Perspectives on Visualizing Uncertainty in Natural Hazards

Ellen Peters, Ann Bostrom and Susan Cutter
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Ellen Peters: Decision Research
Ann Bostrom: Georgia Institute of Technology
Susan Cutter: University of South Carolina

Chapter 13 in Risk Assessment, Modeling and Decision Support, 2008, pp 295-318 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter focuses on the perspective of consumers of visual information about natural hazards — particularly decision makers and individuals who must make difficult personal choices in the face of vast quantities of data that have been produced for other purposes. Ellen Peters draws on empirical studies to show that “Less is More” in the presentation of information. She also argues that visualizations should be tailored to specific decision needs by choosing precision levels and visual cues appropriate to the evaluation context. Ann Bostrom expands the discussion on the definitions of risk and uncertainty and discusses how spatial information in particular is perceived by users. She emphasizes the particular visual tools that have been shown to be effective in affecting individuals’ judgments about certain risks. Finally Susan Cutter discusses the strengths and weaknesses of various visual approaches to representing uncertainty, and recommends keeping the overall presentation simple.

Keywords: Risk Perception; Natural Hazard; Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis; Risk Avoidance; Hazard Information (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:rischp:978-3-540-71158-2_13

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-71158-2_13

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