Environmental Software Engineering

FUSION researchers specialise in environmental software engineering, developing bespoke software solutions to address complex challenges in land use and environmental assessment. Our notable contributions include the development of GOBLIN (General Overview for a Backcasting approach to Livestock INtensification) and GeoGOBLIN.

GOBLIN is an open-source land balance model available on Zenodo, providing policymakers and researchers with a powerful tool to assess the role of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector in achieving net-zero targets. GOBLIN stands for General Overview for a Backcasting approach to Livestock INtensification, highlighting its focus on evaluating livestock intensification scenarios.

GeoGOBLIN, on the other hand, is an installable Python package that builds upon GOBLIN's capabilities by incorporating spatially specific data at the catchment level. GeoGOBLIN enables the assessment of multiple environmental impact categories, providing valuable insights into the effects of land use and management decisions.

These land balance models, GOBLIN and GeoGOBLIN, play a critical role for policymakers and researchers by reducing uncertainty surrounding the AFOLU sector's contribution to achieving net-zero goals. By employing these models, decision makers can evaluate different strategies and interventions to minimize environmental impacts and enhance sustainability.

Our commitment to transparency and collaboration is reflected in the open-source availability of GOBLIN on Zenodo, facilitating wider access and contributions from the scientific community. GeoGOBLIN, as an installable Python package, ensures ease of use and flexibility for spatially explicit environmental assessments.

At FUSION, we continue to advance environmental software engineering to support evidence-based decision making and foster sustainable land use practices.

Our research organization unites scholars from diverse disciplines and adopts a comprehensive "whole system" perspective when it comes to software development and environmental assessment.