Project Details
National Science Foundation
The Building Capacity on the Eastern Shore project is an interdisciplinary initiative funded by a $5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Coastlines and People (CoPe) grant. Led by the UVA Environmental Institute alongside regional partners, the project addresses critical information gaps to improve climate adaptation and resilience in rural coastal Virginia. The Biocomplexity Institute leverages its expertise in network systems science and high-performance computing to develop advanced digital twins of the region. By combining computational modeling with privacy-preserving synthetic populations, these digital twins simulate how localized threats like saltwater intrusion and storm flooding interact with regional human networks. This predictive engine powers an open-source data and visualization platform, allowing stakeholders to evaluate "what-if" planning scenarios and drive equitable, data-driven climate resilience across the Eastern Shore.