catchment detox

[flora]

i have just been playing this browser game developed by CSIRO (i think) at

http://catchmentdetox.net.au

The challenge is to manage a river catchment so that after 50 years you have a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

its kind of like civilisation but easier. fun!

[Micromegas]

Thanks for posting this flora. I had it bookmarked but didn't have time to play until tonight. It's great! Really gives one an appreciation for how hard it is to manage natural resources in such a variable system as Australia. My first attempt has been shockingly poor as I rushed in to save the environment without giving much thought to my people don't vote for Micromegas if you want wine, pork, employment or food to eat more generally. I'll have another go i think.

Cheers, Micro

[apothecary]

Excellent game for 430am on nightshift.

First try:

environmental score: 82%

water quality: 54%

score 335,000

I notice the high score is only 450,000 or so, so I guess I didn't do too bad.

[apothecary]

ARGH! HOLY SHIT! I just wasted 3 hours on this game.

This is the best I could do:

Not bad. My goal was to have the last two squares entirely green and the beachfront square full of canneries and hotels. I got pretty far but somehow my plantation logging operations cost me $500,000 instead of profiting me the $500,000 I was depending on and I had to settle for rebuilding the Abbatoir instead of a second cannery.

Looks kind of like NNSW

[Micromegas]

Haha! That's great Sina. I had to stop half way through and save but it'll be interesting to see how mine turns out in comparison.

EDIT: Not sure how you put that picture there but my results were:

Overall score: 350, 490

Population: 51, 166

Environment: 87%

Food production: 186%

Economy: 3, 082, 044

I'll definately try this again. Getting those extra 100,000 must be pretty difficult i reckon.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Micromegas

[vault]

By way of clarification about the origins of Catchment Detox...

The model (CONCEPT) behind the game was developed by Nick Marsh, Sylvain Arene and Stuart Minchin in a collaboration between the CSIRO Division of Land and Water and the eWater Cooperative Research Centre.

CONCEPT is a tool for creating dynamic conceptual diagrams, and has been release a beta version for testing and further development.

It is a drawing package that allows the user to display the important elements of a scenario in a visually appealing way and to show the links between these elements. The links can have relationships associated with them and these relationships can be changed dynamically to show changed conditions for the elements under different scenarios.

The software can be used to model just about any situation for purposes ranging from communicating processes and scenarios to stakeholders, to consensus building, issues scoping and prioritising.

CONCEPT was originally designed for a natural resource management audience, but it could be used by anyone who needs to visualise a process.

Please feel free to provide feedback about CONCEPT or Catchment Detox to [email protected].

[apothecary]

Hi vault,

Are you involved with the development team at all? I assume you found us from referral logs?

[complex]

this is fun :D

Everytime I constructed something touristy, my points went up-- so I just kept on building the resorts and rec areas

I wonder if this was made using CONCEPT?

[vault]

Hi vault,

Are you involved with the development team at all? I assume you found us from referral logs?

Hi Sina,

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I am not part of the development team for Catchment Detox, nor CONCEPT, although I do work for eWater and manage the Catchment Modelling TOOLKIT where our water management and science tools are available. eWater is very please to be involved in the Catchment Detox project. The interest in, and feedback about, Catchment Detox has been impressive and encouraging. Getting the message to students, and the wider community, about water management decisions within our catchments is important.

Btw. eWater is a technology development initiative set up by the Australia's water resource management and research sector under the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centre Program.

Have a great day.

[Sola]

I'm really interested in issues surrounding catchment management. Thanks heaps for

giving us the heads up. It must utilise similar tools as can be found in GIS applications.

Thanks Again

Sola