A Socio-Technical Approach to Designing a Visual Analytics Decision Support Tool for Wind Farm Placement Planning in Alberta

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atmire.migration.oldid4113
dc.contributor.advisorLevy, Richard
dc.contributor.advisorCarpendale, Sheelagh
dc.contributor.advisorGates, Cormack
dc.contributor.authorAdagha, Ogheneovo
dc.contributor.committeememberLindquist, Mark
dc.contributor.committeememberKeenan, Thomas
dc.contributor.committeememberBoulanger, Pierre
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-03T18:54:10Z
dc.date.available2016-02-03T18:54:10Z
dc.date.issued2016-02-03
dc.date.submitted2016en
dc.description.abstractWind energy is recognized as an important component of the world’s energy mix. Despite its widely acknowledged advantage as a renewable energy resource, the development of wind farms in the last 20 years has posed a critical challenge for land use planning in Alberta. In view of this, there are compelling arguments that effective, place-specific decision support tools would enable stakeholders identify appropriate placement locations for wind farms in Alberta. The research presented in thesis empirically examined ways in which a decision support tool can be developed to achieve the goal stated above. A socio-technical approach was used to identify the decision support requirements of wind energy stakeholders in Alberta and to develop a conceptual framework in response to the requirements. Further research was conducted to determine the underlying attributes of effective visual analytics decision support tools, and how those attributes can be applied to the design of the proposed tool. Based on the established requirements, attributes, and conceptual framework, a proof-of-concept, web-based Alberta Wind decision support tool (AB–WINDEC) tool was implemented using iterative prototyping techniques. The prototype was first assessed through an expert appraisal. It was subsequently evaluated in focus groups with wind energy stakeholders in Alberta. Focus group participants reviewed the conceptual system design in the following areas: usability, usefulness, analytical support, and capability to support tasks and data management. These findings suggest that AB–WINDEC can be useful for educational purposes, public engagement, high-level analysis, risk assessment, and collaboration. The main contributions of this thesis and the research described in it are four-fold: It extends current knowledge by bringing together, for the first time, the decision support requirements of stakeholders involved in planning the placement of wind farms in Alberta. Thus, it was possible to develop a conceptual framework that integrated the dual aspects of AB–WINDEC as a social and technical decision support tool. Progress was made in multi-disciplinary areas of visual analytics, product design, product experience, prototyping, and design research. Finally, the thesis shows that knowledge gained from empirical research can inform the development of an effective visual analytics decision support tool.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAdagha, O. (2016). A Socio-Technical Approach to Designing a Visual Analytics Decision Support Tool for Wind Farm Placement Planning in Alberta (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25011en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25011
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2825
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyEnvironmental Design
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectEnergy
dc.subjectEngineering--Environmental
dc.subjectPsychology--Social
dc.subject.classificationEnergyen_US
dc.subject.classificationWind energyen_US
dc.subject.classificationdecision supporten_US
dc.subject.classificationWind farmsen_US
dc.subject.classificationVisual Analyticsen_US
dc.subject.classificationDesignen_US
dc.subject.classificationLand use planningen_US
dc.subject.classificationDecision support toolen_US
dc.subject.classificationVisualizationen_US
dc.subject.classificationPrototypingen_US
dc.subject.classificationModelsen_US
dc.subject.classificationUsabilityen_US
dc.subject.classificationAlbertaen_US
dc.titleA Socio-Technical Approach to Designing a Visual Analytics Decision Support Tool for Wind Farm Placement Planning in Alberta
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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