3D Visualization of governance and regulatory layers

The project SOS3D develops a first of its kind 3D visualization of interlinking governance layers, including actors and legislation relevant for the Baltic Sea environment. The project consists of systematizing information on legislation and governance layers into a program-readable format and generating a 3D model. The project enhances a holistic understanding of marine governance and regulation, with potential to reveal gaps and overlaps in regulatory approaches and governance tasks. It promote a better understanding of the governance and legal framework, and increases governance-literacy as complex data is being presented in an easily digestible form. The first phase of the project was conducted during October 2025, and the 3D model was presented publicly on the 4th November 2025 at the workshop that took place at Sibeliusmuseet on the theme of Konsten att rädda Östersjön – bland paragrafer och performance.

The second stage of the project runs during 2026, during which a scientifically accurate model for generating 3D information of governance layers and their interaction relating to the Finnish Archipelago sea will be created.

The project members are Viljam Engström (project responsible, data input); Carolina Grönberg (researcher, data input); Sukrit Pant (researcher, coding); Jose Teixeira (coding expertise, mentoring). The project first stage was funded by Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) Open Access funding scheme for miniprojects, and its outcomes were: A data set on actors and governance / legislative instruments in the Baltic Sea region, including a set of interconnections; open source code published on GitHub; and the 3D model published on Zenodo.

The second stage (2026) is supported by the Centre for Sustainable Ocean Science (SOS) through its Project Booster funding. SOS is an Åbo Akademi University Centre of Excellence funded by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation during 2024–2028. SOS provides transdisciplinary knowledge on wicked problems linked to marine biodiversity and its role in the societal transition to sustainability, focusing on the Archipelago Sea and Åland Island area.

Relevant links:
Project homepage: https://research.abo.fi/en/projects/3d-visualization-of-governance-and-regulatory-layers/

Code on GitHub: https://github.com/sukritpant/3d-horrendogram

Model on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17541211