

Leif Sundberg

252 063 SEK