GENESIS: Generative eSocial Science

1
GENESIS Generative e-Social Science
Paul Townend1, Jie Xu1, Mark Birkin2, Andy
Turner2, Belinda Wu2, Alison Heppenstall2, Martin
Clarke2
1School of Computing 2School of
Geography University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
GENeSIS (GENerative e-SocIal Science) is a
collaborative project based at the University of
Leeds and University College London. It seeks to
develop models of social systems where the main
applications are to build environments and cities
(relevant to the work of architects, geographers
and planners) using new techniques of simulation
involving complexity theory, agent-based models
and micro-simulation.
New technology and research methods have allowed
social scientists to attempt increasingly
sophisticated and complex social modelling and
simulation, and GENeSIS aims to pioneer new ways
of visualizing cities and social science data
using Web 2.0, Grid, and Cloud technologies. GENe
SIS functionality has been developed and exposed
as a number of Web Services, which can be
dynamically found and invoked at run-time. The
services can be accessed either by using a
Workflow enactor, or through a number of
GENESIS-developed interfaces, including a Java
client, and JSR-286 compatible Web Portlets (seen
to the left running in a LifeRay server).
GENESIS Portlets running in a Web Browser
In addition to the user interfaces created for
the GENeSIS project, much work has also been
performed on visualising GENeSIS data. This
includes layering thedata onto the Google Earth
application, as well as a Google Maps web-based
interface, and an open-source web-based mapping
tool called Open Layers. Further visualisation
work, including the use of 3D visualisations, is
being performed by University College London, and
is intended to be integrated into the main
GENESIS interfaces in the near future
GENeSIS Google Earth Visualisation
For more information, please contact Prof. Mark
Birkin (m.h.birkin_at_leeds.ac.uk) or Dr. Paul
Townend (p.m.townend_at_leeds.ac.uk)