Session Lead: Taryn Sudol (Maryland Sea Grant)
Co-Lead(s): Kayle Krieg, Lauren Mariolis
Session Format: Oral presentations
Session Description:
Understanding current monitoring and future forecasts under changing environmental conditions, such as sea level rise and other effects of a warming climate, is imperative for decision makers across government, commercial, and residential sectors. These users have differing levels of technical knowledge or experience interacting with data platforms. While scientists strive to provide accurate and precise data to inform decisions, this must all be balanced with relevance and usability for the intended audience.
Numerous data visualizations (i.e. models or tools which display some environmental status or prediction) exist or are being developed around the Chesapeake Bay to inform end-users about changing environmental conditions. This session will showcase those data visualization products while highlighting the efforts developers made to address end-user needs, incorporate their feedback, and/or co-produce the tool with end-users. Presentations will also address challenges and solutions around data accuracy versus usability. Time will be allotted for open discussion on participants’ experiences, best practices, and questions. This session should interest those considering new data visualizations or strategies to encourage tool adoption.