Ecoweb
Visualisation of Complex Ecological Networks
Ecoweb
Ecoweb is an affordable interactive simulation and visualization of complex ecosystems, perfect for schools, science centers and climate projects.
Ecoweb let you explore the food web in geographical areas. Find out how species depend on each other and learn how loss of species affect the entire ecosystem.
The simulation is based on research in theoretical ecology at Linköping University. The goal is to teach about biodiversity and ecosystems in an engaging and fun way.
The simulation is on display at Visualiseringscenter C in Norrköping and Universeum in Göteborg.
Why Ecoweb
Flexible, we can add any ecosystem
Affordable with a fixed price plan
Modular look & feel, add your graphic profile
Understanding Food Webs and Species Interdependence
What happens in an ecosystem when a species disappears or the environment changes? A food web describes who eats whom in an ecosystem. If a species’ new living conditions are affected, an entire chain of species is affected because they all depend on each other.
What does a food web in a Swedish forest look like? Which of all the animals actually has the most prey? What happens if all the blueberry shrubs were to disappear? Try to keep the ecosystem in balance!
How do I use Ecoweb?
Build a smaller food web by connecting different species and allowing energy to flow through the web so all species thrive. By changing the living conditions for different species, you can see how the rest of the ecosystem is affected. In the large network, you can mark different species to see what they eat and who eats them.
Ecoweb Simulation Engine
Ecoweb is powered by the ESE (Ecoweb Simulation Engine). ESE is a HTML5-based web application, built with the Phaser framework. Through Electron, the web page is exported as a desktop program. Development began in 2019, and since then the application has undergone many iterations.
We can easily adapt the visual appearance with your custom graphical profile or any needs you have.
Available datasets
There are several available datasets for Ecoweb. License an existing dataset, or add any kind of ecosystem to the engine. Just contact us and let us know what you need.
Swedish Forrest
This dataset describes a food web consisting of plants and mammals in a mixed forest in central Sweden.
The large food web described consists of 96 species (31 plants, 10 lichen and moss species, 18 herbivores, 19 omnivores and 18 carnivores) and 954 links between the species that describe who affects whom.
Moreover, it is used in the installation, the smaller parts of the food web, to simulate how species populations change over time when different events occur.
Serengeti National Park
This dataset describes a food web consisting of plants and mammals in the Serengeti in East Africa. The data was published by researchers in a scientific journal in 2011.
The large food web described consists of 161 species (129 plants, 23 herbivores, and 9 carnivores) and 592 links between the species that describe who eats whom.
Additionally, it is used in the installation of smaller parts of the food web to simulate how the populations of species change over time as different events occur.
Life in the Deep Water
More info soon!