Environmental Informatics – (M.Sc.)

This innovative course uses the expertise from many departments and research units at Lancaster (LEC, Management School, Computing and Communications) to provide high-level, interdisciplinary training in state-of-the art computer based tools and techniques that enable compliation, validation, analysis and archiving of large complex datasets and thus support more effective environmentall decision making. The techniques covered have critical applications in environmental research, environmental management and environmental engineering, and the core modules offer the opportunity to work on these applications with full time staff in the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Specifically, methods for collecting, analysing, archiving and presenting environmental information are advancing rapidly with the emergence of new IT tools including, intelligent data mining, GIS tools, low cost digital cameras and smart sensors. Crucially, obtaining, using and managing the volume and variety of information types these new tools can deliver, enables more advanced understanding of complex environments at all scales and supports more informed environmental decision making. This is particulary important when considering details responses to issues such as climate change, environmenta hazard, land remediation and long range impacts of installing marine renewable energy systems.

Our graduates gainemployment with employers that need to use IT techniques in an environmental context, e.g. research, private firms, public agencies and regulatory bodies. This programme is supported by full Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) studentships.