'Move beyond the realm of computer science'

BANGALORE, INDIA: Dr. V.S. Arunachalam, one of the nation’s top scientists has urged citizens to play a proactive role in solving societal problems.

"We are the masters of our own destiny, and can use machine power, manpower and human knowledge to make a difference.” Dr Arunachalam said speaking at the workshop on Modeling and Gaming Simulation organized jointly by non profit research organization Center for Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), and the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) at the Delft Technical University (TU-Delft) from the Netherlands, on Friday.

Dr. Arunachalam discussed the possibility of applying gaming to real-life Indian situations like urban infrastructure, slum evolution/improvement and the nature of democracy. “We need to move beyond the realm of computer science into “computing science,” he mentioned. “Effective collaborations are valuable in research fields, and we think the CSTEP-TU-Delft partnership is integral to foster development in the field of modeling and gaming.”

The workshop was the first of its nature organized by CSTEP and TU-Delft, and included a cross-section of participants from different fields, such as dignitaries from the Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, officials from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). CSTEP distinguished research scholar Dr. Eswaran Subrahmanian further emphasized the significance of collaborating with TU-Delft. “The Netherlands has the distinction of being one of the smallest nations in the world, and also the most planned.”

“Though similarities between the two nations may not be evident, we could definitely benefit from mutual cooperation. The Netherlands, due to its unique geographical location, faces risks associated with a country surrounded by water. While this may not be the case with us, we are drowning in our own relevant metaphorical issues, like climate change and population density. Our collaboration is valuable in understanding these issues, and employing modeling situations for effective problem-solving.”

Dr. Igor S. Mayer, Director of the CPS-TU-Delft TPM Centre for Serious Gaming conducted the first session of the day, an interactive paper-based game in which participants were encouraged to maximize resource efficiency, while also thinking of common good. Participants were divided into groups, and pretended to be fishermen who judged potential catch in terms of ocean depletion and regeneration capacities. The challenge was to optimize the catch of fish, while taking care to preserve the ocean ecosystem.

Dr. Mayer followed this game up with a talk on the use of gaming and simulations in several real-life situations. Specifically, he spoke of the role of modeling in planning land development in the Port of Rotterdam, where 1000 acres of reclaimed land had to be allocated amongst different projects. He also mentioned the effective use of gaming in route slotting amongst railroad companies in the Netherlands, in which officials took part in several true-to-life simulations that helped them manage allocations in a more efficient manner. He provided other examples of computer games being used for “non entertainment” purposes such as decision making, policymaking and process training.

The use of gaming in mirroring real-life situations was amply demonstrated in the electricity market simulation that TU-Delft professors Dr. Jaco Appelman and Dr. Laurens J. De Vries facilitated, as part of the afternoon session. Participants were divided into different groups, and asked to play the role of top officials in fictitious electricity companies. An online interface played the part of an “electricity exchange,” which provided information on such factors as operation and maintenance costs of nuclear, wind and coal plants, operating efficiency, and period of operation.

Participants were encouraged to make strategic decisions on setting up new power plants and selling power at the exchange at competitive rates, while keeping an eye on organizational balance sheets. The interdisciplinary group delved into the game with enthusiasm, and, as Dr. Mayer mentioned, stepped out of the real world and into the “magic circle of gaming.” The game was characterized by its inclusion of different “stakeholders” and illustrated the role of gaming in mapping complex, multilayered problems.

The session closed with an open forum, where workshop participants had an opportunity to interact with gaming engineers and experts, to understand specific applications of simulation. Game developers demonstrated disaster management scenarios, a perishable goods supply chain, industrial cluster modeling and technician training. At the end of the day, one of the participants summed up her experiences – “As a teacher, I have been using paper-based games to teach my courses. However, the use of technology in simulating real-life situations is the future we should embrace.” 

The conference continues on Saturday, July 4, and will be marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between CSTEP and TU-Delft, to formalize a partnership forged to facilitate development of modeling and simulation projects, chiefly in the realm of policy analysis. The two institutions will look forward to “cooperation in advanced research and dissemination of knowledge on the planning, design, operation, management and governance of infrastructure systems and the innovation of infrastructure systems and services.”