INCREASING AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS BY AN EXHIBITION
AND STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF VISUALS
Challenge the future
Marie Charrière, Thom Bogaard, Jean-Philippe Malet and Erik Mostert
This research was developed within the Marie Curie Initial Training Network ‘Changes: Changing Hydro-meteorological risks as Analyzed by a New Generation of European Scientists’, funded by the European Community’s 7th Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under Grant Agreement No. 263953.
m.k.m.charriere@tudelft.nl
Exhibition - Specific content and visuals
The content and visuals were selected according to results of population and risk managers surveys. In consequence, the exhibition is developped around 3
themes presented using a large variety of visuals means:
Evaluation of effectiveness
For academics:
• Insights for further testing methodology to assess visual commu-nication effectiveness
• Update on factors to take into account when measuring awareness and preparedness.
For communicators/risk managers:
• Recommendations for future visual risk communication
Expected outcomes
Bollo, A. and Dal Pozzolo, L. (2005) Analysis of Visitor Behaviour inside the Museum: An Empiri-cal Study. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management, Montreal
Charriere M.K.M. , Junier S.J., Mostert E., Bogaard T.A. (2013) Flood risk communication - Visu-alization tools and evaluations of effectiveness. In: Comprehensive Flood Risk Management, Klijn & Schweckendiek (eds), Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-415-62144-1.
Enders, J. (2001) Measuring community awareness and preparedness for emergencies. Austral-ian Journal of Emergency Management, 16(3), 52-58.
IFRC. 2011. Public awareness and public education for disaster risk reduction: a guide.
Nicholson-Cole S.A. 2005. Representing climate change futures: a critique on the use of images for visual communication. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 29:255-273.
Measure the effectiveness of visual risk communication, i.e. a change in awareness and preparedness, in the Ubaye Valley.
Research Objective
Why: Awareness and preparedness are ways of empowering
‘normal’ people to participate in disaster risk reduction (IFRC, 2011).
How: Visual communication present several advantages
compared to other communication means, e.g. (Nicholson-Cole, 2005):
• make messages easy to remember, • communicate idea in an instant
Problem: Assessment of visual communication impacts in the
field of natural hazards and risks does not exist (Charrière et al. 2012).
Pictures
Scale models and manipulations
Objects 2013 1750 Archival texts ? ? Models Susceptibility maps Photo ? Archival texts Archival texts Photo Photo Photo Archival texts Timeline Videos and animations Flash ©Teresa Sprague
Community Objective
Satisfy information needs of the community (population survey
- Mountain Risk Project) & communicate to the public (managers survey - Changes Project)
The multimedia-library: host a scientific exhibition
Natural hazards, consequences & risk concept
Landslides, floods, snow avalanches and earthquakes
Mitigation measures and risk management
Structural/non-structural; collective/individual
Knowledge evolution to anticipate the future
Past events/evolution of mitigation; scientific assessment
Method: Observation
• Attraction power index (nb people who stopped/nb observed people)
• Holding power index (average stopping time/utilization time necessary) Bollo and Dal Pozzolo (2005)
Attractiveness of visuals
Methods: Focus group & survey
Preferences and needs
Static and interactive maps
Impact measurement
Effects of the visuals:
• Manipulations -> variation of visual means during the exhibition • Control group
Testing factors for both tests : (adapted from Enders, 2001)
• hard knowledge • attitudes to risk • previous experience • worry
• exposure to awareness raising
• ability to mitigate/prepare/respond • demographic characteristics
Pre-test Exhibition Post-test
Method:
Participants: School children, visitors (adults/children, local
