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Sustainability and climate change are complex topics. The visualization tools and community engagement research area aims to simplify sustainability dialogue by exploring new visual communication methods that illustrate sustainability challenges, climate change effects and potential solutions.
Researchers use computer models, 3D visualizations, and immersive experiences to push viewers’ imaginations, evoke emotions and spark dialogue and critical thinking. Through these intersecting visualization and interaction technologies, researchers provide decision-makers with new tools to make informed urban planning decisions.
Community engagement research explores how modeling and visualization tools are used to motivate citizens to engage in their communities and adopt sustainable behaviours. By framing sustainability within a local context, researchers are studying if sustainability becomes a more concrete reality for individuals if it’s illustrated as a challenge to address in their own communities.
Active Tools for Modeling, Visualization and Community Engagement Research
Integration of Landscape and Information Visualization
Participatory Flood Management Planning in Delta, B.C. – B.C. Regional Adaptation Collaborative
Develop New Approaches to Participatory Integrated Assessment Methods
Greenest City Conversations Research Program
Visualizing Urban Futures: Geomatics Decision Support for Canadian Urban Regions
IDEAS2.0: Integrative Data-Enabled Approaches to Sustainability Across Scales
Engaging Students in the Environmental Dimensions of Urban Design Through elementsdb
Integration of Landscape and Information Visualization
Project Description: Study the acceptability and effectiveness of new modeling, simulation and visualization tools to explore climate change scenarios.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. Stephen Sheppard
Co-investigators: Jon Salter, Duncan Cavens, Kelly Booth
Graduate Students: Jon Salter, David Flanders
Partners: BC Hydro, CALP, SALA
Funding: Some ongoing funding available
Status: Underway
Outcomes/Outputs:
Participatory Flood Management Planning in Delta, B.C. – B.C. Regional Adaptation Collaborative
Project Description: The BC Regional Adaptation Collaborative (BC RAC) is a collection of projects related to climate change adaptation and water issues taking place across the province over a three-year period (2009-2012).
One of the projects, the Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning (CALP) RAC project, focuses on flood adaptation planning in the Fraser River delta community of Delta. Existing research and knowledge of local vulnerability to climate change is being combined with new data, to support stakeholder dialogues to identify, visualize, and evaluate adaptation options to coastal and river flood risk in Delta.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. Stephen Sheppard
Co-investigators: Sara Barron, Ellen Pond, David Flanders
Graduate Student: Glenis Canete
Partners: Corporation of Delta, Fraser Basin Council and Natural Resources Canada (Regional Adaptation Collaborative)
Funding: Natural Resources Canada (Regional Adaptation Collaborative) and the Fraser Basin Council (2009-2012)
Status: In progress
Outcomes/Outputs: Will include recommendations regarding adaptation decision-making and policy that can inform other communities in B.C. facing similar risks.
For more information: www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/programs/bcrac/flood_planning_in_delta.html
Energy Landscapes: Social Acceptance of Different Renewable Energy Options and Their Impacts on Landscape Functions
Project Description: Based on data-driven 3D landscape visualizations and an online survey, the project collects the social acceptability of different renewable energy options and their landscape impacts for British Columbia.
People:
Principal Investigator: Olaf Schroth, PhD, Post Doctoral Fellow (UBC)
Funding: Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)
Status: In progress
Outcomes/Outputs: Publications including a chapter in the forthcoming book Sustainable Energy Landscapes - Designing, Planning and Development, published by Taylor & Francis, and a PICS policy brief.
Develop New Approaches to Participatory Integrated Assessment Methods
Project Description: Explores UBC Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) Social Mobilization research objectives, such as identifying and resolving social barriers and incentives to clean energy solutions, and developing a practical evaluation framework, metrics, and simple tools to define and measure outcomes of social mobilization. Objectives also include monitoring the effectiveness and evaluation of ongoing social mobilization activities, pathways and processes.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. Stephen Sheppard
Co-investigators: Prof. John Robinson, Shirlene Cote
Graduate Students:
Partners: PICS, USI/CIRS CALP, SALA
Funding: PICS, USI/CIRS
Status: Ongoing
Outcomes/Outputs:
Measured Visualizations as Catalysts for Mobilization and Public Engagement in Municipal Planning for Climate Change
Project Description: Researchers in the UBC School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture (SALA) and the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), in partnership with the City of Revelstoke, are working with community residents to visualize how neighbourhoods in their community might change over the next 30 years. The project also assesses the influence of energy and emissions-related information on those future visions.
This Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) Social Mobilization research project prototypes and tests replicable public engagement tools and technologies for linking climate change targets to local land use and community planning actions.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. Ron Kellett
Co-investigators: Prof. Cynthia Girling, Asst. Prof. Maged Senbel
Graduate Students: Erica Lay, Stephanie Mauer, Warren Scheske, Michael van der Laan, Kevin Zhang
Partners: City of Revelstoke
Funding: Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)
Status: In progress
Outcomes/Outputs: More effective public engagement and social mobilization processes and strategies that elevate awareness of, and responsiveness to, the energy and emissions issues embedded in local planning.
Greenest City Conversations Research Program
Project Description: Greenest City Conversations is an innovative, interdisciplinary and wide-scale research project aimed at developing multiple channels for public engagement on sustainability policies. In partnership with the City of Vancouver's Greenest City by 2020 Initiative, the project supports public engagement and contributes to a city-wide network for sustainability.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. John Robinson (UBC)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Rob Woodbury, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Dr. Alissa Antle (SFU), Dr. Lyn Bartram (SFU), Prof. Stephen Sheppard (UBC), David Vogt, Adjunct Professor (UBC), Dr. Kate Hennessy (SFU)
Students: Roy Bendor (SFU), James Benoit (SFU), Karen Fung (UBC), Susanna Haas-Lyons (UBC),
Jean Hebert (UBC),
David Maggs (UBC),
Jon Salter (UBC), Josh Tannenbaum (SFU)
Research Staff: Ellen Pond (UBC),
Alison Munro (UBC)
Partners and Funders: UBC, SFU, Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND), Pacific Institute of Climate Solutions (PICS), BC Hydro, City of Vancouver, MITACS, MetroQuest
Status: In progress
Outcomes/Outputs: The Greenest City Conversations project will facilitate discussion, solicit and analyze public attitudes and opinions on, and support for, a variety of sustainability policies; and provide a comprehensive understanding of the content and impacts (both qualitative and quantitative) of different modes of public engagement “channels”.
Visualizing Urban Futures: Geomatics Decision Support for Canadian Urban Regions
Project Description: Despite various initiatives to address urban sustainability on issues such as urban sprawl, energy consumption, and carbon emissions, decisions-makers and affected stakeholders often are not aware of the critical role played by community energy systems, transportation, and land use. This project will address thus problem by producing “digital stories based in data": compelling visual information packages that use scenario exploration tools to visualize and explain the links between future land use choices, transportation infrastructure, renewable energy and climate change. Case studies are ben conducted in Metro Vancouver, Toronto, and Waterloo.
People:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eric J. Miller, University of Toronto
Co-investigators: Prof. Stephen Sheppard (UBC), Prof. Ron Kellett (UBC)
Funding: GEOIDE Networks of Centres of Excellence/Neptis Foundation (2011-2013)
Status: Project underway with partners: City of Richmond, City of Surrey, and Metro Vancouver
Outcomes/Outputs: A comprehensive literature review has been completed and case studies in Richmond and Surrey are underway.
IDEAS2.0: Integrative Data-Enabled Approaches to Sustainability Across Scales
Project Description: With an aim to help organizations make better sustainability decisions, IDEAS2.0 at UBC explores the structure, flow and representation of data within the decision contexts and scales of built environment planning, design, construction and operation. This three-year, trans-disciplinary project will result in new techniques and tools to help decision makers evaluate alternative building designs and explore the performance attributes, costs and benefits more efficiently. CIRS is one of the first testbeds for this research.
People:
Principal Investigator: Assoc. Prof. Sheryl Staub-French
Co-investigators: Prof. Kellogg Booth, Asst. Prof. Rachel Pottinger, Prof. Ron Kellett, Asst. Prof. Maged Senbel
Graduate Students: Hasan Cavka, Devon Miller, Jon Salter, Michael van der Laan, Raza Ali
Partners: USI, UBC Campus and Community Planning, Busby Perkins+Will, CloverPoint, Autodesk, Galdos, SMART Technologies, SAP Canada, Pulse Energy
Funding: Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Strategic Project Grants Program 2011 - 2014
Status: In progress
Outcomes/Outputs: Not available yet.
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Engaging Students in the Environmental Dimensions of Urban Design Through elementsdb
Project Description: A three-year teaching enhancement project to integrate the elementsdb (the database system) web application into courses and design studios at UBC.
People:
Principal Investigator: Prof. Cynthia Girling
Co-investigators: Asst. Prof. Maged Senbel, Prof. Ron Kellett, Paula Farrar (UBC Librarian), Kev Madill (UBC Librarian)
Graduate Students: Phil Riley, James T. White, Nicholas Sinkewicz, Michael van der Laan, Annie Jensen, Amy Ashmore, Kate Sloan
Funding: Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) 2010 - 2012
Status: Ongoing
Outcomes/Outputs: Incorporation of elementsdb into 10 undergraduate and graduate courses in planning, landscape architecture, architecture, agroecology with evaluation of learning outcomes; learning tutorials embedded in elementsdb; upgrades and revisions to elementsdb as informed by student users; peer reviewed articles related to scholarship of learning.
BC Hydro Decision Theatre
Project Description: Project will develop and test interactive measured visualization methods to inform urban planning and design decision-making in public fora. It will also integrate elementsdb with open access mapping, 3D visualization and modeling tools on a variety of media platforms, including multi-touch tables, projection and hand-held devices.
People:
Principal Investigators: Prof. Ron Kellett, Prof. Cynthia Girling, Prof. Kellogg Booth
Graduate Students: Jon Salter, Tao Su
Partners: Vibrant Software (Software Consultant)
Funding: Canada Foundation for Innovation, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC, Strategic Grant), Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND)
Status: Complete
Outcomes/Outputs: Two interactive measured visualization technologies for public engagement in urban planning and design decision-making. One is an iPad version of elementsdb, a case-based urban form database developed for the Decision Theatre. The second is a prototype planning and urban design simulation tool prototype based on an interactive touch table and multi-display application of elementsdb web-linked to Google Earth mapping, measurement and visualization tools.
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