This book offers a comprehensive description and analysis of natural hazard warnings, drawing on perspectives from the social sciences, physical sciences, and interdisciplinary fields such as disaster studies to articulate a distinction between traditional warnings and what might be called interdisciplinary warnings. Traditional warnings approach warning technology, design, and application from a principally scientific and technical perspective. Human factors, while considered, often are of secondary concern. Interdisciplinary warnings, on the other hand, maintain a critical emphasis on the technical merits of warning systems, but also ask, “Will psychological and community factors such as culture and structure shape how the system is used, and, if so, can this information be incorporated into system design preemptively to make it more effective?” Given the absence of systematic work on interdisciplinary warnings, a book-length monograph discussing and synthesizing knowledge from the various fields focused on warnings and warning response is of critical importance to both academics and practitioners. Broadly conceived, the book presents readers with an in-depth overview of warnings, interdisciplinary research, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Author(s): William Donner, Havidan Rodriguez, Jerald Brotzge, Walter R. Diaz
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 213
City: Cham
In Memorium
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Warning: A Theoretical Definition
Why Are Some Hazard Warnings Heeded and Others Not Heeded?
The Value and Limits of Traditional Warnings
Traditional vs. Interdisciplinary Warnings
A Note on Human Factors and Ergonomics
Organization and Scope of the Volume
Bibliography
Chapter 2: Historical, Technical, and Social Evolution of U.S. Warning Systems
The Early History of Severe Weather Warnings
Meteorology of the Classical and Renaissance Eras
1870-1948: Early Science, Institutional Support, and Stalled Progress
Creation of the Weather Bureau
1948: Lifting the Ban on Tornado Warnings
Modern Warning Systems: Evolution of Core Technologies and Practices
Detection and Prediction of Severe Weather
Sensor Networks
Development of Remote Sensing and Radar Technologies
Forecast Technologies: Numerical Weather Prediction
Spotter Networks
Warning Communication
Storm-Based Warnings and Impact-Based Warnings (IBWs)
Sirens
Radio and Television
NOAA Weather Radio
A Decline in Tornadic Mortality and the Need for an Increased Focus on Social Science
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 3: Public Warnings Response
Warning Response Model
Warning Response in the Social System
Model Stages: A Review of Literature
Reception
Informal Social Networks
Language Barriers to Reception
Demographic Determinants of Reception
Siren Limitations
Understanding
Past Disaster Experience
Warning Language, Format, and Content
Visualization Formats
Belief
Trust in Authorities and Experts
Environmental Cues
Message Frequency
Method or Channel of Communication
False Alarms and Warning Skepticism: An Ongoing Debate
Demographic Characteristics
Threat Confirmation
Personalization of Risk
Cultural Myths
Cultural Fatalism
Social and Environmental Cues
Warning Content, Past Experience, and Demographics
Believe Protection Action Necessary
Believe Protective Action is Feasible
Protective Action: Resources and Lead Time
On the Availability and Use of Resources to Assist in Protective Action
Conjectures and Propositions Regarding the Role of Leadtime in Protective Action
Official vs. Community vs. Individual Lead Times
An Unanswered Question: What Is the Ideal Lead Time?
The Question of Model Dynamics
Hypotheses About Stage Transition
Dependence
Directionality
Demographic Variables Are Not Consistent Across Stages
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 4: Institutional Warning Response: Emergency and Scientific Institutions
Obstacles to Successful Warning at the Institutional Level
Weather Forecasters
What Affects Warning Judgements in General?
Emergency Managers
To Warn or Not to Warn: Decision-Making Patterns Among Emergency Managers
Media
What Governs the Warning Process at the Institutional Level?
Psychological
Social Factors
Cultural Obstacles
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 5: Towards a Model to Coordinate Interdisciplinary Weather Research
Distinctions Between the Natural and Social Sciences as a Starting Point
A Note on Definition and Terminology
The Social Scientist in Interdisciplinary Research
A General Organizational Model for Interdiciplinary Research
Common Roles
Towards an Organizational Structure of the Interdisciplinary Project
Establishing and Maintaining an Interdisciplinary Culture
End-User Engagement
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 6: Building and Troubleshooting an Interdisciplinary Project
Establishing a Global Question and Transforming Applied Scientific Questions into Social Science Hypotheses
Complexity and Loss of Focus on the ``Global Question´´
Trust and Legitimacy Building Across Disciplines
Engagement of Stakeholders
Conflict Management
Rewards and Incentive Structures Across the Disciplines
Assessment of Success
A Blueprint for the Design of an Interdisciplinary Project
Define the Problem Globally
Identify Key Stakeholders Early and Incorporate Them into the Design Process
Develop a Budget Capable of Addressing the Global Question: Not Merely Technical Innovation
Establish an Ongoing Culture of Interdisciplinarity
Plan to Manage Conflict and Morale Issues
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 7: A Case Study in Interdisciplinarity: CASA (Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere)
ERC-CASA: A Brief Overview
Organization of CASA
Emergency Manager Surveys
Studies of Oklahoman Emergency Managers
End-User Simulations
Policy Development
Public Response Research
Overview of CASA´s Public Response Fieldwork
New Orleans: Disaster in the Context of Recovery
Missouri
Tennessee
Synopsis of Results
Reception
Understanding
Belief
Confirmation
Personalization
Determining Whether Protective Action is Necessary and Feasible
Protective Action
Conclusion: Integration and Connection to System Design
Bibliography
Chapter 8: Emerging Interdisciplinary Themes: Social Media
How Does Social Media ``Fit´´ into Our Current Understanding of Warnings?
Conceptualization of Social Media as a Warning Tool
How Has Social Media Altered Traditional Disaster Processes?
Rumor
Crowdsourcing
The Psychological and Social Psychological Impacts of Social Media Warnings
Population and Culture
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter 9: Conclusion
Where Do We Go from Here? Policy Towards Addressing Unanswered Questions and Future Directions
A Final Note on Complexity, Risk, and Interdisciplinary Research
Bibliography
