AI and data science for disaster resilience, public space, and mobility
Venue: Universidad de Cuenca | Museo de Arte Moderno
Objective
The track on Resilience and Heritage delves into the symbiotic relationship between built heritage and resilience in the face of disasters and dynamic environmental challenges. This track aims to explore how preserving and integrating heritage into urban planning and disaster management strategies can foster more resilient communities. Heritage, encompassing historic structures, monuments, cultural landscapes, and traditional architectural practices, not only carries immense cultural and historical significance but also plays a pivotal role in enhancing community resilience. The Resilience and Heritage workshop invites researchers, practitioners, heritage experts, and community representatives to share their experiences, insights, and research findings. Together, we aim to explore innovative ways to integrate heritage considerations into urban planning, disaster management, and resilience-building strategies for a more sustainable and culturally rich future.
Target Audience
This workshop is aimed at students and professionals interested in leveraging AI, data science, and game engines to improve disaster response. A basic understanding of disaster management concepts would be beneficial, although optional.
08h30 – 12h00
1. Introduction (60 minutes)
Welcome and context-setting for the workshop.
Showcase of a Vulnerability Assessment Plan in Cedar Key
Lecture on the evolving role of AI and Data Science in disaster response
Lecture crowdsourcing data and community participation
Lecture on using game engines to visualize existing and crowdsource collected data for disaster response.
2. Building Disaster Resilience through AI (60 minutes)
Demo on AI and Data Science to automatically recognize objects and surface recognition
Demo on collecting and visualizing data
Demo on Enhancing community and infrastructure resilience using data-driven insights visualized and interacted with game engines.
3. Conclusion and Q&A (15-30 minutes)
Reflecting on the transformative potential and limitations of AI and data science in disaster contexts.
How visualization and interaction through game engines can modify community perception of safety.
Open forum for participant questions, insights, and feedback.
Workshop Resilience and Heritage
Venue: Universidad de Cuenca | Museo de Arte Moderno
Objective
Equip participants with an understanding of how data science and AI techniques, together with game engines, are transforming response, addressing both opportunities and challenges and, engaging the community in disaster response.
Target Audience
This workshop is aimed at students interested in documenting and preserving cultural heritage through environmental change and disasters.
08h30 – 12h00
Introduction (20 minutes)
Introduce sub-themes
Activity 1 (30 minutes)
Remote sensing, digital technologies in cultural heritage.
Case study Shell Mound, Cedar Key
Case study at UF Campus
Activity 2 (30 minutes)
Case studies, identifying threats to cultural resources and preservation strategies.
Optional: activity outside at Plaza of the Americas or Lake Alice
Alternative: case studies distributed as handouts in classroom
Possible case studies
UF Campus Historic District, Plaza of the Americas
Conclusion and Q&A (15-30 minutes)
Presentation of case studies and conclusion
Closing Remarks & City Tour
Venue: University de Cuenca
Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled in the Andes Mountains, offers a captivating blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. This charming city boasts cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, and ornate churches, creating a picturesque and romantic atmosphere. Explore the vibrant plazas, wander through the Tomebamba River, and indulge in delicious Ecuadorian cuisine. Cuenca’s proximity to natural wonders like El Cajas National Park and Ingapirca ruins provides opportunities for outdoor adventures and cultural immersion.
Beyond its historical charm, Cuenca offers a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. You’ll find friendly locals, a vibrant arts scene, and a slower pace of life. Whether you’re seeking a cultural adventure, a relaxing getaway, or a taste of authentic South American life, Cuenca has something to offer every traveler.
12h30 – 13h30
Closing remarks
13h30 – 15h30
City Tour
Changjie Chen is an urban planner, statistician, as well as an open-source enthusiast. His scholarly endeavors are centered on spatial decision analysis aimed at enhancing the sustainability of urban built environments and bolstering community resilience. The core of his work involves modeling and analyzing integrated systems of land use and transportation, which is achieved through utilizing an agglomeration of technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial econometrics, machine learning, and high-performance computing. A fervent advocate for the Open Science movement, Dr. Chen contributes to the community through actively developing and managing two open-source Python packages dedicated to GIS-based land use modeling. His most recent research aims to advance urban planning by employing leading-edge geospatial analytics and web-based 3D graphics technologies to create urban digital twins, offering a dynamic platform to visualize real-world conditions and explore alternative future scenarios. Dr. Chen’s research has garnered substantial support, including funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and various Florida state government agencies, such as Department of Environment Protection and Department of Transportation.
Sheyla Santana is an urban planner with a background in GIS. Sheyla holds a PhD in Architecture, Urban Planning, and GIS from UFMG. Her research focuses on vulnerability assessment, community-focused planning, citizen science, digital twin, and visioning scenarios to support adaptation to urban spaces. Sheyla applies geodesign techniques to engage stakeholders in collaboratively designing solutions for spatial challenges in built and natural environments. Sheyla is interested in studying the interaction of humans, environment, and infrastructure in the urban context, aiming to leverage their dynamic to foster sustainability and resilience. Currently, she is working on a project for post-disaster recovery/long-term adaptation design and a planning project assisting Lee County following Hurricane Ian.
Jeff Carney is a registered architect and certified city planner working at the interface of housing, neighborhoods, and ecosystems with a focus on climate change adaptation. He is associate professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Florida, director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER), and director of the Florida Resilient Cities program (FRC). Jeff’s work in Florida is focused on the resilience of communities achieved through transdisciplinary and community engaged design processes. Jeff has a B.A in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and his Masters in both Architecture and City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
Juan Fernando Hidalgo is a member of the Virtualtech research group at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Cuenca. He is an Architect (University of Cuenca), Master in Eco-Sustainable Architecture (University of Bologna), and PhD in Technological Innovation in Building Technology (Polytechnic University of Madrid-Cum Laude). His main research lines are the use of non-wood forest products in construction, innovation in construction systems, and materials science. He has participated as guest professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, University of Yale, UMPRUM in Prague, UTM in Manabí. Currently he is a professor of construction technology at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Cuenca.
Francisco is an architect serving as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador, and the director of the Master’s program in BIM Project Management. He obtained his master’s degree from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Combining academia with his professional practice, he has worked on and led various projects in both the public and private sectors in Ecuador and Spain. His expertise focuses on BIM consulting, design, and construction. His research explores synergies between physical architecture and digital architecture.
Christian Calle Figueroa is an urban designer and assistant scholar at the University of Florida, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience FIBER. He graduated as an architect from the University of Cuenca, Ecuador, and obtained a Master in Advanced Studies in Urban Design and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Spatial Planning at ETH Zurich. Over the past decade, Christian has been engaged in urban studies and projects globally, addressing diverse urban challenges. His work has spanned from the re-urbanization of favelas in Brazil to developing housing projects in Ecuador and designing master plans in Switzerland and Germany.
In recent years, Christian’s focus has shifted towards climate-resilient projects, particularly vulnerability assessment plans for coastal communities in Florida. In his practice, Christian has a profound interest in studying the relationship between human behavior and spatial configuration and how it influences public life in neighborhoods and collective housing.
Dr. María (Mary) is an architect working as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador. She obtained her Master’s in Conservation of Monuments and Sites(2014) and her PhD (2018) at KULeuven, Belgium. Since 2012, she has been part of the CityPreservation Management-CPM research group at the University of Cuenca. She is actively engaged in the comprehensive management of cities, with a particular focus on preserving and revitalizing historical centers within their urban settings to promote sustainable development. Currently, she is also actively involved in initiatives such as OurWorldHeritage, Go-HUL, the CIPAEmerging-Professionals group, and part of the Interim National Committee of ICOMOSEcuador.
Principal Professor in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador, Daniel is a researcher in geoinformation Sciences interested in understanding the interactions among human societies and the environment from a multidisciplinary approach. Has experience in theory and methods on GIS and spatial analysis applied to people-environment interactions. His research focuses on urban sustainability analysis, mobility, and public spaces. Prof. Orellana is co-founder and director of LlactaLAB Sustainable Cities and former director of the Interdisciplinary Department of Space and Population at the University of Cuenca and currently is the head of GraduateStudies. Formerly, was the coordinator of Human Systems Research at the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands. He has a Ph.D. in Geoinformation from WageningenUniversity, an MSc in Geographic Information Systems from the Technical University of Catalunya, and a BSc in Environmental Biology from the University of Azuay.
Is an urban theorist and urban storyteller with a background in architecture. Carl serves as the Assistant Director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER)and Assistant Scholar at the School of Architecture at the University of Florida (UF). Brisotto holds a Ph.D. in Design, Construction, and Planning from UF and a Professional Architecture degree from the University IUAV of Venice. At the core of Carla’s research lies the intersection of urbanism and environmental narratives. Her research focuses on productive landscapes and climate change’s asymmetric impacts on population and their places through contemporary and historical lenses. Carla employs storytelling as a research method and works closely with communities within the Florida Resilient Cities Lab to understand the dynamics of spontaneous urban transformation. Currently, Carla is leading the international project “ReclaiMEDLand” funded by the Department of State of the United States of America, APS–Annual Program Statement 2023.
