18 – 22 July 2016

Information pack for participants

The aims of the International Environmetrics Society Conference TIES aims to foster the development and use of statistical and quantitative methods in the environmental sciences, and emphasises the role of collaboration between statisticians, mathematicians, scientists and engineers in finding solutions to problems in environmental monitoring, engineering and protection.

Contents

Venue maps Introduction Programme Conference events Excursions in Useful information

An introduction and welcome from Ron Smith, President TIES

As President of the International Environmetrics Society (TIES), I welcome you to the 26th TIES conference in Edinburgh, , on 18th - 22nd July 2016. The city has a relatively quiet period now with the schools on holiday and the major international festivals only starting in August, so it is a good opportunity to see the sights and soak up the atmosphere, hopefully without too much rain.

There is a really exciting conference programme with 132 oral or poster presentations covering a very wide range of environmetrics topics. There are many countries represented at the conference and there will be good opportunities to forge new relationships and develop international research – maybe an important consideration in post-referendum Britain. The opening plenary talk uses telemetry data to deduce animal movement patterns and the closing plenary looks at the role of Bayesian priors in real- world environmental problems including conservation of threatened species. We also look at spatial patterns in environmental influences on human health in two plenaries, one on more general population environmental exposure and the other specifically looking at particulates and pregnancy outcomes. The complexity of human-environmental interactions is addressed in the remaining plenary which considers the concept of “integrated risk” and how it may transform our current sustainable development dialogue. Continuing a sustainability theme, the Internet of things for resilient rural landscapes is also discussed in a panel session.

There are three award presentations: Abdel El-Shaarawi Young Researcher Award talk on Monday and a new award, the Wiley-TIES Best Environmental Paper Award with two talks on Friday, as both the 2014 and 2015 awards have plenary slots at this conference. I have introduced a parallel special session on Wednesday morning as a trial idea with Erin Peterson and Andrew Lawson running workshop style sessions with some hands on or group activity, you have a choice between “Merging mixed realities and statistical models to improve conservation” and “Bayesian Modelling of spatial health data with INLA”.

The social side is not forgotten, and we have two evening events. The poster reception on Tuesday evening with wine and nibbles will be followed by an introduction to Scottish fare and entertainment in a ceilidh setting. Traditional Scottish fiddle music will be provided by a local 3-piece band, Heeliegoleerie, food will be typical haggis, neeps and tatties and there will be a bar open until 10pm, so we hope you come and enjoy one of our cultural traditions. The formal dinner will be held on Thursday evening at the University of Edinburgh’s Playfair Library in Old College. Old College was designed originally by Robert Adam and foundations laid in 1789, but he died before works were completed. Following the Napoleonic Wars, William Playfair took on the completion of the project in 1816 making his own alterations to the plans. The Playfair Library functioned as a central resource for the University from the 1820s to 1960s, and the room is regarded as one of Scotland’s finest public rooms. Wednesday afternoon is free for conference participants to explore the city and surrounding countryside, either in your own groups or joining a number of excursions that will be made available.

As I said in my announcement of the conference, the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century was a significant period of intellectual and scientific discussion shaping Scotland’s development, with many renowned scholars asserting the importance of human reason to justify new ideas and developments. One who benefitted from the ensuing freedom of thought was Thomas Bayes, who came to study in Edinburgh in 1719. Let us try to take forward that tradition of free thought and enjoy coming together to take our subject forward.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Conference has been made possible by the work of a number of people.

LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Ron Smith Ayesha Ali Marian Scott Liliane Bel Mark Brewer Grace Chiu Richard Chandler Richard Chandler Jan Dick Peter Craigmile David Elston Jan Dick Gavin Gibson Alessandro Fasso Rosalba Ignaccio Lelys Bravo de Guenni Ruth King Giovanna Jona Lasinio Duncan Lee Jorge Mateu Audrey McCrorie Erin Peterson Claire Miller Alexandra Schmidt Alastair Rushworth Marian Scott Jane Walker Ron Smith Thordis Thorarinsdottir

The organisers would like to acknowledge contributions to the conference from:

Chapman & Hall Shell Statistics and Chemometrics Edinburgh Convention Bureau Springer Environmetrics SECURE network Heriot-Watt University The University of Edinburgh ICMS The University of Glasgow Minitab Tunnock’s Royal Bank of Scotland Urban Big Data Centre Royal Statistical Society

TIES 2016 AT-A-GLANCE - PLEASE REFER TO THE C0MPLETE PROGRAMME FOR DETAILS MONDAY 18 TUESDAY 19 WEDNESDAY 20 THURSDAY 21 FRIDAY 22 8.00 08.30-09.00 REGISTRATION 09.00 - 09.15 WELCOME JAMES WATT 9.00 AUDITORIUM. 0915 - 10.30 Mevin Hooten 09.00-10.30 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER 08.45-10.45 SPECIAL EVENT; PLEASE 09.00-10.30 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO 08.45-10.15 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER A progression in G TO PROGRAMME REFER TO PROGRAMME PROGRAMME TO PROGRAMME

10.00 10.30 - 11.00 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 10.30 - 11.00 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 10.30 - 11.00 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 10.30 - 11.00 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 110.15-10.45 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES WATT FOYER WATT FOYER WATT FOYER WATT FOYER WATT FOYER 10.45-11.45: Wiley-TIES Best 11.00 11.00-12.30 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO 11.00-12.30STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO 11.00-12.30 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER 11.00-12.30 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO Environmetrics Paper Award JAMES PROGRAMME PROGRAMME TO PROGRAMME PROGRAMME WATT AUDITORIUM 11.45-13.00 J STUART HUNTER 12.00 12.30-13.15 PLENARY PANEL LECTURE JAMES WATT AUDITORIUM 12.30 - 13.45 LUNCH JAMES WATT DISCUSSION JAMES WATT Kerrie Mengerson: Priors and 12.30 - 13.30 LUNCH JAMES WATT FOYER FOYER AUDITORIUM 12.30 - 13.45 LUNCH JAMES WATT FOYER Problems 13.30-14.00 TIES 2016 Abdel El-Shaarawi Young Researcher's Award James Watt 13.00-13.05 CLOSING REMARKS 13.00 Auditorium 13.15-14.00 LUNCH JAMES WATT followed by LUNCH JAMES WATT 13.45-15.00 PLENARY LECTURE FOYER 13.45 - 15.00 SECURE NETWORK LECTURE: FOYER 14.00-15.00 PLENARY LECTURE Andrew Nathaniel Newlands: Statistics in the FREE AFTERNOON Brian Reich: Dynamic Spatial temporal 14.00 Lawson: Environmental Exposure Cognitive/Risk Era modeling of the impact of air pollution on Assessment in Spatial Health Modeling tant? adverse pregnancy outcomes END OF CONFERENCE 15.00-15.30 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 15.00-15.30 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 15.00-15.30 TEA AND COFFEE JAMES 15.00 WATT FOYER WATT FOYER WATT FOYER 15.30-17.00 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO 15.30-17.00 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER 15.30-17.00 STREAMS: PLEASE REFER TO 16.00 PROGRAMME TO PROGRAMME PROGRAMME 17.00-18.00 AGM JAMES WATT 17.00 AUDITORIUM FREE TIME 18.00

18.00 - 19.30 POSTERS AND WINE 19.00 RECEPTION POSTER WALKWAY & JAMES CONFERENCE DINNER: THE PLAYFAIR WATT FOYER LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 20.00 19.30 -22.00 SCOTTISH 21.00 ENTERTAINMENT JAMES WATT FOYER 22.00

IDEAS FOR EXCURSIONS

On Wednesday afternoon you can explore some of the wonderful attractions Edinburgh has to offer. Here are a few suggestions. All these museums and galleries are located centrally.

Edinburgh Castle www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk Scottish National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy / Scottish National Portrait Gallery / Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art www.nationalgalleries.org National Museum of Scotland www.nms.ac.uk The Palace of Holyroodhouse www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

Rabbie’s City Tours: A 1.5 hour city tour by bus https://www.rabbies.com/en/tour-scotland/city-tours/edinburgh-city-tours Use code ICM1219 to receive a 10% discount when booking

Royal Mile A walk down the Royal Mile from the Castle to Holyrood allows you to explore Edinburgh’s fascinating history with a number of attractions, museums and interesting buildings for you to stop and explore.

HIghlights include: Camera Obscura www.camera-obscura.co.uk The Scotch Whisky Experience www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Gladstone’s Land www.nts.org.uk/Property/Gladstones-Land/ St Giles Cathedral www.stgilescathedral.org.uk The Real Mary King’s Close www.realmarykingsclose.com Scottish Storytelling Centre and John Knox’s House Museum of Edinburgh, Museum of Childhood, the Writers Museum and The People’s Story www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk There are two very pretty gardens to visit at Trunk’s Close (just before John Knox’s House) and Dunbar’s Close (just past the )

Calton Hill From the East End of Princes Street you can reach Calton Hill. This is an excellent viewpoint to look out over Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the surrounding countryside. There are a number of interesting buildings to explore on the hill. There is the unfinished National Monument (modelled on the Parthenon) built to commemorate Scottish soldiers and sailors who died in the Napoleonic Wars but funds ran out before it was completed. It is colloquially known as “Edinburgh’s Disgrace”. There is also the old and the telescope-shaped building is the Nelson Monument. It is worth paying the small admission fee to climb this tower. . There are monuments to the mathematician John Playfair and the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher and mathematician Dugald Stewart.

The New Town Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town of elegant, sandstone terraces and crescents is worth exploring. A good starting place is Charlotte Square at the west end of George Street. Number 7 is The Georgian House which is open to the public and worth a visit to learn about life in the New Town. www.nts.org.uk/Property/Georgian-House Nearby at 14 India Street is the birthplace of James Clerk Maxwell. There is also a statue of Maxwell at the east end of George Street.

Arthur’s Seat and The slumbering lion of Arthur’s Seat dominates Edinburgh. This long-extinct volcano is a lovely place to exercise and to gain even more extensive views over the Firth of Forth, the city and far beyond. As well as the peak (251m) you can walk the 5km route round the hill, walk the Radical Road under Salisbury Crags which famously helped James Hutton develop his “Theory of the Earth’ in 1788. If you want a longer walk you can carry on down to the pretty Duddingston Village and be rewarded with a pint at the oldest pub in Edinburgh The Sheep Heid Inn. Also in Duddingston Village is the delightful Dr Nell’s Garden.