Background

Human encroachment on ecosystems that have previously seen little human presence destroys habitat and accelerates zoonotic disease spillover events. Understanding the networks and dynamics linking the environment, animals, humans, and viruses is crucial for proper environmental governance and the prevention of future pandemics.

To harness state-of-the-art scientific research to forward environmental management and One Health approaches, it is necessary to:

• Speak a common language

• Integrate interdisciplinary approaches

• Build effective communication tools.

This website and its graphical language is a small part of that plan to visualize the various scales of networks of viral, human, and environmental interactions. It can:

• Influence how we study and communicate our findings.

• Redefine our individual and species’ relationship to viruses in our environment.

• Propose new ways of representing these connections to effectively communicate science.

Using grids to produce shareable graphics and icons, this graphical language explores the complex relationships with three main elements in simple terms

VIRUS.

Reservoirs, hosts, threat levels, health effects.

HUMAN.

The movements and behaviours; collectively and individually.

ENVIRONMENT.

Locations large and small including cities, villages, forests, societies, etc.

To explore (graphically) the vast and complex networks between virus, human, and environment that deal with time, space, size; this framework condenses abstractions into single images that can be read as a visual language. 

See our resources page to download the Common Graphical Language Book Vol.1 along with other digital assets including icons and grid templates. These are helpful tools to assist you in creating your own graphical language assets.