The Role of Interactive Visualization in Developing Stakeholders’ Understanding of Natural Resource Decision-Making: A Case Study of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate whether stakeholders’ understanding of natural resource decision-making was influenced by the form that visualization of environmental changes were presented, using Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand as a case study. An interactive visualization (I-Vis) tool “ElleVis,” developed by (Otinpong 2013), shows the effects of different water levels on the flora and fauna living in and around the lake. An experimental design was used in which 40 stakeholders were randomly assigned to a presentation of this information using I-Vis or a non-interactive paper form of the visualization (NI-Vis). While stakeholders in both groups significantly improved their understanding of information, stakeholders presented with information using I-Vis made a statistically significant greater gain in understanding than those presented information using NI-Vis (t(38)=2.663, p<.05). Semi-structured discussions with participants confirmed the importance stakeholders placed on the interactive nature of the visualizations. The findings inform discussions about how I-Vis tools might contribute to an understanding of environmental management situations where contested resources and/or a multiplicity of interests are involved.