The ViRTU@LiS (Social Learning on EnVIRonmental Issues with the InTeractive Information and CommUnicAtion TechnoLogIeS) project brings together a consortium of specialists in information technology, sustainable development, environmental modelling, public policy and governance, learning psychology and open learning, to develop computer-based learning tools on ecosystems and natural resources.

The four domains are agricultural pollution, climate change, freshwater resources and marine capture fisheries. Taking these four domains as exemplary, ViRTU@LiS creates learning tools for improving citizens' awareness of environmental management and risks.

The project has developed computer-based learning tools, exploiting state-of-the-art ICT, that organise current scientific knowledge about the four selected environmental domains for non-scientific audiences. Four types of ICT tool are developed: Personal Barometers, allowing quantification of environmental impacts of individual lifestyles; Scenario Generators, exploring changes in patterns of economic activity towards sustainable resource use; Virtual Visits, or interactive digital environments within which the learning may take place; and Multi-player Games, which allow individuals to learn about problems of governance and resource access.

Using emerging ICT capacities, user-friendly interfaces and virtual worlds has allowed structured learning about personal and aggregate societal impacts on environmental resources. Within interactive virtual realities, a user (or a group of users) can gauge how their personal way of living impacts on the environmental feature or resource in question (Personal Barometer), they can explore alternative possibilities for social and economic changes towards sustainability (Scenario Generator), they can experience the dilemmas of stakeholder negotiations and of commercial and public policy choices (Multi-Agent Games), and they discover opportunities for personal learning through progressive disclosure of links to electronic libraries, simulation models, videos, on-line data bases (Virtual Visit).

As final deliverables, the project has produced a suite of networked virtual worlds designs and prototype implementations in 4 domains of environmental management and education, policy and governance:

• Pesticides, fertiliser residues and other pollutants into soil & water from agricultural activity;

• The emission of greenhouse and acid rain gases;
  
• The depleting or sustaining of fisheries;
  
• Pressures on underground and surface water resources through exploitation and waste disposal.
  

The four types of modelling for each of four domains, means (4x4) = 16 products.