Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology , Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Progress

CIGIT proposes "water quality system informatics" as an emerging inter-discipline of environmental engineering

17, 2024
The current research paradigm of environmental engineering has the problem of insufficient systems thinking, mainly limited to precise description and regulation of a single link and process in the system, ignoring the dynamic interdependence between them. This research paradigm hinders the information mining and utilization of environmental engineering system, and leads to the disconnection between academic results and engineering practices. Therefore, it is necessary to start from systematic thinking, apply the latest theories and technical methods of data science and artificial intelligence, transform the existing research paradigms, construct corresponding basic theories, technical methods and solutions, and thus open up a new stage of innovative development of environmental engineering discipline.

 

Water pollution control science, as an important component of environmental engineering, its research paradigm is also faces with the above prominent problems. To change the research paradigm of water pollution control science as an entry point to explore the innovative development of environmental engineering disciplines is a practical and effective approach.

 

In recent years, the Water Pollution Process and Prevention Research Center of CIGIT has actively explored the academic forefront and future high point of the development of environmental engineering discipline, establishing a new concept of water quality system: developing the traditional data parameter-based water quality concept into a time function-based water quality concept. This new concept reflects a leap in the understanding of the essential properties of water quality, and lays the theoretical cornerstone for deriving of mathematical operations such as differential equations and state space expressions for water quality system, and developing new technology and methodology for water quality system control.

 

Recently, this center collaborated with teams from Tongji University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Nanjing University to propose Water Quality System Informatics (WQSI). WQSI is an emerging inter-discipline, which is an innovative development of environmental engineering in the information age. This discipline deeply integrates the theories and methods of water quality engineering, information engineering and control engineering, innovates the research paradigm of water quality system, describes the basic architecture of WQSI, including basic concepts, research contents, technical methods, disciplinary characteristics, and prospects, etc. The related achievement was published in the journal "Engineering", titled "Water Quality System Informatics: An Emerging Inter Discipline of Environmental Engineering". The paper also pointed out that taking the lead in building and developing WQSI in China is an inherent requirement of the digital and intelligent transformation of the national industrial form, and it helps to seize the international high point of the development of environmental engineering discipline and has great strategic significance.

 

The work was supported by NSFC and Chongqing Talent-Outstanding Scientists.

 

Link to relevant paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.03.018

 


Relationship diagram of WQSI research content and methods

 


The interdisciplinary characteristics of WQSI