Blue Governance Lab

Chris Reilly is a PhD student in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt University, based on the Orkney campus.

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Stakeholder engagement is a critical part of marine and coastal planning, yet planners often report challenges in facilitating and adequately consulting stakeholders in the process. This PhD aims to develop realistic 3D geovisualizations using advanced mapping techniques that will encourage participation and help stakeholders understand the potential implications of various management strategies. 

The research will investigate themes including sense of place and realism when developing these models, working with stakeholders throughout the process to create the most useful geovisualizations. 

The project employs the support of a wide range of marine and coastal stakeholders, as well as academics with varying backgrounds. The interdisciplinary nature of this project aims to tackle these issues with broad thinking to better understand the factors that are preventing higher levels of engagement and to design the most effective models