On 8 February 2019, the Environmental Futures & Big Data Impact Lab (Impact Lab), held an official launch event for the Plymouth Business Community. Led by the University of Plymouth, Plymouth College of Art & Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the event was an opportunity to learn more about the free, multi-disciplinary support available from the three aforementioned partners, along with the University of Exeter, the Met Office, Exeter City Futures and Rothamsted Research - the other four organisations which make up the Impact Lab partnership. The Impact Lab is a 3-year, £6.4m project, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Visit: www.impactlab.org.uk for more information.

1. Plymouth Impact Lab Launch
Friday 8th February

2. The Environmental Futures & Big
Data Impact Lab

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Environmental Futures
Professor Iain Stewart
Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute at the University of Plymouth

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Big Data
Dr Antonio Rago
Associate Professor University of Plymouth
Director of Centre for Mathematical Sciences

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What can ‘Big Data’ do for you?
Make data a competitive
advantage
• Leverage unique dataset:
sensors, IoT
• Mine unstructured data:
sentiment analysis
• Image recognition:
classification and data
extraction
• Data integration: ontology
mapping
Take smarter
decisions
• A/B test product
features
• Pattern recognition
• Extreme event
prediction
• Dynamic pricing
Optimize processes
• Data modelling
• Software Robotics
• Fraud detection
• Chat bot

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CMS supports the Impact Lab
AI
Machine Learning
Deep Learning
Gaussian
Processes
Statistics
Experiment design
Time series analysis
Bayesian analysis
Data Mining
Simulations
Monte Carlo
simulations
High Performance
Computing
Computational
Fluid Dynamics

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Get involved
Courses for Professional
Development (CPD)
• Big Data techniques
• Parallel Programming
• GPU programming
Oxford-style meetings
Cloud Computing
• AWS
• Azure
HPC data center
• On premises supercomputer

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The Impact Lab Programme
Collaborate. Deliver. Grow.
Robert Kathro
Programme Director

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Lots to cover
1. What are Environmental Futures & Big Data how we use the terms
2. Why has the lab been launched? What is the driving force?
3. What does the lab do? the deep tech capability and access to data and skills
4. How it works the process
5. And where does it fit in? to the bigger picture
6. What we are working on right now other projects and the pipeline
7. Who is behind the lab partners and what they bring
And ask for some help from you

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Opportunity for growth.. . ..
But it’s also a strategic imperative….. . . to seize the opportunities
• All pervasive, ever more
affordable, powerful, computing
and communications technology
• Societal trends
• Pollution and environmental concerns
• Need to compete globally
• Need to generate growth and
wealth in the region and
nationally
Opportunity
• New products and
services
• New businesses
• New industries
• Globalisation
• Urbanisation
• De-carbonisation
• Digitisation
• Population growth

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Human activities, growth, global trends
Scarce resources, pollution, energy, space limits
Agriculture/tech
Engineering
Health & Social Care
Transportation
Space
Manufacturing
Information servicesMarine
Energy, Water
Competeon Core Regional Capability
Enablers
Capabilities
Environmental & Data Sciences, Design, Innovation
Sectors
Driving
Forces
Digital Technologies - HPC, Comms & Networks
Data

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Conduit to deliver key results for clients
• Deep technical consultancy skills to deliver R&D projects
• Full time staff plus academics and scientists across partners
• Significant and growing data sets
• Innovation managers – help refine the opportunity, define a project
• Work space – Exeter, Plymouth, North Wyke (RRes)
• Grant funding
• Access to network of business support
Simplified access to capabilities, fast response, results delivered

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Working with the Lab….
We are looking for
• Devon based SMEs with growth objectives
• Academics and scientists with commercialisation opportunities
• Larger businesses with R&D ambitions who are attracted by the
region’s Environmental Futures & Big Data capabilities
Come and talk to us
• To scope a joint project
• To enable you to grow
Collaborate. Deliver. Grow.

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A special part of a (much) bigger picture
• NATIONAL PRIORITY: UK Industrial Strategy, Alan Turing Institute
Aligned with Heart of the South West Productivity Strategy and Local Industrial Strategy
• BUILDING SKILLS & INFRASTRUCTURE
Data Analytics Skills Escalator approach covering all educational levels; World-leading
development of Data Science Platforms
• IMPROVING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Exeter’s Institute of Data Science and AI; Potential for a New Environmental Intelligence
Accelerator and South West Institute of Technology; SW Centre for Excellence in Satellite
Applications and ESA Regional Rep
• ECOSYSTEM SUPPORTING BUSINESS
SETsquared; Exeter Science Park; Innovate UK; Exeter Velocities; FT2G; SWBC; Growth Hub….
Infrastructure; Skills; Experience; Emerging Technology … Great place to grow!

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Ambitious growth in the next 12 months
Already supporting a high achieving group of SMEs
• Scalable enterprises, new products/services, jobs
• Regional, national and international markets
• Big data and / or Environmental Futures
What we are working on
• New clients coming on board – 12 projects live
• Regional, national and international business development
To help create lasting value and economic growth in the region

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Help needed
If you are a potential client
• Please do come and talk with one of us
• SME
• Academic or scientist
• Large business
And if you are part of the wider network
• Please think about who you know who would benefit from what the
lab offers
To help create lasting value and economic growth in the region

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University of Plymouth
Sarah Fear
Project Manager

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Capabilities
• The University of Plymouth has a number of active research groups
operating in the fields of Big Data and Machine Learning, and is supporting
the delivery of the Impact Lab by aligning activities with its Sustainable
Earth Institute - facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration across the
University with businesses and communities.
• Plymouth also has keen expertise in data visualisation and data
communication - enabling the translation of Big Data into something
usable, useful and relevant to businesses.
• Impact Lab’s clients will have access to a range of Plymouth’s resources,
including:
• Gamification - The Interactive Systems Studios (ISS)
• Digital design and analytics - i-DAT and The Immersive Vision Theatre

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Case Study
Pulsiv Solar Limited
Dr Mohammed Zaki Ahmed

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Case Study
• Pulsiv Solar Limited
• Devon based SME, located on the Plymouth Science Park
• Formed in 2015, as a spin out from Plymouth University to commercialise solar
photo voltaic technology
• Unexpected application to LED lighting, making LED lighting systems up to 5%
more efficient.

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Plymouth College of Art
Oli Raud
Strategic Funding Manager

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Capabilities
• Plymouth College of Art (PCA) remains one of a few specialist colleges
in the United Kingdom specialising in art and design education.
• The Impact Lab benefits from PCA’s particular strengths in Digital
Media, Rapid Prototyping, Sustainable Design, Data Visualisation,
Interaction Design and App design and Development.
• PCA is also home to FabLab Plymouth; an internationally connected
Digital Fabrication and Design Studio (Makerspace) equipped with 3D
design systems, 3D scanners & printers, CNC milling machines, vinyl
cutters, laser cutters and CNC routers. These facilities are available to
Impact Lab clients to create new products and prototypes.

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Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Tim Fileman
Technical Manager & Centre Manager of The Ballast Water Centre

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How we work

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Capabilities
• Globally acknowledged for scientific excellence;
• Contributes to addressing societal challenges of global change, sustainability and pollution;
• Addresses key scientific and socially relevant questions through interdisciplinary research;
• Delivers solutions for national and international marine and coastal programmes;
• Creating some of the most detailed and longest-established marine datasets available;
• PML has:
• Team of over 30 computing, and data visualisation specialists;
• Over 15 ecosystem modelling specialists;
• Large team of socio-economists;
• State of the art facilities and expertise needed to derive information & understanding
from data;
• A core focus for PML is to share knowledge, with industry, policy-makers and fellow scientists;
• Experienced at working with SMEs through its commercial trading subsidiary (PML
Applications Ltd).

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• Near Real Time Earth Observation
• Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring
• Pollution response
• Illegal fishing /aquaculture
• Primary production
• Web-based GIS
• Airborne Remote Sensing data
processing
• Nitrogen and Carbon cycles
• Atmospheric monitoring for ship emissions / pollution
• Technology field trials
• Bioactives from Microalgae
• Monitoring of plankton and
benthos, molecular biology
• Food web structure dynamics
• Stress responses / Ocean
Acidification
• Blue carbon
• Litter and Microplastics
• Ecosystem modelling
• Fish and fisheries
• Climate and operational
forecast
• Marine Spatial Planning
• Socio – economic impacts and valuation,
• Fisheries economics, tourism & energy,
• Resilience strategies,
• Ecosystem service valuation,
• Decision support tools
Capabilities

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PML also offers commercial services to the shipping, marine
renewables and other marine industries through its commercial
trading subsidiary PML Applications Ltd.
4 Business Areas:
 Ballast Water Centre
 Centre for Marine Biofouling
and Corrosion
 Environmental Solutions
 Geospatial Applications

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Wider Partnership capabilities
Exeter University
Met Office
Exeter City Futures

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7 Partners delivering World Class expertise
Lead Partner University of Exeter:
• 3 full time fellows, Innovation Manager, Marketing, support staff
• Access to all the other disciplines within the University
• Applied Environmental and Data Sciences, Natural capital, Land
Atmospheric & Water Resources, Signal processing/control,
Computing, Machine learning and vision, optimisation
• Follow on collaboration after working with the Lab
Providing full time, dedicated consultancy team, data, work
space (and funding)

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Met Office Informatics Lab
• 3 full time scientific officers
• Access to Met Office scientists and weather forecasters
• Facilitated access to Met Office data and science
• World leading development of scalable infrastructure and tooling
• Global reach and network
• Co-located with the Impact Lab
Data processing, Analytics, Innovation, Skilled Team

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To enable transformation of the City
Exeter City Futures at the Lab: 2 key activities
• Build the Exeter City Data Mill
• Key activity
• A repository of data relating to City problems and opportunities
• From wide and growing range of sources
• With interfaces to aid access and use
• Enabling innovative products and services to be developed
• Full time data scientist working on building the data base and the API
• Plus the ECF team working to identify and support innovators who
wish to work with the Lab
Solutions that can be scaled nationally and internationally

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Rothamsted Research
Khalid Mahmood
Programme Director

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Research Capabilities-Sustainability

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Farm Platform-instrumented farm

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Soil Atmosphere Farm Management
% Moisture Rainfall Field inputs/outputs
Temperature CO2 and N2O Liveweight gain
pH Farm activities
Bulk density Labour hours
N, P & C status Machine hours
Total-P
Ortho-P
Sequential/composite sampler
Water
Temperature
Conductivity
Turbidity
pH
Dissolved O2
Ammonium
Nitrate
Dissolved
organic C
15 flume laboratories
@farmplatform
follow us on
Flow cell & sensors
FP Video

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Sensors Network: 280
• 15 soil moisture stations: Precipitation, Soil temp (15cm), soil moisture (10/20/30cm).
• Met site: Air temp, RH, Wind speed and direction, solar radiation, ETo. Pluvio RG
• 3 automated gas sampling systems: LICOR: CO2 and N2O.
• Field scale methane emissions: Edyco variance towers
• Green Feed Systems-Methane emissions

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Ongoing Impact Lab Projects
• Elemental Digest Systems
• RegenFarm
• OTA analytics
• Breedr

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Future Events and Opportunities
Sarah Fear
Project Manager

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Panel discussion

41. Thank you
&
networking opportunity