When it comes to hard to solve problems, the significance of situational knowledge construction and network coordination must not be underrated. Professional deliberation is directed toward understanding, acting and analysis. We need smart and flexible ways to direct systems information from practice to network reflection, and to guide results from network consultation to practice. This article presents a case study proposal, as follow-up to a recent dissertation about online simulation gaming for youth care network exchange (Van Haaster, 2014).
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Shared Vision Planning (SVP) is a collaborative approach to water (resource) management that combines three practices: (1) traditional water resources planning; (2) structured participation of stakeholders; (3) (collaborative) computer modeling and simulation. The authors argue that there are ample opportunities for learning and innovation in SVP when we look at it as a form of Policy Analysis (PA) in a multi-actor context. SVP faces three classic PA dilemmas: (1) the role of experts and scientific knowledge in policymaking; (2) The design and management of participatory and interactive planning processes; and (3) the (ab)use of computer models and simulations in (multi actor) policymaking. In dealing with these dilemmas, SVP can benefit from looking at the richness of PA methodology, such as for stakeholder analysis and process management. And it can innovate by incorporating some of the rapid developments now taking place in the field of (serious) gaming and simulation (S&G) for policy analysis. In return, the principles, methods, and case studies of SVP can significantly enhance how we perform PA for multi-actor water (resource) management.
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Hoofdstuk in Frontiers in Gaming Simulation. Design thinking, design methodology and design science gain much attention in the domain of gaming and simulation and their theories offer parallels to knowledge exchange in youth care services. Design science research covers context independent engineering and constructionist creativity in pursuit of general values and is built on the synthesis of what already exits and of what might be. Design thinking and design methodology address questions that show similarities to youth care problem solving and future scenario development. The core business of youth care workers is to support positive change and to develop beneficial opportunities for child-rearing. Effective knowledge exchange in networks is the key to successful intervention and simulation gaming might help to study its processes and outcomes, however, we need appropriate validation tools and methods. The author argues that the design and analytical sciences complement each other in research of network exchange. Analytical approaches might develop and test theories about knowledge acquisition and transfer, while design approaches could enhance the exchange of situational, interactional, and interventional expertise. This proposition is explored in a multiple case study in which an analysis tool has been used to structure and study knowledge exchange in youth care networks through simulation gaming.
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The Netherlands has approximately 220,000 industrial accidents per year (with 60 people who die). That is why every employer is obliged to organize company emergency response (BHV), including emergency response training. Despite this, only one-third of all companies map out their occupational risks via a Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E) and the share of employees with an occupational accident remains high. That is why there is continuous innovation to optimize emergency response training, for example by means of Virtual Reality (VR). VR is not new, but it has evolved and become more affordable. VR offers the possibility to develop safe realistic emergency response simulations where the student has the feeling that they are really there. Despite the increase in VR-BHV training, little research has been done on the effect of VR in ER training and results are contradictory. In addition, there are new technological developments that make it possible to measure viewing behavior in VR using Eye-Tracking. During an emergency response training, Eye-Tracking can be used to measure how an instruction is followed, whether students are distracted and observe important elements (danger and solutions) during the simulation. However, emergency response training with VR and Eye-Tracking (interactions) does not exist. In this project, a prototype is being developed in which Eye-Tracking is incorporated into a VR-BHV training that was developed in 2021, in which emergency situations such as an office fire are simulated (the BHVR application). The prototype will be tested by means of an experiment in order to partly answer the question to what extent and in what way Eye-Tracking in VR offers added value for (RI&E) emergency response training. This project is therefore in line with the mission-driven innovation policy 'The Safety Professional' and helps SMEs that often lack resources and knowledge for research into the effectiveness of innovative technologies in education/training. The project will include a prototype, a production report and research article, and is open to new participants when writing a larger application about the application and effect of VR and Eye-Tracking in emergency response training.
In recent years, disasters are increasing in numbers, location, intensity and impact; they have become more unpredictable due to climate change, raising questions about disaster preparedness and management. Attempts by government entities at limiting the impact of disasters are insufficient, awareness and action are urgently needed at the citizen level to create awareness, develop capacity, facilitate implementation of management plans and to coordinate local action at times of uncertainty. We need a cultural and behavioral change to create resilient citizens, communities, and environments. To develop and maintain new ways of thinking has to start by anticipating long-term bottom-up resilience and collaborations. We propose to develop a serious game on a physical tabletop that allows individuals and communities to work with a moderator and to simulate disasters and individual and collective action in their locality, to mimic real-world scenarios using game mechanics and to train trainers. Two companies–Stratsims, a company specialized in game development, and Society College, an organization that aims to strengthen society, combine their expertise as changemakers. They work with Professor Carola Hein (TU Delft), who has developed knowledge about questions of disaster and rebuilding worldwide and the conditions for meaningful and long-term disaster preparedness. The partners have already reached out to relevant communities in Amsterdam and the Netherlands, including UNUN, a network of Ukrainians in the Netherlands. Jaap de Goede, an experienced strategy simulation expert, will lead outreach activities in diverse communities to train trainers and moderate workshops. This game will be highly relevant for citizens to help grow awareness and capacity for preparing for and coping with disasters in a bottom-up fashion. The toolkit will be available for download and printing open access, and for purchase. The team will offer training and facilitate workshops working with local communities to initiate bottom-up change in policy making and planning.
The EcoScope project will develop an interoperable platform and a robust decision-making toolbox, available through a single public portal, to promote an efficient, ecosystem-based approach to the management of fisheries. It will be guided by policy makers and scientific advisory bodies, and address ecosystem degradation and the anthropogenic impact that are causing fisheries to be unsustainably exploited across European Seas. BUAS participates with the MSP Challenge simulation-platform.
