Etienne Delay

SPRITE – Participatory Simulation for Raising Awareness About Coastal Flood Risk on the Oleron Island

Coastal flood is a major risk for the French Atlantic coast and its island territories, and its management is a key issue for local authorities. Good management of this risk requires understanding the need for a trade-off between occupant safety, attractiveness of the island, environmental development, costs minimisation and population satisfaction. But such a trade-off can be difficult to find and to understand, for both decision makers and the population. SPRITE is a serious game aiming to answer this problem by placing the player in the role of a decision maker and letting them explore various (more or less balanced) policies. The knowledge gained from playing SPRITE can benefit both decision makers, enabling them to make more informed decisions, and residents, helping them to understand the issues involved in territory management.

Participatory simulation to foster social learning on coastal flooding prevention

Abstract Due to the increase in coastal flooding risk associated with sea-level rise and increasing population along the coasts, there is a strong need to develop efficient and long-term management strategies. In partnership with the local administration of Oleron Island in France, a participatory simulation model was developed to foster social learning about coastal risk prevention measures with local authorities and managers. This simulation integrates a coastal flooding model and a spatially explicit agent-based model that simulates the development of the area and the management of prevention measures. The participatory set-up includes an immersive environment for participants to remember the coastal flooding simulation displayed and a role game mechanism that simulates the coordination issues between the different decision bodies involved in coastal risk management. A first application proved that participants learn about the water expansion dynamics during flood events and the effects of building, raising and restoring dikes.