Performing Department
Forest Biomaterials
Non Technical Summary
Energy and water are two critical sources for food production; developing sustainable agricultural systems requires a wise management and balance among food, energy, and water systems (FEW). Better understandings of the interaction among food, water, energy systems and the social, economic, and environmental impacts of FEW nexus will greatly enhance system-wide decision-making, improving the sustainability of food supply chain as well as water and energy systems.Advancing the knowledge of interactions within FEW systems and identifying critical challenges that could be addressed by the simultaneous management of three systems requires massive datasets related to the supply chain of food, water, and energy. Intensive efforts have been made by the research community, government agencies, and the industry to generate data to meet the needs of various stakeholders, but such data is highly scattered and has not been integrated for the potential application of big data analysis that could bring new insights and advance knowledge. We believe many solutions to addressing complex sustainability issues in U.S. food supply chains, especially those related to water and energy use, could be generated through the integration of different datasets.To better understand the frontier of existing data, the future needs of data, as well as the barriers to building data capacity for improving system sustainability of food supply chains in a context of FEW, we propose to host a 1.5-day workshop to gather experts to discuss, brainstorm, and identify critical issues and future directions of big data investment for addressing FEW challenges. The topic is highly aligned with multiple AFRI program area priorities, such as bioenergy, natural resources, and environment, agriculture economics and rural communities, critical agricultural research and extension, and agriculture systems and technology.After the workshop, we will deliver a report that highlights the major findings and conclusions from the workshop, and submit it to USDA and disseminate to the public through Dr. Yao's research website and a peer-reviewed publication. The insights and ideas generated during the workshop will shed light on directions of future efforts and investment in big data.North Carolina State University (NCSU) is a perfect location to host the proposed workshop. NCSU has close connections with governmental research offices in the Research Triangle Park area, such as USDA and EPA. We will host the workshop at the Talley Student Union on the NCSU main campus. At 283,000 square feet, Talley is one of NC State's largest, busiest and most sustainably-designed buildings. There is a management team in Talley to help the university and faculty organize meetings, host events, and provide technical support. The conference rooms in Talley are equipped with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, special switches, and communication boards.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of the project is to provide a clear vision for the research community, industry, and government agency to better measure, understand, and promote system-wide sustainability of food, water, and energy systems through large-scale data sharing and engagement. Specifically, we are proposing to host a 1.5-day workshop to identify priorities and bottlenecks in generating, managing, and integrating large datasets related to the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, and environmental) for FEW systems. After the workshop, we will deliver a report that highlights the major findings and conclusions from the workshop, and submit it to USDA and disseminate to the public through Dr. Yao's research website and a peer-reviewed publication. The insights and ideas generated during the workshop will shed light on directions of future efforts and investment in big data.The proposed workshop includes the following sub-objectives:promote the communication and knowledge sharing for database integration for food, water, and energy systemsidentify the frontier of data and understand current data capacity across different government agencies and private sources vision transformative insights that could be obtained through data integration among different database, and how those insights would be useful to decision makingidentify future barriers and challenges for database integrationidentify short-term and long-term research and development priorities/needs of large-scale data sharing, engagement, and integration.
Project Methods
Early July in 2017 are proposed dates, subject to change if necessary for adequate participation. Discussions will be recorded electronically, scribed, and shared via Google Doc. The announcement of the workshop will include the information about the nature and purpose of the workshop, the names of organizing committee members, potential participants, location and time. The invitation email to speakers will include additional information, such as the timeslots and expected topics of their talks. In the announcement, we will provide a link for RSVP. We will designate a contact person (a student at the NCSU) and email address for responses. The contact person will also be responsible for managing a participants list and responding to general questions from participants, such as parking and accommodation.Workshop participantswill be asmall set of peoplewho either manage government databases or have had experiences using those databases. The list of potential participants includes (subject to change based on their availability):AgendaThe expected number of participants is 30-40 people (given that the proposed participants above may want to bring their team members or other researchers). We will work with the management team at the Talley Student Union at NCSU to prepare and organize the workshop, such as setting up the workshop and purchasing food. The schedule is proposed to be:Workshop Agenda TimeActivities1st Day8:00-8:30Breakfast and networking8:30-9:00Background for the activity;participant introduction; discussion and adaptation of workshop agenda9:00 - 9:45USDA Data Capacity and VisionUSDA speaker will give a talk on current efforts and future vision of database development and integration9:45-10:30DOE/EIA Data Capacity and VisionSpeaker from DOE national labs/EIA will give a talk on DOE/EIA's efforts and visions for database development10:45 - 11: 30EPA Data Capacity and VisionSpeaker from EPA will give a talk on EPA's data capacity and efforts on database integration11:30 -12:20Small group practice:What is the current data capacity? Is there any overlapping among different databases and data sources?Participants will be separated into small groups (5-6 people/group) for practice. Each participant will be given post-it notes to write database/data sources he/she is aware of from both government agencies and private sources, as well as the type of the data included. Then each of them will be asked to attach the notes to the flip chart (1 flip chart/group). Each discussion chart will be divided into four sub-sections (energy, food, water, and environment).The purpose of this practice is to encourage communication and knowledge sharing among the participants and identify all the databases and data sources that are available, and areas that have overlapping.12:20 - 1: 30Working lunchThe information on the discussion flip charts will be collected and reported. The expected deliverable is a comprehensive list of all the database and data sources that are currently available and related to energy, food, water systems and their environmental impacts, as well as some areas that have overlaps.1:30 - 2:15IEA's experience in database integration and management Dr. Eric Masanet (the Head of the Energy Demand Technology Unit, International Energy Agency) will give a talk about IEA's approaches in collecting, managing, and integrating data from different sources.The purpose is to share the experience of IEA as a large autonomous intergovernmental organization for OECD countries on database integration and data capacity development across a broad range of organizations/governments all over the world.2:15 - 3:00Database harmonization and integrationDr. Runze Huang will give a talk about the harmonization and integration across several databases from different U.S. government agencies.The purpose is to highlight the potential insights and barriers to integrating various database.3: 15 - 4:15Small group discussion:What are challenges for database integration and data analysis across different agencies (more specifically, technical, educational, and politic/governmental challenges)?Each group will be provided with a flip chart with paper to write down their thoughts under four categories of challenges, including technical, educational, and politic/governmental challenges.In the last 15 minute, each group will be asked to give a summary of their discussion4:15 - 5:15Small group discussions:What efforts should government agencies, academia, and the industry make to address these challenges (more specifically, technical, education, and politic/governmental efforts)?The format of the discussion is similar the previous one. In the last 15 minutes, each group will be asked to give a summary of their discussion5:15 - 6:00In the small groups, each group will be asked to draft and post outlines for the report sections about the challenges and efforts of mitigation6 pmDinner and networking2nd Day 8:30-9:00 amResults reportingThe organizing committee will give a presentation about the results and conclusions generated from the first day's discussion.9:15-10:15Small group discussions to identify priorities and define short-term and long-term goals.The format is similar to the previous discussions. Each group will be asked to discuss and rank the importance and urgency of different questions, issues, and challenges highlighted from previous discussions, as well as the priority of governmental, technical, and educational efforts to address those issues.Each group is expected to generate an action plan outlining the short-term and long-term efforts for government agencies to pursue10:15 - 11:15Each group presents the action plan, and discussion with all participants.11:30- 12:30Lunch with summary and feedback.Meeting adjournedPost-workshopDraft and edit the report, review by all participantsPresentation by PI to USDAFeedback to workshop participants, using conference call if necessary to resolve additional questions. Submission of the final document and peer-reviewed article