Communicating simulation outputs of mesoscale coastal evolution to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Abstract

Coastal geomorphologists and engineers worldwide are increasingly facing the non-trivial challenge of visualising and communicating mesoscale modelling assumptions, uncertainties and outcomes to both coastal specialists and decision-makers. Visualisation of simulation outcomes is a non-trivial problem because the more abstract scientific visualisation techniques favoured by specialists for data exploration and hypothesis-testing are not always as successful at engaging decision-makers and planners. In this paper, we show how the risk of simulation model outcomes becoming disconnected from more realistic visualisations of model outcomes can be minimised by using the Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME). CoastalME is a modelling framework for coastal mesoscale morphological modelling that can achieve close linkages between the scientific model abstractions, in the form of lines, areas and volumes, and the 3D representation of topographic and bathymetric surfaces and shallow sub-surface sediment composition. We propose and illustrate through the study case of Happisburgh (eastern England, UK), a transparent methodology to merge the required variety of data types and formats into a 3D-thickness model that is used to initialise a simulation. We conclude by highlighting some of the barriers to the adoption of the methodology proposed.