PFI-RP: Water System Analytics for Adaptation to Environmental Vulnerabilities

这一创新-研究伙伴关系(PFI-RP)项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创建一个技术工具和商业企业，促进并使其能够适应水部门的气候变化。这项研究的具体目标是开发一个基于网络的分析平台，将支持在不确定情况下进行决策的分析方法编成法典，以使气候脆弱性评估和适应规划能够得到广泛应用。可行性研究将通过与行业合作伙伴建立合资商业企业，专注于平台的持续改进和推广，建立可持续的产学交流。这一努力可能会提高社会对美国和全球自来水行业天气变化的准备。此外，这一努力将通过学术和创业培训以及指导来教育一名女性博士生。该团队将招聘一名博士后科学家，并根据独立发展计划为他们提供指导和培训。拟议的项目将促进气候信息的产生方面的知识，这些信息支持脆弱性分析和适应环境变化，并具体应用于供水行业的决策。它将进一步促进对水部门适应规划的了解，包括对采取行动解决脆弱性的机会、限制和障碍的见解。这项研究的目标是将由NSF资助的研究开发的过程和技术工具转化为商业用途。将开发一个通用分析平台，以创建一个统一的工作流程软件包，以便通过与行业合作伙伴的协作，根据决策尺度进行脆弱性评估。将进行客户发现，以确定价值主张并完善业务战略。该平台将在迈阿密和开普敦两个城市进行试点，这两个城市的供水系统都面临威胁。关键的技术障碍是将该平台创建为基于网络的应用程序，同时维护决策扩展的关键功能组件。来自行业合作伙伴的技术支持缓解了与这一技术障碍相关的风险。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project is the creation of a technical tool and commercial enterprise that promotes and enables adaptation to climate variations in the water sector. The specific goal for this research is to develop a web-based analysis platform that codifies the analytical methods underpinning advances in decision making under uncertainty to enable broad application of climate vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning. The feasibility research will establish a sustainable industry-university exchange through the development of a joint venture commercial enterprise with industry partners focused on continuous improvement and promotion of the platform. The effort may improve the preparedness of society to weather variations in the water supply industry both in the US and globally. In addition, this effort will educate a female PhD student through academic and entrepreneurship training and mentorship. The team will recruit a postdoctoral scientist and provide them with mentorship and training according to an Independent Development Plan. The proposed project will advance knowledge in the production of climate information that supports vulnerability analysis and adaptation to environmental changes with specific application to decisions in the water supply industry. It will further advance understanding of adaptation planning in the water sector, including insights regarding the opportunities, constraints and impediments to taking action to address vulnerabilities. The goals of the research are to transition processes and technical tools developed from NSF-funded research to commercial use. A general analysis platform will be developed to create a uniform workflow software package for conducting vulnerability assessments based on decision scaling through collaboration with industry partners. Customer discovery will be conducted to define the value proposition and refine the business strategy. The platform will be piloted in two cities, Miami and Cape Town, both of which are facing threats to their water supply systems. The key technical hurdle is the creation of the platform as a web-based application while maintaining the key functional components of decision scaling. Technical support from industrial partners mitigate the risks associated with this technical hurdle.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.