GEMM International Network
The impacts of climate change on natural and human environments are creating a growing need for decision-makers to have more accurate and timely environmental measurements and forecasting models. In response, Optica and the American Geophysical Union are jointly sponsoring the Global Environmental Measurement and Monitoring (GEMM) Network. By establishing regional hubs around the world who will work locally and collaborate globally, the GEMM Network will enhance the role of environmental measurement and monitoring by building connections between scientists, practitioners, and policymakers.
GEMM at University of Waterloo
As a part of the GEMM Network, the University of Waterloo will start by building and fostering collaborations between our scientists developing sensing technologies and those measuring the environment. By bringing together researchers from different faculties and areas of expertise, we will explore challenges with environmental measurements and how sensing technologies could be developed or adapted to address those challenges. Examples include lowering sensor costs, increasing robustness in the field and continuous, real-time measurement capabilities. We will work with policy-makers and other end-users to find gaps in environmental data on and off campus and explore how sensing technologies could be deployed to inform climate policy and action.