Data Science and Human-Environment Systems

Transformation of the Earth's social and ecological systems is occurring at a rate and magnitude unparalleled in human experience. Data science is a revolutionary new way to understand human-environment relationships at the heart of pressing challenges like climate change and sustainable development. However, data science faces serious shortcomings when it comes to human-environment research. There are challenges with social and environmental data, the methods that manipulate and analyze the information, and the theory underlying the data science itself; as well as significant legal, ethical and policy concerns. This timely book offers a comprehensive, balanced, and accessible account of the promise and problems of this work in terms of data, methods, theory, and policy. It demonstrates the need for data scientists to work with human-environment scholars to tackle pressing real-world problems, making it ideal for researchers and graduate students in Earth and environmental science, data science and the environmental social sciences.

Steven Manson is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Society at the University of Minnesota, and a Fellow of the Institute on the Environment. He combines environmental, social, and information science to understand complex human-environment systems. He has won awards from organizations including the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, and the Ecological Society of America.