CSFV A goDIVA

Partner 15

Partner 15: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)

Institute

The UFZ is dedicated to interdisciplinary research regarding interactions between man and environment. UFZ is involved in numerous national and international research networks, and in initiatives aiming at policy advice. The Department of Ecological Modelling (OESA) of the UFZ is one of the largest groups of applied modellers world-wide and consists of more than 30 staff members graduated in different disciplines. In national and international co-operations, OESA developed more than 300 models for practical management advice and decision support. The group was chosen as EU Marie Curie Training Site for Ecological Modelling, and performs regular knowledge transfer courses with national and international participants. The conceptual research resulted in mile-stones solving epistemological problems related to efficient development of secure, robust and applicable bottom-up expert models using available modelling technique (i.e. pattern-oriented modelling, structural realism, visual-debugging, ODD-protocol). The OESA-team addresses the interference of human society's interests and harmful pathogens. The project group Ecological Epidemiology (EcoEpi) applies models to understand large scale epidemic spread and its control based on the behavioural decisions of individual entities. The model philosophy supports risk assessment, decision making under uncertainty, evaluation of management measures and policy advice. The developed model software resulted in guidelines and strategic adoptions of national, EU and WHO health management programs

Expertise

Since more than 10 years the UFZ modelling group supports national and international authorities and epidemiological research institutions by provision of decision support tools, quantitative aspects of risk assessment studies and model based evaluation of control alternatives in disease management in both wild-life and domestic animals. The OESA as research institution of the UFZ provides the background of sophisticated and state-of-the-art modelling which underpins expected quality of the applied models with respect to technical suitability and methodological soundness. Long-lasting and intense experience of collaboration with non-modellers in expert teams for any of the research projects of the OESA allows for meeting the multi-disciplinary complexity of the tasks addressed by the project. The rule-based frame work of expert modelling used in the OESA's lab is most ideal for solving efficiently management-oriented problems in disease control planning and optimisation of contingency strategies.

Role and contribution in the project

Research activities will focus primarily on work package 6,7 in addition to WP 1,4,8 and 9

Principal scientific and technical personnel

Hans-Hermann Thulke, PhD, Mathematician, Coordinator of EcoEpi project group
Stephanie Kramer-Schadt, PhD, geographic modeller
Andreas Thiele, computer expert
Heike Reichelt, librarian

Contact

Contact person for the project: