Geosimulation modelling
Speaker: Dr. Judith Verstegen
Abstract: Large-scale spatial systems, such as river catchments, crowds, or land use systems, are difficult to fully analyze empirically. Geosimulation models are built to enable analyses of these systems. On the one hand, geosimulation models help us to better understand the system, because we can 'experiment' with its parameters. On the other hand, geosimulation models are used to make projections of the potential future development of the system under a set of scenarios. Scenario studies are often used to simulate the effects of a range of policy options, to inform decision makers about the potential impacts of the policies. This requires models that are valid now and in the projected future, as policy decisions based on erroneous model projections can be costly and/or irreversible. The overarching goal of my research lab is to better quantify the predictive value of geosimulation models. In this presentation, I show some examples of geosimulation modelling studies, with potential links to the research in the department of Information Systems in terms of the modelled systems (e.g. energy supply) as well the used methods (e.g. error propagation and optimization).
Short Bio: Judith Verstegen is a junior professor, leading the Geosimulation Modelling lab at the Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Münster, since 2016. She works with geosimulation models of human-environment interactions, mostly related to land use change and urban dynamics. Her aim is to develop methods to better quantify the predictive value of these models, using, for example, (spatial) statistics, error propagation and spatial optimization. Furthermore, she is the head of the Graduate School for Geoinformatics, and a member of the editorial board of the journals Computers & Geosciences, and Environmental Modeling & Assessment. Judith enjoys hiking and plays football.