Examining geographic visualization as a technique for individual risk assessment

Abstract This research examined the extent to which geographic visualization might serve as a technique for assessing and understanding levels of personal risk. An exercise was created, consisting of a series of five animations, representing five historical flood events in flood-prone central Texas and displayed on an Internet site along with a survey questionnaire. Three questions guided this research: 1) To what extent can individuals correctly rank levels of intensities among five historical rainfall events, and, therefore levels of risk after viewing visualizations; 2) Does professional training and experience in a hazards-related field prove to be an advantage for correctly identifying and ranking levels of risk among the rainfall events after viewing visualizations; 3) Is prior experience with a flood, or any other hazard occurrence a factor in whether individuals can correctly assess levels of risk in visualizations depicting rainfall events? Our study demonstrated that computer-interested individuals are willing and able to access website information related to historical flood events, and interact with that website in viewing, interpreting and ranking computer animations of featured events; and, for the most part, regardless of prior experience, or workplace training, can, more or less, distinguish between levels of intensity of events. However, due to the fairly recent introduction of geographic visualization in hazards research, we call for more work in this area, and have offered an extensive list of research questions for assessing the viability of this technique for more accurate risk assessment and management at the individual level.