Supporting personal world-views in an envisioning system

This paper describes an Envisioning System (EvS) designed to help rural communities contemplate landscape level changes. Simulations and models project current conditions into the future according to the constraints of scenario-based planning and available land use choices. Possible futures are represented through visual (2D, 3D and iconic) indicators. This paper defines four distinct world views (romantic, pastoral, ecological, and economic) and then reviews system design in the light of these views. Two key systems aspects discussed are the indicators of environmental conditions, and the styles of data presentation. A developed EvS was tested in two public workshops. In one the world views were explicitly introduced, in the second they emerged naturally through exploration of futures. Our findings suggest that awareness and understanding of four major world-views can help plan and evaluate major software systems while also providing a convenient structure for analysis of results.