The cluster

Our Mission

The Ryan Institute's cross-cutting Modelling & Informatics Research Cluster is concerned with ubiquitous peer-to-peer webs, based on environmental sensors, that enable operational and policy decisions around climate change, energy supply and demand and environment and health. Systems are capable of synthesising data into knowledge, preferably in near real-time. For example, the many interdependent factors relevant to managing coastal zone or terrestrial land-use systems can be analysed using decision support modelling and informatics technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS).

Interactive virtual reality tools can be used to create complex models of the local and regional environment that allow people to interact with models and see the impact of particular policy decisions. The pervasive use of optical communications and a sensor web is increasingly important for all modelling and informatics activities. The Modelling & Informatics Cluster specialises in marine, agricultural, health, atmospheric and complex social system modelling and informatics. The cluster makes use of the Ryan Institute Geospatial Analytics Core Research Facility. The Modelling & Informatics Cluster has close links to the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at NUI Galway and to the Ryan Institute's sister research institute, the Data Science Institute.