LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION
Using Big Data to Forecast Food Security
J
oshua Elliot and Ian Foster of the Computation Institute, a joint initiative of the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, are
in a race against time. As the world heats up, the two research scientists are working together to predict the impact of climate change on one of our most critical global health issues: food and water security.
By feeding massive amounts of data into state-of-the-art supercomput-
ers, the pair is creating cutting-edge climate models to predict the dramatic
Ian Foster, PhD
effects that increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and changes in precipitation will have on agriculture and freshwater supplies — particularly in the developing world, where drought and famine already pose serious threats to human survival.
Elliot and Foster connect these climate models with models for agri-
culture, hydrology, economics, and other sectors to create multifaceted forecasts of global climate impacts. Their work with the Computation Institute’s Center for Robust Decision-Making on Climate and Energy Policy helps inform governments around the world about the best strategies for coping with the consequences of climate change.
Joshua Elliot, PhD
CENTER FOR GLOBAL HEALTH
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