Tag Archives: scicomm

Grow me a River

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I need a river. Not a real one but a model one. As I develop my YouTube channel, Model Life, I want to be able to demonstrate the playability of numerical models by doing experiments and letting viewers decide what to do next. Think of the EmRiver mini-flumes but in a computer and made of numbers instead.

People playing with an EmRiver mini-flume - a shallow metal tank filled with shredded plastic sand. Water is pumped into it to simulate the development of rivers.

An EmRiver mini-flume demonstrated by the Earth Arcade for the British Science Festival in Hull, 2018.

The easiest thing to do would be to use data from a real river. However, whenever you do anything with real world data you risk playing games in a way that affects real people and their property. No, I needed something made from scratch. I need to grow a river from nothing.

Rivers are complex things and growing one takes a while. I’m not really sure how long it takes for a river to ‘mature’ but I decided 500 years would be a good start. Obviously, I’m not growing a real river, I’m growing one in a numerical model called CAESAR-Lisflood – it won’t take 500 years as models tend to be quicker than real life but still a long time, 100 days to be exact.

What are numerical models, on Model Life

Starting on January 1st with a featureless plain and shallow straight channel to get it going, I will be flowing virtual water through the model. Each day, the model will process 5 years’ worth of data, simulating the flow of water and the processes of geomorphology – the erosion, transport, and deposition of mud and rocks.

You can follow along on my FloodSkinner YouTube channel, a support channel for Model Life – there will be a new video every day for 100 days. You can join the conversation on YouTube or via the Fediverse or Twitter – I’d love to see your predictions of how you think the river will change next.

Games for Geoscience #EGU18 @EuroGeosciences

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I am super-excited to be Convening a session on Games for Geoscience at the 2018 General Assembly of the European Geoscience Union (EGU). In fact, I am so super-excited, I am prepared to use the phrase ‘super-excited’. I am also super-excited to be co-convening alongside two of my favourite people, Sam Illingworth and Rolf Hut.

I like playing games. Personally, I’m not a fan of board games, I prefer games with a narrative – I like tabletop strategy games, having been addicted to Games Workshop games since the age of 10. I like computer games, but having slow reactions and no hand-to-eye co-ordination, I have to stick to games like Football Manager (which my wife describes as ‘just answering emails’).

It’s probably not surprising then my research revolves around numerical modelling. There is great potential for game-like application for numerical modelling – I once got a group of 40+ 9-year olds running CAESAR-Lisflood by describing it as ‘Minecraft with worse graphics’ – and those who work with them often have a playful curiosity. We like to ask questions like ‘I wonder what happens if I do this?’, and this playful curiosity can lead to the discovery of some of the most fundamental knowledge about how our planet works.

From the original hacked version of CAESAR-Lisflood, through to TideBox and the Defend the City workshop, I’ve found that the numerical model has lent itself to a gaming environment extraordinary well for the use in teaching and public engagement.

Games are pervasive throughout Geosciences, finding use in research, in teaching, and in wider communication. They are powerful training tools. I bet you have used or played games in your work, maybe without even realising it. If you have, then this is the session for you! We are not going to be strict about definitions for what is considered a game or not, just as long as it is playful, interesting, and most importantly, fun.

Abstract submission is open from 13th October 2017, and closes 10th January 2018.

If you’ve never submitted to an Educational and Outreach Symposia (EOS) session before, I would encourage you to do so – they are very enjoyable, and as they don’t prohibit you submitting another Oral abstract for another session they are great way to maximise the exposure of your research.

You find more details here.

Alongside the session we are hoping to host a related gaming session, giving us all the opportunity to try each other’s games – have something you want to bring along? Let us know.

EGU Blood Bowl Cup – I’m also interested in running the first ever EGU Blood Bowl Cup. I only need at least one opponent to make this happen, so let me know if you want in. I might even make a special pitch for the occasion.