VERIFICATIONS, Computer simulations as public participation tool

This post follows up visualisation of a transformation process toward a sustainable community. Read the visualisation here or click on the link. LINK

Sense of urgency. No problem there, the Swedish Prime Minister announced Sweden will be oil independent by 2020. An American group, “Set America Free” is already calling for a new Manhattan project to get America off oil before the peak of production will cause economic destruction.

Map Software. This took a bit of surfing, but it seems this kind of software is quite common. You have a GIS - geographic information system LINK
Here you can have a database of information connected to positioning information and can display the information over the map, creating coured areas or symbols on the map.

Organizations: I found one US organization. The Local Government Commission (LGC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization that provides inspiration, technical assistance, and networking to local elected officials and other dedicated community leaders who are working to create healthy, walkable, and resource-efficient communities. LINK

It makes sense that by visualising information, like in a 3D fly though, you can more easily get people to understand complex relationships and concepts. LGC talks about Computer Simulation as a Public Participation Tool. One company that does this is Environmental Simulation Center.

END OF VERIFICATIONS