Water Resources Planning Lab., TUAT, Japan 

Research

Balancing Water, Agriculture and Ecosystems!

Water, agriculture and ecosystems are the main research components of this laboratory. We aim to find a balance between the three components for better water resources and ecosystems management for improved agricultural production and enhanced ecosystem services. To this end, field surveys will be conducted and then the observation data are analysed and used for mathematical modelling. Our research can be characterized by two approaches, namely data-driven modelling and process-based modelling. In data-driven modelling, machine learning and computational intelligence are applied in the fields of ecohydraulics, ecoinformatics, hydroinformatics, etc. Process-based modelling is mainly for spatio-temporal modelling of fish behaviour and watershed hydrology, in which machine learning and other data-driven will be used supplementarily. Most of our research topics are based on joint works with domestic and international colleagues.

Data-driven modelling

 Ecohydraulics 

Ecohydraulics is an integrated science, linking hydraulics with ecology. This interdisciplinary approach is highly applicable when understanding the responses of aquatic ecosystems to hydrodynamic conditions in a target site. In ecohydraulics, various modelling approaches are used: for instance, habitat suitability models, hydrodynamic models (1D, 2D, 3D), fish behaviour models (mainly for fish pass studies), etc. With emerging survey technologies such as biotelemetry and ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler), this research field is now advancing in both ecology and engineering. The Water Resources Planning Laboratory employs both equipment for better understanding and modelling aquatic ecology under various hydrodynamic conditions.

 Ecoinformatics 

Ecoinformatics is an emerging research field in which new techniques for data analysis and modelling are being developed. Recent development in machine learning allows for predictive modelling and knowledge extraction useful for a better understanding of target ecosystems or species, contributing to improved management strategies under a given condition. Specifically, we apply various machine learning methods as a data-driven modelling method for habitat suitability assessment, species distribution modelling and the assessment of species invasions.  

 Hydroinforamtics 

Hydroinformatics has devoted to time-series analysis in hydrology such as rainfall-runoff modelling and is one of the major fields where advanced machine learning has been employed. This approach, in general, is more accurate compared to complex process-based models in which large amount of model parameters need to be optimised. Hydroinformatics can thus be a useful tool for short-term forecasting of hydrologic events and water quality dynamics.

 Data-driven modelling of pre-harvest and post-harvest systems 

Improving agricultural productivity is an important step for counteracting the increasing food demands for rapidly growing world population. In addition, food safety has become an emerging concern in globalised food supply chains. The Water Resources Planning Laboratory applies data-driven approaches to better model pre-harvest and post-harvest systems and extract various information useful for improved management systems.

 

Process-based modelling

 Spatiotemporal modelling of fish behaviour 

With spatiotemporal data from advanced biotelemetry surveys, we aims to model fish behaviour under dynamic environments, for which mathematical models based on ecological knowledge will be developed. Model results shall be used for assessing habitat use and migration patterns of target fish species in target rivers and agricultural canals. Numerical simulations will then be made for better management strategies that can balance benefits for human and aquatic ecosystems.

 Hydrologic modelling 

In contrast to the hydroinformatics approach, process-based hydrologic models are useful for understanding the detailed hydrologic processes in a watershed. For instance, hydrologic cycle and water quality dynamics in a watershed are both affected by topographic features and landuse patterns in the watershed. Although there are a lot of model parameters to be optimised in a process-based hydrologic model, such parameters can illustrate hydrologic processes, based on which improved management strategies for landuse planning and agricultural practices can be proposed. We seek for better modelling approaches according to local conditions and data availability in our target systems.

Laboratory

Our laboratory has re-established on February 17, 2014 when Dr. Shinji Fukuda joined TUAT. Thanks to the achievement in the previous phase of this laboratory, we could start research activities right after the restart. We welcome highly motivated and active students. Please come and visit us anytime you want (but, I would highly appreciate if you could send me a message prior to your visit).  Also, please click here to check our activities!!!

Members

	Position	Name	E-mail*	Research
	Professor	Shinji Fukuda TUAT,ORCID	shinji-f	Ecological modelling; Ecoinformatics; Ecohydraulics; *Targeting in and around irrigation and drainage systems
	Postdoctoral researcher	Koji Nishisue		Deep learning and image analysis for tracking insect movement
	Office administrator	Atsuko Hatakeyama		Essential works at the laboratory
	DC3	Yuki Matsuzawa	-	Generalized habitat suitability for Lefua echigonia conservation
	DC2	Yuto Kamiwaki		Advanced sensing system for crop production system
	MS2	Taichi Jibiki		Fish migration in the Yagawa/Fuchu Yosui system
	MS2	Risa Kawashima		Ecohydraulic modelling in rivers
	MS2	Takuma Nishimura		Bird species identification using deep learning
	MS1	Wataru Ishikawa		Image-based underwater monitoring system
	MS1	Tomoya Ohgami		Instream habitat assessment of macroinvertebrates in the Yagawa/Fuchu Yosui system
	UG4	Naoyuki Ishida	-	Habitat suitability modelling of fish in the Yagawa/Fuchu Yosui systems
	UG4	Shunsuke Kodera	-	Underwater monitoring system for small stream
	UG4	Nanami Koto	-	Hydrodynamic modelling of the Yagawa/Fuchu Yosui systems
	UG3/MS1	Join us!!!	-	Balancing Water, Agriculture and Ecosystems!!! Ecohydraulics, Ecoinformatics, Innovative measurement, Data-driven modelling, Irrigation and drainage, etc.

*followed by @cc.tuat.ac.jp

OB/OG

Photo	Position	Name	Research
	MS2	Koki Asano	One-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling and fish habitat assessment considering the impact of Ba Lai gate in the Mekong Delta
	MS2	Taichi Kasahara	Multivariate analysis for the assessment of freshwater fish communities in the Miyara River, Ishigaki Island
	MS2	Akihiro Tanaka	Analyzing the relationships between habitat heterogeneity and fish fauna at different spatial scales
	UG4	Takahiko Kawasaki	2D hydraulic analysis and habitat assessment of freshwater fish in Yagawa River
	UG4	Seitaro Fujii	Water level assessment using a convolutional neural network
	MS2	Grant Thompson	Barrier-driven morphological differentiation of Rhinogobius nagoyae in Kanagawa and Chiba Prefectures, Japan
	MS2	Masato Kondo	An integrated habitat assessment based on fish migration analysis and one-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling
	MS2	Gao Shuo	Quantitative evaluation of water quality improvement by using composite zeolite-based photocatalyst
	MS2	Phen Bunthoeun	Random Forests model to assess the current situation of marine fisheries resources management in small fisheries community, Cambodia
	MS2	Seiya Aihara	Fish habitat assessment based on morphotypes of aquatic vegetation and physical habitat conditions
	UG4	Kan Funakoshi	Assessing the effects of aquatic vegetation on velocity distribution and fish behavior
	UG4	Mayu Shimada	Study on soil water dynamics and vegetation diversity at abandoned rice fields in small valley
	AIMS	Muhammad Hairul Izam Bin K. Abdul Rahman	Aquatic vegetation in the Fuchu Yosui irrigation system
	MS2	Yuki Matsuzawa	Modelling habitat suitability of Lefua echigonia and species coexistence patterns using Random Forests
	UG4	Hideyuki Okano	The applicability of environmental DNA to the estimation of spatial distributions of Japanese eight-barbeled loach (Lefua echigonia)
	UG4	Kurea Kawai	Ultrasonic biotelemetry for assessing spatial distributions and behaviors of freshwater fish in a small stream
	UG4	Eriko Marukawa	Data-driven fish habitat assessment using fine-scale hydraulic data
	UG4	Kosei Aoki	Quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of habitat restoration based on the critical swimming speed of Lefua echigonia
	AIMS	Amira L Safira	Community-based management of a reservoir
	UG4	Shiho Saito	Random forests as a tool for modelling range-expanding mammal species distributions in Japan
	UG4	Satoshi Onoue	Assessing genetic disturbance by Pseudorasbora Parva and its functional responses
	Postdoctoral Researcher	Mitsuru Ohira	Biodiversity, freshwater fish, macroinvertebrates
	SSSV (2015)	Giulia Lembo Caterina	Efficient Eucalyptus production under climate change (Application of Random Forests for water use estimation)

Publications and Academic Activities

Please find the links below for our achievement (partly in Japanese).

• Papers (peer-reviewed) [Journal, Conference]
• Papers (without peer-review) [Journal, Conference]
• Books, reports and invited talks [link]
• Conferences [International, Domestic]
• Awards [link]
• Research funds [link]
• Academic activities [link] 

Lab. Activities

Please check here.

Access

Water Resources Planning Laboratory
Division of Environmental and Agricultural Engineering,
Institute of Agriculture
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Address:

3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
 (Fuchu Campus, Building 3, Room 311)

See TUAT Website for access information.