Immersive Analytics for Multi-objective Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) Models

Abstract

We are creating an immersive analytics tool for exploring the output of a Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) model, and present early work on the prototype system. DICE models and other Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are critical for informing environmental decision making and policy analysis. They often produce complex and multi-layered output, but need to be understood by decision makers who are not experts. We discuss our current and targeted feature set in order to help address this challenge. Additionally, we look ahead to the potential for rigorous evaluation of the system to uncover whether or not it is an improvement over current visualization methods.

There Is No Spoon: Evaluating Performance, Space Use, and Presence with Expert Domain Users in Immersive Analytics

“…Several IA applications are emerging that leverage the presence and engagement of VR. Simpson et al [44] proposed an IA tool to explore climate economy models by leveraging spatial understanding from immersion on 2D multidimensional representations. The open-source ImAxes system [11], which we extend in this work, presents the concept of an embodied axis to enable users to quickly build multidimensional visualizations in VR using natural interactions.…”

Attention to values helps shape convergence research

“…Among the publications coauthored by each participant, we identified those publications whose content best corresponded to the participant's statements about "uniquely enabled" research Demonstrates evaluation of reservoir management strategies while incorporating large-ensemble exploratory modeling of extreme precipitation changes motivated by decision-makers' concerns for high reliability in meeting management objectives. Simpson et al (2016) Develops an immersive, 3D data visualization platform for displaying trade-offs among multiple policy objectives in global climate mitigation policy analysis to support multi-objective analyses and help realize their potential to facilitate ethical deliberation. Singh et al (2015) Demonstrates decision analysis for ecosystem management that departs from standard problem formulations with a single value function to use multiple objectives with no pre-specified weights to reflect multiple stakeholder perspectives on contested values.…”

“…Corresponding SCRiM-supported publications show a variety of substantive engagements with the values components of climate risk management (Table 2). Most of these papers fall into one of four (overlapping) categories: interview-based studies of the values of stakeholders and researchers (e.g., Bessette et al 2017;Mayer et al 2017); discussion and demonstration of how risk analysis can better facilitate ethical deliberation (e.g., Garner et al 2016;Lempert et al 2013;Simpson et al 2016;Tuana 2013); values-inclusive policy analysis that illuminates trade-offs among contested values (e.g., Adler et al 2017;Garner and Keller 2018;Garner et al 2016;Quinn et al 2018;Singh et al 2015); and examination of motivating values behind design choice in geoscience model building and hazard characterization (e.g., Bakker et al 2017;Bakker et al 2016;Quinn et al 2018;Wong et al 2017).…”

IMHOTEP: virtual reality framework for surgical applications

“…The potential of VR in the field of data visualization has been widely recognized [4,7,18] 3 . VR data visualization systems have been created for the areas of climate research [23], social media feed data [20] and software analysis [26]. Companies such as Kineviz 4 , Virtualitics 5 and Dynamoid 6 already offer VR data visualization applications for businesses, science and engineering.…”