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LambdaGEO

UFMA · Computer Engineering · Geotechnology & Applied Computing · DisSModel Ecosystem

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sergio.costa@ufma.br

UFMA — São Luís, MA, Brazil

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LambdaGEO is a research group at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA) working at the intersection of Computer Engineering, Geosciences, and Open Science.

We develop reproducible, open-source tools for spatial simulation, semantic data integration, and environmental modeling — and we publish all our teaching materials as free, open books.

How can geospatial models be built so that others can understand, reuse, and trust them?


🌍 The DisSModel Ecosystem

Our flagship research initiative is DisSModel — a modern, Python-native framework for discrete spatial simulation (Cellular Automata, System Dynamics, and Land Use & Cover Change), designed as a modern alternative to TerraME/LUCCME (INPE).

🔗 dissmodel.github.io · GitHub Organization · pip install dissmodel

Built on the Executor Pattern: the same model code runs locally or on cloud clusters without modification. Every experiment records SHA-256 checksums, TOML specs, and Git commits for full reproducibility.

Semantic Web & Geoinformatics

We bridge Linked Open Data (LOD) with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enable interoperable, FAIR-compliant spatial research:

Project Description Link
rdfmapper Declarative Object-RDF Mapper for Python GitHub
QGISSPARQL Bridge Triple Stores ↔ QGIS for semantic mapping GitHub
DBCells Publish spatial modeling data as Linked Data cubes GitHub

These projects feed into DisSModel’s provenance layer.


📚 Open Books & Education

We maintain 10 open-access textbooks published with MkDocs + Material and hosted free on GitHub Pages. They cover core topics of an undergraduate Computer Science curriculum plus a specialized geospatial track.

🧭 Computing Track (8 books, organized by prerequisites)

Series Books Audience
📘 Fundamentos C para Programadores Python e VisuAlg · Introdução ao Computador No CS prerequisites — entry point
📙 Núcleo Estrutura de Dados · Paradigmas de Programação (Java) · Programação Funcional (Haskell/Clojure/Elixir) After an intro programming course
📗 Avançado Compiladores (estilo Nand2Tetris) · Engenharia de Software · Tutoriais (Docker, Clojure, Elixir, Haskell) After Data Structures

👉 Explore all books

🌍 Geospatial Track (2 companion books)

A didactic textbook and a technical reference, designed to be read together:

Book Type When to use
Geospatial Modeling with Python Didactic textbook (from scratch) Learning geospatial Python. Chapters 1–13 are independent of DisSModel.
DisSModel Book Technical reference Already know DisSModel or migrating from TerraME. API, architecture, migration guide.

💡 Recommended flow: Read the textbook up to Chapter 14, then consult the DisSModel Book for framework details.

Contributions welcome on both books — see each repository’s guidelines.


🗺️ Research Trajectory

DisSModel did not emerge from a blank slate. It synthesizes two decades of inquiry:

Period Project Contribution
2001–2002 Terra Translator (XML, ontologies) Foundation: semantics + open standards for geographic data
2005 TerraHS (Haskell + GIS) Vision: scientific models as verifiable, executable artifacts
2007–2010 TerraME / LuccME (INPE) Maturity: spatially explicit dynamic models as scientific objects
2015–2024 DbCells, Linked Data, QGIS plugins Infrastructure: reproducibility via rich metadata
2024–2026 DisSModel (Python, FAIR, cloud-native) Synthesis: same code from CLI to distributed cluster

Three principles unite this trajectory:
Openness as method · Interoperability as architecture · Reproducibility as requirement


👨‍🏫 Leadership & Mentorship

Prof. Sérgio Souza Costa
Associate Professor of Computer Engineering, UFMA
Researcher, Graduate Program in Environmental Science & Technology (PPGC&TAmb)

Background: Background: Applied Computing (UFMA); MSc & PhD in Applied Computing (INPE) — research in Geoprocessing & Dynamic Land-Use/Land-Cover Modeling Focus: Reproducible geospatial modeling, functional programming, FAIR data infrastructure

Mentorship Workflow

We use Notion for mentorship, lecture materials, and project tracking:
profsergiocosta.notion.site

Join LambdaGEO

We welcome motivated PIBIC and master’s students interested in:

  • Python for scientific computing
  • GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis
  • Reproducibility, FAIR principles, and open science
  • Software engineering for research software

📧 Contact: sergio.costa@ufma.br with a brief note about your background and interests.


🤝 Partners & Affiliations

  • UFMA — Federal University of Maranhão
  • INPE — National Institute for Space Research (Brazil)
  • PPGC&TAmb — Graduate Program in Environmental Science & Technology

📡 Stay Connected

“A ciência não deve ser reescrita para ir para a produção.”
(“Science should not need to be rewritten to go into production.”)
DisSModel Design Principle

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selected publications

  1. GeoNordeste
    AVALIAÇÃO DA ACURÁCIA NA CLASSIFICAÇÃO DE USO E COBERTURA DA TERRA: UM ESTUDO DE CASO NA REGIÃO INTERMEDIÁRIA DE SÃO LUÍS COM O MAPBIOMAS
    Thomas Victor de Sousa Malheiros Rocha, Sérgio Souza Costa, Luís Fernando Fernando Cirqueira da Silva Correia, and 1 more author
    Revista GeoNordeste, Dec 2025
  2. RTG
    EXPANSÃO DO DESMATAMENTO NO CERRADO MARANHENSE ENTRE OS ANOS DE 2001 – 2023
    Luís Fernando Cirqueira da Silva Correia, Thomas Victor de Sousa Malheiros Rocha, Denílson da Silva Bezerra, and 2 more authors
    Revista Tocantinense de Geografia, 2026
  3. RBC
    DBCells: An Open and Global Multi-Scale Linked Cells
    Sergio Souza Costa, Micael Lopes Silva, Thamyla Maria de Souza Lima, and 1 more author
    Revista Brasileira de Cartografia, May 2017
  4. AABC
    The Amazon COP and the Need for Integration between the Environmental and Climate Agendas
    Denilson da Silva Bezerra, Sérgio Souza Costa, and others
    Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Sep 2025
  5. RSP
    Population-based seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and the herd immunity threshold in Maranhão
    Antônio Augusto Moura da Silva, Lídio Gonçalves Lima-Neto, Conceição de Maria Pedrozo e Silva de Azevedo, and 18 more authors
    Revista de Saúde Pública, Dec 2020
  6. Landsc Ecol
    Dynamical coupling of multiscale land change models
    Evaldinolia Moreira, Sérgio Souza Costa, Ana Paula Aguiar, and 2 more authors
    Landscape Ecology, Nov 2009
  7. Ci.Inf.
    DBacademic: Conectando os dados abertos das instituições de ensino do Brasil
    Sérgio Souza Costa, Mateus Vitor Duarte, Micael Lopes Silva, and 2 more authors
    Ciência da Informação, Sep 2020
  8. IntechOpen
    Spatially Explicit Modeling for Impacts of Sea-Level Rise in the Baixada Maranhense, Brazilian Legal Amazon
    Denilson da Silva Bezerra, Sérgio Souza Costa, Flávia Rebelo Mochel, and 4 more authors
    In Dynamics of the Oceans - Variability, Hydrological Cycles, and Sea Level Change, 2025
  9. PhD Thesis
    Regional scale agent-based modelling of land change: evolving institutional arrangements in frontier areas
    S. S. Costa
    National Institute for Space Research (INPE), 2012