USGS has provided earthquake information products in near-real-time for over two decades, ranging from locations of the earthquake source to estimates of human impacts. Now that these products have been widely used and applied after hundreds of earthquakes, the USGS has an opportunity to evaluate who accesses these products, how they are using them, and what improvements can be made to better support decision-making. Specifically, the goal of this project is to address users’ needs to make USGS earthquake impact products, like the PAGER system, more actionable in supporting disaster management decisions that center equity and increase accessibility to a wider range of users.
This project takes a human-centered design approach to co-design updates to USGS earthquake impact products with global users of USGS earthquake impact products who prioritize equity in the disaster management work. Human-centered design involves iteration between users and product developers to design solutions that address users decisions, attitudes, and desires regarding a product. We combine a series of focus groups with a range of users–from humanitarian agencies to smaller community-based organizations–followed by interactive workshops with specific user groups to generate informational needs and gain feedback on mockups of improved earthquake impact products that are more actionable and accessible.
Project results are currently being documented, stay tuned!
Core team members
Project partners/funders
Project content
Focus groups with 49 disaster management practitioners worldwide identify the disaggregated and actionable risk metrics needed to support equity-focused decisions, beyond fatalities and economic losses.
Beyond Deaths and Dollars: Modeling Requirements to Support Equity-Focused Disaster Risk Management
Through a scenario workshop with emergency managers, this study finds that disaggregated risk metrics, showing who is exposed and affected, help practitioners turn equity goals into concrete tasks.
Operationalizing Equity: How Disaggregated Risk Metrics Support Equity in Emergency Management
Focus group protocols, including a facilitation guide, questionnaire, and information sheet, used to assess practitioners’ needs for equity-focused disaster risk information.
Equity-Focused Information Needs Assessment Protocols
Scenario workshop protocols, including activities, facilitation guides, and slides, used to evaluate how emergency managers use equity-supporting, disaggregated risk information.
Equity-Focused Usability Protocols
Centering equity in USGS' hazards science helps guide how we form partnerships, conduct research, and deliver actionable information.
Incorporating Equity and Inclusion in Risk Reduction
Drawing on focus groups with 49 practitioners and USGS web traffic, this paper offers strategies to make PAGER earthquake loss information accessible to a wider range of users.
Publicly Available but Not Fully Accessible: Strategies for Equitably Sharing Post-Earthquake Loss Information
Achieving Collective Impact in Earthquake Science Podcast
This poster, which won 1st place for Theoretical and Social Sciences, provides an overview of user engagement to design more actionable earthquake information products at the USGS.
Designing Earthquake Scenario Exercises to Evaluate Actionable Earthquake Impact Products
An overview of integrating social equity into risk modeling.
Understanding Risk 2022 -- Interview with Sabine Loos.
In this talk, Sabine presents on three main examples of designing earthquake information to be more actionable by centering user needs and more equitable by prioritizing vulnerable populations.
Designing actionable and equitable earthquake impact information
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Office Address: GG Brown, 2350 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109