The latest research exploring the way community members understand, perceive and use predictive bushfire maps was showcased in July's Hazardous Webinar.
Held 31 July, attendees heard from Dr Amy Griffin (RMIT University and Natural Hazards Research Australia), A/Prof Paula Dootson (Queensland University of Technology and Natural Hazards Research Australia) and end-user Deana Pullella (Team Leader Public Information, Department of Fire and Emergency Services) about the findings of a national survey about how community members comprehend and use bushfire maps.
Amy, Paula and Deana explained findings and their use from their study which forms part of Phase 1 of the Predictions in public: Understanding the design, communication and dissemination of predictive maps project and answered plenty of audience questions.
Replay the webinar below or visit the event page to see the slides.
The Predictions in Public project is using empirical evidence and collaborative processes to contribute to a national approach to the future use of public-facing predictive fire spread products during an emergency. Phase 1 of the project set out to understanding current agency practice and community comprehension and use of existing public-facing map-based products (i.e., incident warning maps and fire spread prediction maps).
Survey respondents were presented with different types of incident maps and asked a series of questions to determine how well they understood the information presented on the maps and their perception of risk and negative emotions associated with map and message escalations. Their understanding of the protective actions indicated by the maps was gauged, including the action they intended to take as a result of the map.
As shown by Paula and Deana, this information is vital as:
- it enables public information professionals to have critical conversations with operational personnel
- it highlights that the information emergency management and public information professionals believe is key to share with the community may, in reality, be worlds apart from what the public actually wants
- research is invaluable to underpin and inform every key decision
- it raises the question of what happens when the topic of risk arises? For example, in Western Australia where the publishing evacuation routes on maps led to the perception of greater risk
Predictions in Public is a collaboration between Natural Hazards Research Australia, the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Victorian Department of Education, RMIT University, QUT, Deakin University and Swinburne University of Technology. Learn more about the Phase 1 of the project, including the full summary report, sector role and value of predictive services report and associated publications.
The Predictions in Public deep dive continues in the September Hazardous Webinar, exploring community members’ with previous experience of bushfires understanding and use of maps, with Principal Research Fellow, Dr Erica Kuligowski from RMIT University and Natural Hazards Research Australia.
Register for these upcoming Hazardous Webinars:
- 1:00pm AEST, 26 August 2024, Enhancing decision making in emergency management
- 11:00am AEST, 17 September 2024, Predictions in public: Community perceptions and understanding of predictive maps