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Geographical big data and data mining: A new opportunity for “water-energy-food” nexus analysis

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Abstract

Since the Bonn 2011 conference, the “water-energy-food” (WEF) nexus has aroused global concern to promote sustainable development. The WEF nexus is a complex, dynamic, and open system containing interrelated and interdependent elements. However, the nexus studies have mainly focused on natural elements based on massive earth observation data. Human elements (e.g., society, economy, politics, culture) are described insufficiently, because traditional earth observation technologies cannot effectively perceive socioeconomic characteristics, especially human feelings, emotions, and experiences. Thus, it is difficult to simulate the complex WEF nexus. With the development of earth observation sensor technologies and human activity perception methods, geographical big data covering both human activities and natural elements offers a new opportunity for in-depth WEF nexus analysis. This study proposes a five-step framework by leveraging geographical big data mining to dig for the hidden value in the data of various natural and human elements. This framework can enable a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the WEF nexus. Some application examples of the framework, major challenges, and possible solutions are discussed. Geographical big data mining is a promising approach to enhance the analysis of the WEF nexus, strengthen the coordinated management of resources and sectors, and facilitate the progress toward sustainable development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest Land and Resources Research Center, Global Regional and Urban Research Institute, Institute of Transport Geography and Spatial Planning, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China

    Jie Yang, Xiaoshu Cao & Zhewen Kang

  2. Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Valley Water Diversion Project Construction Co. Ltd., Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, 710010, China

    Jun Yao

  3. State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Jianxia Chang & Yimin Wang

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  1. Jie Yang
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  2. Xiaoshu Cao
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  3. Jun Yao
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  4. Zhewen Kang
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  5. Jianxia Chang
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  6. Yimin Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaoshu Cao.

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Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.52209030; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, No.GK202207005; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No.2023M732163; Shaanxi Province Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No.2023BSHYDZZ110

Author: Yang Jie (1991–), Assistant Researcher, specialized in water-energy-food nexus and water resources management.

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Yang, J., Cao, X., Yao, J. et al. Geographical big data and data mining: A new opportunity for “water-energy-food” nexus analysis. J. Geogr. Sci. 34, 203–228 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-024-2202-6

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