A Data Driven Scientific Approach to Environmental Probes

The development of an Environmental Science is strongly connected with the long term observation of wild environmental systems, which are usually situated far from immediate reach. Environmental systems have as basic elements ecosystems that are difficult to delineate since their boundaries and dynamical regime change over time. This paper discusses the concept of environmental probes and their use in inaccessible regions, e.g., remote sites in the Amazon forest. The focus is on their ability to track environmental systems for long periods and produce useful scientific data. A dynamic data scientific approach is essential to our concept due to (a) the remote location of sensors and the many years span of observation processes, (b) the necessary dynamical creation and adaptation of environmental models to uncover environmental features, and (c) the partial substitution of human abilities concerning maintenance and the identification of novelties.