Dr. Avit K. Bhowmik
http://avitbhowmik.ml/
Research topic
Human and ecological impacts of freshwater degradation on large spatial scales
See here for the project description. In addition, I have been engaged in several small and large scale research projects since 2009. See the research & project section of my homepage for details on current and completed projects.
Background
I obtained a joint European universities M.Sc. degree in Geospatial Technologies through an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, and a B.Sc. degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. Before starting my PhD research, I taught GIS courses at the Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi), University of Münster, Germany. While studying for my bachelor's, I started working as a project assistant in a German Research Foundation (DFG) supported research project conducted by the Faculty of Spatial Planning (rp), Technical University of Dortmund, Germany and continued until I started studying for my master's. After my bachelor's, I worked as an assistant town planner for a year in the Concorde Land Development Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh. To access my curriculum vitae, please visit my homepage.
Research interests
My main research concerns
- Geographic information science and systems (GIS)
- Spatial statistics
- Spatial ecology
- Freshwater
- Climate
Teaching & Tutorials
I teach the following course at the "International Summer Academy on Spatial Ecotoxicology and Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment-Using an Open Community Approach", supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and organized by the Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany.
- Spatial(-Temporal) Interpolation with R, taught in 2013 and 2014
I am regularly teaching the following courses at the Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany.
- GIS Application, taught in winter semesters of 2013 and 2014
- GIS Projects for Advanced, taught in winter semesters of 2013 and 2014
Previously, I taught the following courses at the Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi), University of Münster, Germany.
- Developing Demonstrators for Core Concepts of Spatial Information, taught in the summer semester of 2012
- Introduction to Digital Cartography, taught in the summer semester of 2012
- Reference Systems for Geographic Information, taught in the summer semester of 2012
For the detailed course description and materials, please visit my homepage.
Software
An important part of my research is developing open-source (geo)scientific tools. I am the main contributor of the following software/algorithm/R packages.
- SSTP: Spatially Shifting Temporal Points. An article on SSTP is currently under interactive peer review as an open discussion paper.
- ATRIC: automated Accumulation Threshold selection and RIparian Corridor delineation. See here for details.
You can access my software and follow their development via my GItHub repositories.
Publications on PhD research
Schreiner, Verena C.; Szöcs, Eduard; Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Vijver, Martina G.; Schäfer, Ralf B. (2016): Pesticide mixtures in streams of several European countries and the USA. In: Science of the Total Environment. Bd. 573. S. 680-689.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Alamdar, Ambreen; Katsoyiannis, Ioannis; Shen, Heqing; Ali, Nadeem; Ali, Syeda Maria; Bokhari, Habib; Schäfer, Ralf B.; Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah (2015): Mapping human health risks from exposure to trace metal contamination of drinking water sources in Pakistan. In: Science of the Total Environment. Bd. 538. S. 306-316.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Metz, Markus; Schäfer, Ralf B. (2015): An automated, objective and open source tool for stream threshold selection and upstream riparian corridor delineation. In: Environmental Modelling Software. Bd. 63. S. 240-250.
Bhowmik, A. K.; Schäfer, Ralf B. (2015): Large Scale Relationship between Aquatic Insect Traits and Climate. In: PLOS One. Bd. 10. Nr. 6. S. e0130025.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Costa, Ana Cristina (2014): Representativeness impacts on accuracy and precision of climate spatial interpolation in data-scarce regions. In: Meteorological Applications.
Bhowmik, A. K.; Costa, A. C. (2014): Data Scarcity or low Representativeness?: What hinders accuracy and precision of spatial interpolation of climate data?. In: Huerta , J. G.; Schade, S.; Granell, C. C. : Connecting a Digital Europe through Location and Place. Castellón, Spain:
Bhowmik, A. K.; Metz, M. ; Schäfer, Ralf B. (2014): Reproducible, Automated and Objective Stream Threshold Selection and Upstream Riparian Corridor Delineation from Digital Elevation Models. In: Computing for Geospatial Research and Application (COM.Geo). Washington, DC, USA: IEEE . S. 43-46.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2013): Industries’ Location as Jeopardy for Sustainable Urban Development in Asia: A Review of the Bangladesh Leather Processing Industry Relocation Plan. In: Environment and Urbanization Asia. Bd. 4. Nr. 1. S. 93-119.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2013): Cyclone Sidr Impacts on the Sundarbans Floristic Diversity. In: Earth Science Research. Bd. 2. Nr. 2. S. 62-79.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2013): Temporal Patterns of the Two-Dimensional Spatial Trends in Summer Temperature and Monsoon Precipitation of Bangladesh. In: ISRN Atmospheric Sciences. Bd. 2013. S. 1-16.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Cabral, Pedro (2013): Space-Time Variability of Summer Temperature Field over Bangladesh during 1948-2007. Murgante, Beniamino; Misra , Sanjay ; Carlini , Maurizio ; Torre, Carmelo M. ; Nguyen , Hong-Quang ; Taniar, David ; Apduhan, Bernady O.; Gervasi , Osvaldo: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Bd. 7974. Nr. 0302-9743. S. 120-135.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2012): Environmental Sustainability vs. Political Decision: A Review of the Bangladesh Leather Processing Industry Relocation Plan. In: Rosen, Marc A.: The 2nd World Sustainability Forum. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2012): A Comparison of Bangladesh Climate Surfaces from the Geostatistical Point of View. In: ISRN Meteorology. Bd. 2012. Nr. 353408. S. 20.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Costa, Ana C. (2012): A Geostatistical Approach to the Seasonal Precipitation Effect on Boro Rice Production in Bangladesh. In: International Journal of Geosciences. Bd. 3. Nr. 3. S. 443-462.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Cabral, P. (2011): Damage and Post-cyclone Regeneration Assessment of the Sundarbans Botanic Biodiversity caused by the Cyclone Sidr. In: Rosen, Marc A.; Grimmer, Sascha: 1st World Sustainability Forum. Basel, Switzerland:
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Cabral, Pedro (2011): Statistical Evaluation of Spatial Interpolation Methods for Small-Sampled Region: A Case Study of Temperature Change Phenomenon in Bangladesh. In: Mugante, B.; Gervasi, O.; Iglesias, A.; Taniar, D.; Apduhan, Bernady O.: COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ITS APPLICATIONS - ICCSA 2011 Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer. Bd. 6782/2011. S. 44-59.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Islam, Samiul M. (2009): Environmental concerns regarding Hazaribagh tannery area and present relocation scenario. In: Hafiz, R.: Nagar Shoilee. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology . Bd. 4. S. 33-41.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2009): Application of GIS in Rural Settlement Development. An Approach towards Identification of Locations for Compact Towns. In: Hafiz, R.: Nagar Shoilee. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology . Bd. 4. S. 128-135.
Bhowmik, Avit Kumar (2008): Buriganga pollution: reasons prospects. In: Murtoza, M. G.: Environment and Urban development: share your ideas and experiences. Khulna, Bangladesh: S. 15-26.
A full list of my publications is available in google scholar, researchgate, my homepage and the publication list of our working group.
Talks on PhD research
5. Bhowmik A. K., Schäfer, R. B. July 5-10, 2015. Are aerial dispersers good adapters? Association of large scale spatial autocorrelation of semiaquatic insect trait distribution with climate. In 9th Symposium of European Freshwater Sciences - SEFS 9, Geneva, Switzerland.
4. Bhowmik, A. K., Alamdar, A., Katsoyiannis, I., Shen, H., Ali, N., Ali, M., Bokhari, H., Schäfer, R. B., Eqani., S. A. M. A. S. June 9-12, 2015. Mapping human risk from contamination of drinking water sources in developing countries. In Spatial Statistics: Emerging Patterns, Avignon, France.
3. Bhowmik, A. K., and Schäfer, R. B. September 17-18, 2014. Large Scale Climate-Response of German Stream Macroinvertebrate Traits. In the International Conference on Chemical, Environment & Biological Sciences (CEBS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2. Bhowmik, Avit K., Metz, M., and Schäfer, Ralf B. February 2014. ATRIC: Automated Accumulation Threshold selection and RIparian Corridor delineation. Invited talk at the Department of System Ecotoxicoloy, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Germany.
1. Bhowmik, A. K., and Schäfer, R. B. September 9-13, 2013. Responses of Ecological Traits to Climate on Large Spatial Scales. In the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Potsdam, Germany.