Investigating the Potential Design and Application Issues Associated with Using Visualisation Techniques in Coastal Decision-Making

S.R. Jude, A.P. Jones, I.J. Bateman

School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk (UK)

Introduction
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in using visualisation techniques to represent the coastal zone (e.g. Raper, 2000). One of the reasons for this has is that presenting information in a 3D manner is perceived as aiding user understanding of complicated coastal processes that are difficult to represent using a traditional 2D GIS (Raper, 2000). As a result, studies have begun to develop and test techniques that enable the 3D visualisation of coastal data. However, whilst such studies suggest that VRGIS has the potential to provide insights into coastal processes, there has been a failure to address the potential of VRGIS as a communication tool with non-experts and to assess its role in coastal management. This therefore provides significant opportunities to study how this potential may be developed so that the technology can be applied practically by coastal managers.

Methodology
The development of visualisation and virtual reality GIS (VRGIS) technology provides opportunities to produce realistic visualisations of how different shoreline management interventions affect coastal landscapes. To test the effect of these innovations on the communication process for coastal management visualisations have been produced for a number of proposed flood defence schemes located along the north Norfolk coast, England.
Visualisations of how each of the study sites looks at present and how they may look in the future under a number of alternative management interventions were produced using ArcGIS and World Construction Set, and included traditional 2D maps, static maps, user-navigable 3D visualisations and animations (Figure 1) by extending the methodology developed by Jude et al. (2001). An investigation of how individuals perceive and understand the different forms of visualisation and whether they can be used in the contingent valuation of the interventions was subsequently conducted using a number of mixed-methodology surveys in which the visualisations were presented using both 'traditional' forms of presentation and Web-based methods. Furthermore focus groups and interviews with coastal managers were used to assess the practical and institutional issues that may affect the practical application of the visualisations.
A. ArcScene interactive B. World Construction Set C. World construction Set animation

Figure 1 - Examples of the types of visualisations created and used in the research

Results
The results of the individual surveys, together with the focus groups and interviews with coastal managers suggest that the visualisations may prove valuable in the communication of complicated scientific and management information to members of the public, and during the formulation of management policies. Furthermore, the results also show that they may have an important role to play in the economic valuation of proposed management interventions by using them in contingent valuation studies. Thus, they potentially have a role to play in facilitating participatory coastal zone management.
Whilst the research has found that visualisations may be useful to coastal managers, a number of design issues have been identified that may influence their effectiveness in participatory coastal zone management. These include the effects of visualisation design elements including detail, colour, annotation, scale, viewpoint location and interactivity on an individual's understanding and perceptions of the coastal management intervention being presented. Furthermore, visualisation presentation issues including the provision of accompanying information and the design of the user interface were found to be of particular importance to users.

Ongoing and Future Research
A number of areas for further research have been identified from the research. In particular the interviews with coastal managers have led to a number of suggestions for further development of the visualisations, including the creation of visualisations for whole sections of coastline for use in the development of strategic management policies. Considerable interest has also been expressed in the possibility of developing visualisations that can be edited in real-time by users, for use in meetings to develop and test management interventions. An additional area of interest is the possibility of creating visualisations of historical and future coastlines, up to 100 years in the future to illustrate and justify to members of the public the reasons behind a proposed management intervention, although this raises the challenge of developing new means of representing uncertainty in the visualisations. To address these needs, recent research has been investigating the use of more advanced real-time virtual reality software including TerraVista from Terrex that allows user interactivity and higher levels of detail to be used through the inclusion of detailed building and vegetation models (Figure 2).
Further laboratory and field based experiments are ongoing to test the use of the visualisations in the economic valuation and selection of coastal management interventions using contingent valuation and discrete choice experiment methodologies. This involves practically testing the visualisations in the field using laptop computers to investigate how they may be used to practically elicit opinions regarding possible management options at the Holme study site. To accompany this a portable Elumens VisionDome (Figure 3) is being evaluated as a means of presenting the visualisations at meetings with local stakeholder groups. Finally, a new virtual reality theatre employing a wrap-round screen and high performance computers will be used for further experimental research investigating the design issues associated with the visualisations.

Figure 2 - An interactive visualisation created for the Holme study site using TerraVista

 
 

Figure 3 - Viewing a visualisation using the Elumens VisionStation

Conclusion
This research highlights the potential role of GIS and visualisation techniques as a tool to assess and visualise future coastal landscapes. It also illustrates how these technologies may be used in the future to facilitate participatory coastal zone management through the presentation complicated information in a recognisable and understandable form to members of the general public. However, a number of design and application issues require further research if they are to meet the expectations of coastal managers and members of the public.

References