Anna's research gets visual

Anna Eklöf has been working for several years as a researcher, teacher and assistant professor in theoretical biology at Linköping University.

"I had been thinking for some time about creating some kind of visualisation of my research on ecological networks, so that it could be spread to schools in the form of apps. It could benefit children and young people – and combine business with entertainment," says Anna.

That’s when she contacted East Sweden Game (ESG).

"I showed them my idea, which they thought was exciting,” Anna remembers, “and they introduced me to programmer Måns Gezelius and graphic artist Magdalena Annell, who was at ESG in her spare time.”

The company Lutra Interactive was born. “The name comes from our first prototype which was about a food web where the otter has the lead role,” she says. “Lutra is Latin for Otter. They are also cute and very cool animals.”

What happens if an animal species disappears?

Based on Anna's research, Ecoweb was created to show how animal species are interconnected. For example, who eats whom.

"The simulation shows that when one animal species disappears or decreases sharply in number for some reason, it affects the other species,” says Eklöf. “Even species many steps away are impacted.”

Eklöf says that Ecoweb also shows what happens to ecosystems when, for example, the climate changes.

The result was so successful that both Universeum in Gothenburg and the Visualisation Centre in Norrköping now have it in their exhibitions.

"On a large touchscreen, the user builds up a food web based on data from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania,” Eklöf explains. “In the end, the food web has about 150 species of animals. In another installation, the visitor can investigate how some 500 different species living on the Arctic ice shelf are connected.”

With a simple touch, it is possible to see what happens to other species if, say, the lion disappears. You also get facts about both the animals and plants that are in the network.

Developing a new game

Anna thinks it is both cool and great fun that large visitor destinations such as Universeum and Visualisation Centre are making use of her research. The company has also recently been commissioned to develop a socially beneficial computer game – a deal worth millions in Swedish kronor.

"We have been hired to create a mobile game about recycling, aimed at younger children,” she explains. “It is important that they get to interact in a fun way. In everything we do, however, there is a fundamental educational purpose.”

Anna is a big fan of the expertise within East Sweden Game, and all the opportunities it provides.

"For me, coming from research with no business experience, it's worth its weight in gold,” she says. “It is invaluable to use it as a sounding board and a great advantage to be able to network with other member companies and visitors,” she says.