(e.g. investment NPV, Sox produced, GDP impact, etc.). The Nuclear Engineering
Department at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with the
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department and the University of
Lincoln in the United Kingdom, is proposing to create an open web platform that
(1) makes high-quality scientific data on energy sources readily available,
(2) assembles those data into metrics more suitable to the general public’s
knowledge and interest (e.g. impact on the family’s budget or green house gas
emission), and (3) visually renders such information in a straightforward manner.
Through this platform users will be able to create “energy portfolios” by mixing
energy sources and evaluating how different choices impact the metrics they are
interested in. Rather than a top-down approach, the platform will solicit feedback
from the end-user on the prioritized topics as well as contribute additional topics
with help of a knowledge management system.
2 Functionalities of the Envisioned Platform
The proposed web platform will include two major components: a user opinion
component with working name “Energy Report Card” and an information component with working name “The Energy Challenge”.
The “Energy Report Card” integrates elements from the Opinion Space project
(http://opinion.berkeley.edu/) and the California Report Card project (http://
californiareportcard.org) developed at the CITRIS Data and Democracy Initiative
and informed by work done by the World Bank on the use of report cards as
assessment tools of government performance. The Energy Report Card gathers
feedback on users’ perceptions toward environmental, social, and economic impacts
of energy sources. Upon entering the system users will be asked to assign a value
from 0 “Strongly Disagree” to 9 “Strongly Agree” on six quantitative assessment
questions that will be used to gauge each user’s preference for environmental,
social, and/or economic impacts as high priority issues (Fig. 1). For example,
participants will be asked whether they believe global warming (environmental
impact) is a high priority issue, whether job creation (social impact) from energy
production is a high priority issue, and whether energy cost stability (economic
impact) is a high priority issue, among others.
Participants will then enter “The Energy Challenge” where they will be presented with an energy portfolio that matches their personal environmental, social,
and economic interests. Participants will be able to adjust the different energy
sources composing their energy portfolio. As they add and remove components to
the portfolio they can observe how the selected metrics respond to each change.
Additional text, graphics, videos, and links will also be provided through the page
to explain the correlations between sources and metrics (similarly to what is done in
the “California Budget Challenge”). Unrealistic scenarios, i.e. 100% nuclear energy
or 100% solar energy, will prompt a warning message with an accurate and
straightforward explanation of why such scenarios are unrealistic. A visual
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M. Fratoni et al.
Department at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with the
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department and the University of
Lincoln in the United Kingdom, is proposing to create an open web platform that
(1) makes high-quality scientific data on energy sources readily available,
(2) assembles those data into metrics more suitable to the general public’s
knowledge and interest (e.g. impact on the family’s budget or green house gas
emission), and (3) visually renders such information in a straightforward manner.
Through this platform users will be able to create “energy portfolios” by mixing
energy sources and evaluating how different choices impact the metrics they are
interested in. Rather than a top-down approach, the platform will solicit feedback
from the end-user on the prioritized topics as well as contribute additional topics
with help of a knowledge management system.
2 Functionalities of the Envisioned Platform
The proposed web platform will include two major components: a user opinion
component with working name “Energy Report Card” and an information component with working name “The Energy Challenge”.
The “Energy Report Card” integrates elements from the Opinion Space project
(http://opinion.berkeley.edu/) and the California Report Card project (http://
californiareportcard.org) developed at the CITRIS Data and Democracy Initiative
and informed by work done by the World Bank on the use of report cards as
assessment tools of government performance. The Energy Report Card gathers
feedback on users’ perceptions toward environmental, social, and economic impacts
of energy sources. Upon entering the system users will be asked to assign a value
from 0 “Strongly Disagree” to 9 “Strongly Agree” on six quantitative assessment
questions that will be used to gauge each user’s preference for environmental,
social, and/or economic impacts as high priority issues (Fig. 1). For example,
participants will be asked whether they believe global warming (environmental
impact) is a high priority issue, whether job creation (social impact) from energy
production is a high priority issue, and whether energy cost stability (economic
impact) is a high priority issue, among others.
Participants will then enter “The Energy Challenge” where they will be presented with an energy portfolio that matches their personal environmental, social,
and economic interests. Participants will be able to adjust the different energy
sources composing their energy portfolio. As they add and remove components to
the portfolio they can observe how the selected metrics respond to each change.
Additional text, graphics, videos, and links will also be provided through the page
to explain the correlations between sources and metrics (similarly to what is done in
the “California Budget Challenge”). Unrealistic scenarios, i.e. 100% nuclear energy
or 100% solar energy, will prompt a warning message with an accurate and
straightforward explanation of why such scenarios are unrealistic. A visual
128
M. Fratoni et al.