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Geonet’s Shaking Layer Tool: Understanding and Incorporating User Needs into Shaking Layers for Aotearoa, New Zealand

Description: 

Following a damaging earthquake, emergency managers are in great need for reliable shaking information to be able to make decisions and increase their situational awareness. Until now, these decisions in New Zealand needed to be made with incomplete geographical information, relying solely on observed data points from either strong-motion stations or felt reports. The New Zealand Shaking Layers project has been designed to fill in that gap: through the use of the software ShakeMap configured to satisfy New Zealand’s characteristics, a tool is now available that provides shaking intensity maps for Peak Ground Acceleration, Peak Ground Velocity, Modified Mercalli intensity, and spectral acceleration at different periods. This project is a collaboration between GeoNet, New Zealand’s geohazards data and monitoring programme, and the Rapid Characterisation of Earthquake and Tsunami (R-CET) science programme.

Alongside undertaking new physical science and software development, we used a combination of social science research methods and user testing to understand more about Shaking Layers’s potential users. Here, we will present the results of a 2021-2022 public survey of over 1600 New Zealanders on their preferences for earthquake event information. Preliminary results show that 77% of participants stated that ‘shaking intensity information’ was either extremely or very important on a map after the earthquake scenario presented to them. Shaking intensity information would help them to determine if they should stay put or try and evacuate to safety and whether they should be concerned for family members. ‘Earthquake size’ (92%) and ‘Epicenter’ (86%) were the most useful types of information for those surveyed. Participants noted that this information allows for rapid decision making of tsunami threat in particular. Maps of expected landsliding and liquefaction were also extremely and very useful for the vast majority of participants. These results (in combination with techncial user feedback and persona development) provided clear guidance during the design process ensuring our product meets user needs.

Session: Creating Actionable Earthquake Information Products - I

Type: Oral

Date: 5/1/2024

Presentation Time: 08:30 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Danielle

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: Yes

Authors