Social Science for the Environment, Virtual Reality and Experimental

Laboratories

What do we do?

We take digital map data

and other information…

put it all together…

and make images and models of the landscape

Previous and Current Projects

Near Swaffham Oxfordshire Near Trowse

Near Swaffham UEA campus Germany

From looking at this…

Why do we turn maps into images and models?

Map information can be very useful, telling you you many things about the landscape.

BUT – not everyone is used to reading maps, and you can only include a certain amount of detail without losing clarity.

…can you imagine this?

• Some habitats are not linked very directly despite proximity – e.g. parallel Thurne and Ant valleys

• Areas separated by agriculture, main roads, buildings – blocking species movements

• What if corridors of land were allowed to revert to more natural vegetation, to link these areas?

• Images allow proposals to be discussed more easily (but at present it is all hypothetical!)

Case Study: Ecological Corridors in the Norfolk Broads

Digital Elevation (or Terrain) Model

Measurements at 5m spacing in this case, derived from laser-scanning

Land use / cover information

Based on Ordnance Survey MasterMap, but with additional information from other sources

Aerial photography – 25cm resolution in this case, taken in 2004

GIS issues – integrating data

Additional land-scape elements might include trees (outside woodland) and hedges

VRML

VRML

VRML

VRML

VRML

GenesisII

VRML World Construction Set

Case Study: Climate Change Impacts on Rural Landscapes

Current situation

National Enterprise

Local Stewardsh

ip

VRML

Case study: Climate Change Impacts on Rural Landscapes

Current situation

National Enterprise

Local Stewardsh

ip

Caution…

• Detail levels should be chosen with care

• what will people infer from a detailed image?

• tendency to get lost in the details

Case study:

Virtual Reality in Environmental Management

Visualising Coastal Futures

This research has been funded by

Coastal environments are undergoing change

•Issues for low lying coasts and soft cliffs

•Sea level rise and possibilities of increased storminess.

•Increasing costs of maintaining current sea defences.

•Recognition that solid engineering solutions may not be sustainable in the future.

•Communication of options is increasingly important.