Department of Computer

Science

The Role of Data Science in Environmental

General Report

Marihan Abdelrady
Samira Gamal
Menna Elzahaby
Salma Ahmed
Salma Abdelhamid
Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) have shown tremendous potential in driving
sustainability across various sectors. This paper reviews recent advancements in AI and DL and
explores their applications in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), renewable energy,
environmental health, and smart building energy management. As cities and urban areas play a
central role in fostering sustainable development and improving quality of life. However, many
face an acute shortage of accurate, timely, and useful information, limiting their ability to develop
sound, informed policies. Recent advancements in data technologies have opened the door to
accelerated urban data generation, creating an enabling environment for urban monitoring,
reporting, and informing actions toward sustainable urban development. Public and private sector
urban development actors have collaborated on developing data tools for urban monitoring based
on standardized indicator frameworks, geospatial and AI technologies, and urban data
management systems like the Urban Observatory Model.

Table of Contents

Abstract i
1.Introduction 1
2.Understanding Environmental Sustainability 2
3.Data Science Techniques and Methods 2
4.Machine Learning Models for Environmental Sustainability 3
5.Applications in Environmental Sustainability 3
5.1 Climate Change Modeling 4
5.2 Renewable Energy 4-5
6.Challenges and Opportunities 5
7.Conclusion 6
8.Bibliography 6
i
 1. Introduction

Deep learning (DL) and artificial intelligence (AI) are game-changing technologies that have enormous
promise to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to a thorough examination of
how AI affects the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development's 17 objectives and 169 targets, AI might
help meet 128 of the SDGs' ambitions. It may, however, also block 58 objectives, highlighting the
necessity of using these technologies with caution and ethics.

AI has transformed industries including agriculture, education, and finance in the framework of
Industry 4.0, reducing poverty and promoting economic expansion. The contribution of AI-supported
Digital Twin (DT) applications and 3D concrete printing (3DCP) to the attainment of the pertinent
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN has been investigated in the field of
sustainable infrastructure. Future work has been suggested as developing a consistent conceptual
framework for utilizing AI-supported DT federations.

Analysis of AI's effects on SDGs has led to some basic conclusions about ESG (climate, social, and
governance) in the face of rapid societal and technological development. In order to analyze how AI
affects sustainable development, with an emphasis on the advancement of the SDGs (sustainable
development goals), the perspectives of ecological, social, and public strategy have been combined
However, there are hazards to achieving the SDGs from the unchecked use of AI technologies

2. Understanding Environmental Sustainability

The understanding of the connections between ecosystems and humans for the provision of life
sustaining services is known as environmental sustainability. In exchange, it conveys how humans
affect ecosystems. The idea of sustainability is becoming less and less recognized as a practical
approach to biodiversity, natural resource conservation, and other life supporting systems. A system
of relationships between living things and the ecosystems in which they live which rely on soil, water,
air, and other environmental resources is known as environmental sustainability. Additionally, it is
directly related to the socioeconomic status of living things. Because without a sustainable productive
environment that serves as the foundation for resources, it is challenging to establish a sustainable
society. The sustainable movement of material, energy, and environmental resources is also essential
to a sustainable economic system. As a result, a sustainable ecosystem is independent of social and
economic systems and can function as a standalone sustainable environmental system.

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 3. Data Science Techniques and Method

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific processes, methods, algorithms, and
systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. We can say in simple
way that data science is about collecting, processing, and analyzing data to gain insights for many
purposes. Also, data is widely considered a crucial resource in different organizations across every
industry. So, Data Science can be described as a separate field of work that deals with the management
and processing of data using statistical methods, artificial intelligence, and other tools like machine
learning, which is a subset of data science, concentrating on creating and implementing algorithms
that let machines learn from and make decisions based on data partnership with domain specialists.
Also, Information visualization plays an important role in this process as it increases the accessibility
of data by making it easier to understand and efficiently represents data as a visual story. The use of
data analytical methods in conjunction with information visualization techniques in the climate change
domain is relatively new. In brief data science has a lot of benefits like resource allocation,
performance evaluation, and process automation which make it play an important role in
environmental sustainability

4. Machine Learning Models for Environmental Sustainability

The resources available to public entities that seek to implement environmental regulations are
limited. So, machine-learning techniques can guide the effective use of these few resources while
taking practical issues like system gaming and institutional limitations into consideration. Here, we
forecast the probability that a facility would fail a water pollution inspection and suggest alternate
inspection schedules that would focus on sites that represent a high risk. Compared to existing
procedures, implementing such a data-driven inspection allocation might find more than seven times
as many problems. Our reallocation regimes quadruple the number of breaches found by inspections
when we apply restrictions, like ensuring a minimum likelihood of inspection for all facilities and
taking state-level variations in inspection expenditures into consideration. Public bodies can improve
their regulatory efficacy and address environmental problems by utilizing the growing volumes of
electronic data. The prudent application of predictive analytics can increase the useful reach of few
resources, even though using algorithm-based resource allocation rules necessitates caution to prevent
manipulation and accidental error spread Few studies have looked at the effects over the full life cycle of a

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photovoltaic system. As a result, every environmental concern related to solar PV energy generation is covered
in great detail in the analysis that follows.

In addition to building a machine learning model that use Regression Kriging to ascertain the
radiative energy flux on Earth's surface, we expect that the installation of solar panels will help us
accomplish our goal of environmental sustainability. A model that combines data modeling and
statistical analysis is given a variety of inputs to estimate environmental sustainability. The findings
indicate that when the model's environmental sustainability is tested, the simulation is more

5. Applications in Environmental Sustainability

Data science techniques are used to study the effects of climate change on marine biology, land
use and restoration, From machine learning to data visualization. Food systems, patterns of change in
vector borne diseases, and other climate related issues. And the interrelationship between data science
and climate studies, that describes how sustainability climate issues can be solved using the Big Data
tools. So we can consider data science as a powerful tool to help researchers understand the
uncertainties and ambiguities inherent in data, to identify interventions, strategies, and solutions that
realize benefits for humanity and the environment, and to evaluate the multiple and sometimes
conflicting goals of decision makers.

5.1 Climate Change Modeling

Climate change is a huge issue today, for which databased models and decision support
techniques offer a valuable understanding of its complexity. In 2015 the United Nations declared
17 sustainable development goals, of which SDG13 is about Take urgent action to combat climate
and its impacts, UN and the Paris Agreement has been signed, that concerning the mitigation of
greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation and finance in 2015 with the specific aim of keeping global
average temperature rises with lower level than the average. So they pay a lot of attention to Big
Data-based tools that are already widespread in this new complex science to monitor seasonal
changes in climate change, understand climate change as a theory guided data science paradigm,
and learn how to manage the risks of climate change. Today, it is obvious that sustainability science
is intertwined with data science, however, with the support of the business model of the circular
economy, the complexity of the problem repository has increased, so there is an urgent need to
include data and analysis methods in the framework.

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 An improved understanding of risk interactions and dynamics is required to support decision
makers in their ability to better control current and for climate change risks. To deal with this issue
the research community has been starting to test new methodological approaches and tools,
including the application of Machine Learning which leveraging the potential of the large
availability and variety of patio temporal big data for environmental applications. The resulting
output from the analysis showed that a huge variety of ML algorithms have been already applied
within Climate Change Risk Assessment among them, the most recurrent are Decision Tree,
Random Forest, and Artificial Neural Network.

5.2 Renewable Energy

Energy researchers have begun to engage machine learning techniques to as from transmission
from renewable energy to fossil fuels sources is a critical global challenge and it acquire advances
such as the devices, materials and systems levels for the efficient harvesting, storage, conversion
and management of renewable energy So, we introduce a set of key performance indicators with
which to compare the benefits of different machine learning accelerated workflows for energy
research. We discuss and evaluate the latest advances in applying machine learning to the
development of energy harvesting, batteries, electrocatalysis and smart grids. In this perspective
sustainable energy research and suitable material candidates like photovoltaic materials must first
be chosen from the combinatorial space of possible materials, then synthesized at an enough yield
and quality for use in devices like solar panels. The time frame of a representative materials
discovery process takes several years, leaving considerable room for improvement. Furthermore,
the devices must be optimized for robustness and reproducibility to be incorporated into energy
systems as in solar farms.

where management of energy usage and generation patterns is needed to further guarantee
commercial success Here, we explore the extent to which machine learning techniques can help to
address many of these issues. Machine learning models can be used to predict specific properties
of new materials without the need for costly characterization, they can generate new material
structures with applicable properties, they can understand patterns in renewable energy usage and
generation; and they can help to inform energy policy by optimizing energy management at both
device and grid levels. In this Perspective, we introduce XPIs Acceleration Performance Indicators,
which can be used to measure the effectiveness of platforms developed for accelerated energy
materials discovery.

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 Figure.1: Statistical Analysis for the Application of Data Science in Climate and Energy

6.0 Challenges and Opportunities

Even though data science has a lot of potential to improve environmental sustainability there is a
number of obstacles prevent its broad use. The availability and quality of data are among the main
problems. It is frequently challenging to produce precise models or forecasts due to the scant
inconsistent or low resolution nature of environmental data. in addition, the massive volumes of data
produced by sensors, satellites, and other sources can result in data overload, necessitating the use of
up-to-date processing and analysis tools. Additionally, ethical issues come up especially with regard
to privacy and the use of sensitive or personal data in environmental monitoring. Furthermore, because
environmental sustainability encompasses intricate scientific, economic, and social variables and
successful solutions necessitate expertise across multiple domains, interdisciplinary collaboration is
essential. Since governments and organizations must embrace data driven approaches, which may lead
to opposition or a lack of funding, integrating data science into policy making and decision-making
processes continue to be difficult. Finally, cost and scalability are major issues due to its
implementation of largescale data science solutions that can be costly. Especially for small scale
environmental projects or in developing countries. To achieve data science's promises in promoting
sustainable habits, we need to solve these problems.

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 7.0 Conclusion

Although data science has a lot of potential to improve environmental sustainability, there are a
number of major barriers that prevent its broad use. Inconsistent, scarce, or low resolution data make
it challenging to develop precise models or projections, therefore the availability and quality of
environmental data continue to be major obstacles. in addition, the sheer amount of data produced by
several sources, including sensors and satellites, can be too much for present processing and analysis
capabilities, requiring sophisticated tools to manage efficiently. Its application in environmental
monitoring is also hampered by ethical issues, notably those pertaining to privacy and the handling of
sensitive data. in addition, because environmental problems are complex, interdisciplinary cooperation
is necessary to find solutions that incorporate knowledge from multiple disciplines, including science,
economics, and society. A lack of awareness of the advantages of data driven initiatives is the reason why
governments and organizations are reluctant to use them. Also, large scale data science solutions' exorbitant
prices and scalability issues pose serious obstacles, particularly for small scale initiatives or in impoverished
nations. These problems must be solved via innovation, legislative backing, and cross border cooperation if
data science is to reach its full potential in promoting sustainable habits.

8.0 Bibliography

Villanueva, D. J. B., Ong, A. K. S., & German, J. D. (2024). Machine learning methods analysis of preceding
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Yigitcanlar, T., & Cugurullo, F. (2020). The Sustainability of Artificial Intelligence: An Urbanistic Viewpoint
from the Lens of Smart and Sustainable Cities. Sustainability, 12(20), 8548.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208548

Jay, C., Yu, Y., Crawford, I., Archer-Nicholls, S., James, P., Gledson, A., Shaddick, G., Haines, R.,
Lannelongue, L., Lines, E., Hosking, S., & Topping, D. (2024). Prioritize environmental sustainability in use
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Balaprakash, P., & Dunn, J. B. (2021). Overview of data science and sustainability analysis. In Elsevier
eBooks (pp. 1–14). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-817976-5.00001-2