Designing a bio-sensitive visualisation for saltmarsh conservation

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Biodiversity and the effective preservation of natural resources is anessential aspect of sustainable development. As an island nation, in theUnited Kingdom cost-effective and environmentally sensitiveapproaches to local coastal management are a particularly importantcomponent of this equation. To this end, Siskin Asset Management Limited (SAML) has developed a system of coastal protection whichcomprises sustainably available natural materials anchored onshorelines. This structure then acts to capture mobile sediment andpromote re-vegetation of the existing coast to increase resilience toerosion.There currently exists no means to accurately measure and monitorhow SAML's system affects biodiversity over time. The ability todocument and communicate the long-term impact of their system hasthe potential to significantly influence the wide range of stakeholdersparty to any installation decision. This includes coastal communities,landowners, councils, and water and utilities providers amongstothers. Each installation presents unique requirements in terms ofenvironmental conditions, and conveying the way in which the systemcan be adapted and configured to meet these is challenging.This project will therefore utilise human-centred design techniques tosupport the specification, generation and evaluation of a BiodiversityDigital Twin (BioDT). This will be a physical representation of themodel that is augmented with digital information gathered fromsensors and measurements of the system when it is in situ. This willprovide an interactive and engaging demonstrator which describeshow biosystems and ecosystems can recover and grow post installation. Helping SAML to evolve and improve their system while atthe same time conveying to clients, local authorities, industry and thewider public government how such systems could be of benefit in otherlocations.The key case study that has been identified is an ongoing initiative atthe Morecambe Bay salt marshes. This is an important area forwildlife, birdlife and marine habitats, and historical and futurereclamation exercises have the potential for significant biodiversitynet gains (BNGs). SAML have developed a new low profile of theircoastal erosion system (previous beach installations have been higherprofile) that would be ideal for such an application. However, saltmarshes are highly susceptible to 'drowning' and careful monitoringof water, tide and protection levels is necessary for them to thrive.In order to deliver an accurate and arresting digital twin, consultationwill take place with representative stakeholders from SAML's existingcustomer base and those associated specifically with Morecambe Bayto understand requirements. These will be used to identify a range ofenvironmental measures and to drive technical adaptations to theerosion system. These will be installed and trialled on-site withsupport from SAML. In parallel, the physical-digital representationwill be created at the University of Strathclyde, using co-designprocesses to evaluate and refine the configuration based on feedbackfrom multiple stakeholders. The result will be a novel desktopdemonstrator that shows how large-scale environmental installationscan be connected to critical biodiversity metrics and communicatedthrough engaging, immersive and interactive digital technologies.