An anthropogenic approach is needed when designing a system directed at diminishing the effects of an emergency, be it human made or natural. Most Early Warning Systems (EWS) have been designed by professionals and, in most cases, designed around a specific threat. Vulcanologists are worried about telluric movements, maritime scientists regard tsunamis as the biggest threat, and firefighters are concerned about the consequences of forest fires during the hot summers.
But there is a point of contact in all those EWS that is not involved in their design: people. People are at the center of any emergency and yet they are the forgotten link in any EWS system.
It is easy to involve people living on the slopes of Etna into participating in a EWS designed to save their lives. Etna is a live entity that constantly reminds the people living nearby that it can erupt anytime. It is more difficult to do the same with the two million people living in the vicinity of Vesuvius. The memory of its last activity is long forgotten. And what about making people aware in Barcelona that tsunamis exist in the Mediterranean and that they are just few centimeters above sea level?
The challenge then is to get the general public involved in being part of the EWS. To achieve that, e-learning and gaming in particular are tools that have to be explored; these have had positive results in other areas. A well-structured and simple e-learning system has to be devised to complement any EWS. The challenge is that it has to satisfy all kind of persons. It cannot be forgotten that the population is made up of old people with limited ICT skills, disabled people that have to be involved in their own survival, kids that have to be taken care of, and nerds who think they know better. The success of the EWS relies on the ability to cater for all those people at the same time.
Carlos García Gordillo 