Aims and Scope

The ultimate objectives of Nemesis are to develop capabilities to analyze public policy issues which require an understanding of the spatial interdependence of economic, social, and environmental variables. A focal point will be the modelling of spatial interactions between the environment and socioeconomic processes in order to quantify aspects essential to evaluating alternatives for sustained development of the Brazilian economy and Amazon region. Of great interest also is the application of statistical methods to analysis of spatially referenced data, forecasting techniques, and spatial interpolation in the estimation, inference, and validation of econometric models (few periods, many regions).

More specific goals are:

• Creation of an information system encompassing socioeconomic and geo-ecological data at the regional, state, and municipal level, including:

• a set of complete regional input-output matrices and matrices on interregional trade coefficients for both 1985 and 1992;
• municipal data presented for minimum geographic areas comparable over time (1970-96);
• matrices of contiguity or connectivity between municipalities and minimal comparable areas;
• relevant topics in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (vegetation, soil, hydrography, highways, railways, ports, precipitation, temperature, etc.).

• Development of analytical models:
• models of the spatial dynamics of population (migration and urbanization) or models of main economic activities; in particular, g ravitational and saturation models that make apparent the interrelations between in the density of population, economic activities, per capita income, the availability of natural resources, infrastructure, and other economic factors;
• multi-regional models for analyzing the distributive and allocative impacts of macroeconomic and sectoral policies for major regions of the country ;
• computable General equilibrium models to assess the spatial impact of governmental policies in such areas as regional development, the environment, transportation infrastructure, sanitation and health, agricultural credit, and wages.

Creation of computer programs to make this information system accessible to broad network and of user-friendly programs to disseminate techniques and the results of analyses, particularly by disseminating use of GIS.