NOAA VES-V 1.44

Virtual Ecosystem Scenario Viewer (VES-V) – Software for Visualizing the Results of Ecosystem Modeling Outputs

Successfully managing and recovering marine species requires a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem and its various impacts on their survival. NOAA Fisheries utilizes advanced ecosystem modeling tools, incorporating stakeholder input, to analyze the tradeoffs inherent in natural resource management decisions. These models integrate traditional population biology with climate, environmental, ecological, and human factors affecting the ocean. By offering essential data, they facilitate well-informed decision-making. However, the complexity of these models often hinders broader audiences from comprehending and utilizing the provided information efficiently. The Virtual Ecosystem Scenario Viewer (VES-V) seeks to present these dynamics in a user-friendly format.

The VES-V demonstrates how virtual marine ecosystems respond to different living marine resource management scenarios. Through visualizations, stakeholders can observe how models are applied in marine resource management practices. Furthermore, this tool enables users to examine tradeoffs among scenarios for future decisions regarding the management of the nation's major marine ecosystems. Its primary objective is to showcase improved ways of presenting and visualizing marine ecosystems, their resources, and their collective responses to various pressures.

While the results shared have undergone publication and review processes, they are not designed for direct tactical decision-making in management contexts. Instead, they offer generalized insights into potential outcomes across different options, conditions, and scenarios within an entire species system.

We invite your feedback as we advance this tool's development. If you have suggestions on enhancing VES-V, recommendations for specific scenarios to explore, or thoughts on improving how we illustrate the dynamics of living marine resources in our interconnected ecosystems, please share them with us at: jason.link@noaa.gov.