2023
About
The Wright-Ingraham Institute invited us to propose a tool for drought in the Colorado River Basin. Complex natural forces and political interests that shape water in the region -- legal, economic, cultural, and ecological -- were unpacked and integrated into a model. The tool acts as piece of socio-technical infrastructure representative of the socio-technical problem of water scarcity, accounting rigorously for existing historical and existing conditions to construct a surface for testing different scenarios for allocating of water and water rights across the seven states who must collaborate in its management.
Client
The Wright-Ingraham Institute
Water
Water
World Assemblies
World Assemblies
History / Theory
History / Theory
Research Brief
Research Brief
Starting with the paper written by The Wright-Ingraham Institute's research arm, StudyTank, as a driver, the domain of drought was initially conceived as the difference between allocated and actual water availability in the region. The legal allocation of water is defined in the Colorado River Compact.
These two documents and its positions undergirded the production of the interface.
The paper outlined conditions of the basin while also analyzing the insufficiencies of Colorado River Compact for water management. The interface was a response to the paper.
These two documents and its positions undergirded the production of the interface.
The paper outlined conditions of the basin while also analyzing the insufficiencies of Colorado River Compact for water management. The interface was a response to the paper.
Research Brief
System Analysis
System Analysis
Systems are large and nebulous. The first phase focused on setting the groundwork for the system for scoping downstream. The paper was deliberately used as boundary for the system. Gaps between concepts were identified for further research. Concepts were both structured and integrated into a rough system model.
The goal during this phase was to work from the domain all the way down to the data through the process of decomposition, and to develop through conversation a common understanding of the system. Diagrams facilitated these conversations and areas of interests were flagged for additional research.
Systems are large and nebulous. The first phase focused on setting the groundwork for the system for scoping downstream. The paper was deliberately used as boundary for the system. Gaps between concepts were identified for further research. Concepts were both structured and integrated into a rough system model.
The goal during this phase was to work from the domain all the way down to the data through the process of decomposition, and to develop through conversation a common understanding of the system. Diagrams facilitated these conversations and areas of interests were flagged for additional research.
Water Rights Blackbox
Major concepts and research questions / areas in relation to water rights were identified for further research to unpack the blackbox of decision-making around water rights.
Domain Concepts
The domain concepts were translated into data and structured into areas of visualization. These venn diagrams transformed with each pass of looking at the same concepts through lenses of domain, visualization, and data to translate the domain concepts into data sources in an integrated manner.
Water Sources
Once data sources were identified, identifying them technically required another pass at decomposition. At this level, the various forms of water were identified and assessed for sourcing feasibility. Dams, reservoirs / lakes, and rivers were identified as the most feasible due to public availability.
Cultural Analysis
Conflicts around water center around social questions of culture as much as they center around technical questions of resource management. The ways that water has been managed represents a particular worldview. These different cultural lenses needed to be accounted for. In the case of water, the boundaries of indigenous tribes and how they intersect with federal and state geographies was brought in to represent the needs of different stakeholders. Conversations were had early on about the inclusion of all stakeholders.
System Analysis
System Modeling
System Modeling
The process of visualization served to integrate and surface additional concepts and gaps. The goal was not to duplicate the domain model in representational form but to focus on understanding the relational dynamics and flows between concepts that would otherwise pose a cognitive burden textually and diagrammatically.
In other words, these visualizations were a first pass at understanding how things moved.
The process of visualization served to integrate and surface additional concepts and gaps. The goal was not to duplicate the domain model in representational form but to focus on understanding the relational dynamics and flows between concepts that would otherwise pose a cognitive burden textually and diagrammatically.
In other words, these visualizations were a first pass at understanding how things moved.
Water Cycle Visualization
Water was traced throughout the natural and infrastructural water cycles to develop a system model of the primary object.
Algorithm Development
A quantification of drought was developed around water budgeting. Borrowed from hydrologists interested in natural systems, and retooled, this quantitative model / algorithm was retooled for actual water availabilities collected from sensors. The formula served as the seed for functionally reducing the data space upon which a broader cultural interpretation of water could be developed.
System Modeling
Concept Validation
Semi-Structured Interviews
Four stakeholders -- a river ecologist, a superlawyer representing farmers, a geohydrologist, a water economist, a director of water resources, and a drought science advisor working for the Bureau of Reclamation -- were interviewed for their domain expertise and for concept validation.
Four stakeholders -- a river ecologist, a superlawyer representing farmers, a geohydrologist, a water economist, a director of water resources, and a drought science advisor working for the Bureau of Reclamation -- were interviewed for their domain expertise and for concept validation.
Concept Validation
Digital Prototyping
Digital Prototyping
Several concepts were statically mocked and dynamically prototyped to flesh out direction, deepen conversations, and test data availability.
Several concepts were statically mocked and dynamically prototyped to flesh out direction, deepen conversations, and test data availability.
Digital Prototyping
Visualization Design
Visualization Design
Iterations were made to explore how the Colorado River System could be visualized independent of its natural form to create an interface that was not a literal map.
Iterations were made to explore how the Colorado River System could be visualized independent of its natural form to create an interface that was not a literal map.
River Network Structure
The river system was structurally classified according to its branching relation to the main stem. Doing this outputs a Strahler number which describes the branching complexity of the system through a hierarchy of tributaries. For the CRB, the complexity reaches a Strahler number of seven. The seven levels were then quickly mapped to color prototype a visuallzation.
River Modularization
Each branch of the river was reduced into a line between two nodes to create a modular component. The language was then applied across all branches in the river network, according to a simplified spatial orientation that reduced angles to increments of 45 degrees.
Display Re-Orientation
Flowing from east to west to match its hydrological reality, the river network was rotated 90 degrees to match the landscape orientation of the default display of a desktop computer.
Visualization Design
Visual Design
Visual Design
As the concepts were prototyped, visual design for look and feel was continually refined for the underlying data.
As the concepts were prototyped, visual design for look and feel was continually refined for the underlying data.
Visual Design
Final Application
Final Application
Test
Test
Final Application
