Dynamic visualisation and modelling to support sustainable phosphate management

Under the WFD the UK water companies are responsible for providing effective treatment methods which will reduce the level of phosphate, a key nutrient in river eutrophication, in their respective waterways. The selection of effective treatment methods poses a sustainability problem as there are a number of economic and social aspects which must be balanced with the environmental standards set down by the WFD. This choice becomes even more complex as all of the stakeholders involved, the companies, the local government, local industry and the general public must be engaged in the decision-making process if they are to fully support whatever solution is chosen. This paper describes a sustainability assessment and visualisation toolkit, PhiZ, which has been designed to allow the assessment and communication of the sustainability of phosphate management scenarios. The PhiZ system takes the approach of combining a number of computational models covering the economic, social and environmental aspects of the scenarios with a unique visualisation based on 3D rendering techniques derived from the computer games industry, through which the results of the models can be communicated. This unique visualisation not only allows the ecological state of the river to be assessed over time but also allows a non-expert user to interactively investigate the impact of different management techniques on sustainability of the river catchment. PhiZ does not define sustainability but does provide a method for all the stakeholders involved to compare the relative sustainability of a number of management scenarios.