By profession and avocation, David I. Donato is an applied mathematician and computational scientist. David has contributed as a quantitative professional to a number of the programs of the Department of the Interior, including offshore minerals leasing, quantitative policy analysis, information dissemination, and geographic and regional studies.
In addition to his work in applied mathematics, statistics, and scientific computation, he has developed and administered Web sites and has designed and built interactive Web applications. He has also applied his knowledge of quantitative micro-economics to various studies and analyses, including work with mercury in fish and land-change modeling. Because of his particular interest in probability and mathematical statistics, he specializes in stochastic computer simulation. David is an expert scientific programmer and a prolific technical writer. In recent years he has worked on statistical modeling of mercury in fish tissue and spatially-explicit land-change modeling.
Research Interests
- Modeling spatially-explicit environmental and land-use futures
- Designing scientific computer models for generality and radically deep interoperation
- Developing (designing and coding) stochastic computer simulations and models
- Solving difficult quantitative and computational problems using mathematics, statistics, GIScience, economics, and comput
Science and Products
The USGS pursues research programs related to land change and land-change modeling as well as environmental mercury as a contaminant that affects the health of fish and other wildlife.
Bioaccumulation of Mercury in Fish Varied by Species and Location in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed—Summary of Existing Data and a Roadmap for Integrated Monitoring
Develop Cloud Computing Capability at Streamgages using Amazon Web Services GreenGrass IoT Framework for Camera Image Velocity Gaging
Land Change Monitoring and Modeling
Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Upper Hudson River Basin--Fishing Brook
Mercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
Modeling the Effects of Climate and Land Use Change on Crucial Wildlife Habitat
Science and Products
- Science
The USGS pursues research programs related to land change and land-change modeling as well as environmental mercury as a contaminant that affects the health of fish and other wildlife.
Bioaccumulation of Mercury in Fish Varied by Species and Location in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed—Summary of Existing Data and a Roadmap for Integrated Monitoring
Fish mercury data from State monitoring programs and research studies within the Chesapeake Bay were compiled and summarized to provide a comprehensive overview of the variation in fish mercury concentrations among species and habitats within the watershed. These data are put into context with existing health benchmarks for humans, birds, and fish. Scientists also provide a roadmap for an...Develop Cloud Computing Capability at Streamgages using Amazon Web Services GreenGrass IoT Framework for Camera Image Velocity Gaging
We developed an Internet of Things (IoT) prototype and associated cloud infrastructure for camera-based data collection and initial processing of river streamflow using the cloud (fig. 1). This pilot successfully created a hardware and cloud infrastructure to collect and upload video from a camera gage at San Pedro Creek in San Antonio, Texas. Using a ThingLogix Foundry instance in the Amazon WebsLand Change Monitoring and Modeling
The USGS leads the effort through collaboration with Chesapeake Partners to monitor land change that can be used to assess the impacts land conversion on water quality, healthy watersheds, and communitiesMercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Upper Hudson River Basin--Fishing Brook
BackgroundDetailed investigations of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation have been done in the Upper Hudson River basin (upstream of the Hudson River near Newcomb, in New York's Adirondack Mountains, with a focus on the Fishing Brook sub-basin, part of the western headwaters of the Hudson River. This study is part of a National mercury study that includes a concurrent study of McTier Creek, a headMercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) scientists collaborated in the first study to measure mercury in fish from remote places in 21 National Parks spanning 10 Western States, including Alaska. Mercury levels in fish generally were low, but were elevated in some local areas, including two parks in Utah and Alaska where samples taken from sport fish exceeded the U.S...Modeling the Effects of Climate and Land Use Change on Crucial Wildlife Habitat
Changing temperature and precipitation patterns in the South Central U.S are already having an impact on wildlife. Hotter and drier conditions are prompting some species to move in search of cooler conditions, while other species are moving into warmer areas that were once unsuitable for them. These changes in the distribution of wildlife populations present challenges for wildlife managers, hunte - Data
- Publications
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government