Interactive Visualization and Industrial Ecology: Applications, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Summary The emergence of increasingly complex data in industrial ecology (IE) has caused scholarly interest in interactive visualization (IV). IV allows users to interact with data, aiding in processing and interpreting complex datasets, processes, and simulations. Consequently, IV can help IE practitioners communicate the complexities of their methods and results, shed light on the underlying research assumptions, and enable more transparent monitoring of data quality and error. This can significantly increase the reach and impact of research, promote transparency, reproducibility, and open science, as well as improve the clarity and presentation of IE research. A review of current IV applications reveals that, while data exploration has received some attention among IE practitioners, IV applications in scientific communication are clearly lacking. With the help of a working example, we explore the value of IV, discuss its operationalization, and highlight challenges that the IE community must face during IV uptake. Such challenges include technical and knowledge limitations, limits on user interaction, and implementation strategies. With these challenges in mind, we outline key aspects needed to lift the IE field to the forefront of scientific communication in the coming years. Among these, we draft the basic principles of a “Hub for Interactive Visualization in Industrial Ecology” (HIVE), a point of encounter where IE practitioners could find an array of data visualization tools that are geared toward IE datasets. IV is here to stay, and its inceptive stage presents many opportunities to IE practitioners to shape its operationalization and benefit from early adoption.

Industrial symbiosis platforms for synergy identification and their most important data points: a systematic review

“…As the usability of the platform increases, the efficiency of the user’s decision-making process intensifies and user satisfaction increases. Such visualization of results is regarded in all types of information systems facilitating IS ( Font Vivanco et al , 2019 ; Lütje et al , 2018 ; van Capelleveen et al , 2021 ).…”

“…Another data visualization approach proposed to simplify the interpretation of the results is through Sankey Diagrams. Additionally, heat maps are used with the aid of geo-spatial related data and energy related process data ( Font Vivanco et al , 2019 ; Holgado et al , 2018 ; Hsien et al , 2020 ; Lütje et al , 2018 ; Lütje et al , 2019 ; van Capelleveen et al , 2021 ; Yeo et al , 2019b )…”

Suggested use? On evidence‐based decision‐making in industrial ecology and beyond

“…To make data inputs more valid or their validity at least testable, scholars have been promoting data transparency (Hertwich et al., 2018). Recent examples of similar efforts include proposals for interactive visualization of data (Font Vivanco et al., 2019); general, method‐independent data model (Pauliuk, Heeren, Hasan, & Müller, 2019); investigation of uncertainty quantification and distribution in LCA (Ross & Cheah, 2019; Weidema, 2018); estimation of uncertainty (Min & Rao, 2018) and aggregation bias (Zhang, Caron, & Winchester, 2019) in using multiregional IO tables; and quantitative evaluation of MFA data quality and uncertainty (Schwab & Rechberger, 2018; Schwab, Laner, & Rechberger, 2017). Along this line, the Journal of Industrial Ecology ( JIE ) has developed data openness badges to acknowledge authors’ efforts in making data transparent and accessible.…”

Linking socio‐economic metabolism models and simulation games: Reflections on benefits and challenges

“…So far, SEM studies have addressed the aspects above by using different approaches and tools. For example, interactive visualizations and simulators have been used to improve the communication and interpretation of the results of studies representing complex systems (Riehmann et al., 2005; Vivanco et al., 2018). However, it has been found that learning through interactive visualizations and simulators mainly occurs in guided aftermath discussions (Dieleman & Huisingh, 2006; Milrad et al., 2003).…”