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This study examines challenges and solutions in communicating flood risk information between researchers and practitioners, highlighting the need for tailored tools and enhanced collaboration to bridge the gap effectively.
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Communicating flood risk science at the academic-practitioner interface Are we lost in translation? Meghan Alexander * Hazel Faulkner * Christophe Viavattene * Sally Priest * Simon McCarthy
Increased flood risk • Mounting pressures on a broader base of practitioners, with less formal training in flood science • Identify knowledge gaps and future research • Science-practitioner communication • Pressure to deliver pragmatic flood research The need for communication…
Barriers to communication… • Scientific complexityVs practitioner simplicity • Understanding the professional context – roles, responsibilities, constraints and institutional frameworks • Assumptions and expectations
Expanding communication ‘toolkits’ • * The growth of Decision Support Systems and visualisation • WP3.2 sought to tailor a GIS-based flood risk assessment tool to emergency professionals • Highlighted the success of animation • Desire for interactive vulnerability assessment; user-controlled rather than expert-defined • Debates surrounding simplicity: K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple Stupid • Simplistic-user friendly tools and/or simplistic information tools? • WP7.3 FRMRC 1 – 4 day real-time simulation of an extreme flood event • A range of new tools are required to meet the different communication needs of emergency managers.
Taking pragmatic flood research forward… • The future of visualisation and DSS • Tailoring flood research • The role of the ‘end-user’ – not a passive receiver of knowledge, but an active participant in the research process and co-producer of knowledge • The importance of “Knowledge transfer” • Jointly assess knowledge gaps • Mutual learning • Facilitate uptake of new ideas, technologies and tools in FRM
Taking pragmatic flood research forward… • To what extent should we tailor flood research? • Who determines the level of detail required? • How do we negotiate sacrifices? • To what extent can decision support tools be integrated into FRM toolkit? • How might these instruments change the requirements of end-users? The nature of decision making?
Acknowledgement The research reported in this presentation was conducted as part of the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium with support from the: • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council • Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Environment Agency Joint Research Programme • United Kingdom Water Industry Research • Office of Public Works Dublin • Northern Ireland Rivers Agency Data were provided by the EA and the Ordnance Survey.