Week 11- info tech

ITS 832 Chapter 15

Visual Decision Support for Policy Making: Advancing Policy Analysis with Visualization

Information Technology in a Global Economy

Professor Michael Solomon

Introduction

• Background • Approach • Case Studies

• Optimization

• Social Simulation

• Urban Planning

• Conclusion

Background

• Assessing policy options for societal problems is difficult • Decision making methods

• Data driven

• Model driven

• Visual decision supports helps in evaluating model output • Information visualization and visual analytics

• Makes complex results accessible to many

• Policy analysis • Part of process aimed at solving societal problems

Data Visualization

Policy cycle

Approach

• Characterization of stakeholders • Policy makers

• Policy analysts

• Modeling experts

• Domain experts

• Public stakeholders

• Bridging knowledge gaps • With information visualization (IV)

• Cohesive view of model representation

Visual Support for Policy Analysis

Approach, cont’d.

• Synergy effects of applying IV to policy analysis • Communication - facilitated

• Complexity - reduced

• Subjectivity - reduced

• Validation - improved

• Transparency and reproducibility of results - increased

Case Studies

• Optimization • Optimization of regional energy plans considering impacts

• Environmental • Economical • Social

• Social Simulation • Simulation of the impact of different policy instruments on the

adoption of photovoltaic (PV) panels by homeowners

• Urban planning • Integration of heterogenous data sources in planning activities

Summary of Case Studies

Conclusion

• Current model output is often difficult to understand • Not accessible for non-specialists

• Information visualization (IV) • Makes model output more accessible

• This paper applies IV to policy analysis • Contributions

• Defined collaborations

• Identified hurdles

• Defined interface methodology