Description
Also in the field of flood protection, data and information required for the implementation of technical knowledge are increasingly conveyed not only via established media, such as newspapers, radio or popular-scientific publications, but via a number of digital information and communication technologies. This transmission of knowledge of facts and evaluations and the reflection and adaptation of internalized technical know-how are accomplished in transdisciplinary technology discourses of various groups of society: Apart from population in general, decision-makers in the administration and politics, technology experts (engineers), representatives of insurance companies, and media are involved.
In view of devastating flood catastrophes, the high damage of which also has to be attributed to an insufficient risk communication, it is not only important to define relevant contents, but to choose appropriate media and presentation formats. Users will choose that medium that offers familiar access to flood information and that format that presents the contents in a manner that corresponds to their knowledge culture.
For some years, the United Nations have defined the principle of adaptive management as a leading strategy for environmental management, i.e. for flood management. This means that management is a cyclic planning process for strategic decisions contrary to the conventional linear planning process. By the participation of the public, experience of all parties involved shall be considered in the individual steps of this cyclic planning process (lessons learned). In this way, environmental policy expects to increase the acceptance of the technical measures required, adequate social acting of the population, for example, an increased readiness to take precautions, and enhanced resilience of settlements. Constant adaptation of all parties involved to new experience horizons requires a new discourse culture. To support active participation of the population, various approaches to capacity building are proposed, from optimized, user-oriented information supply to workshops and discussion forums. In this connection, informing (uni- and bidirectional) and communicative elements and processes have to be distinguished.
When conveying flood protection-relevant information, multi-mediality, simultaneous use of various media and presentation formats, is of particular interest. Discussion of the results is to consider the influence of multi-mediality on information contents. After the replacement of verbal linear narrative strands by complex knowledge networks due to the transition from orality to textuality (Ong 1982), a new dimension of information supply has been opened up by the close link of verbal and image representations as image texts (Mitchell 1987).
The aspect of multi-mediality is of particular importance to the representation of spatial data. Geoinformation systems (GIS) combine verbal contents and images. Using suitable GIS software, real data and data relating to selected scenarios can be represented on various spatial (zoom) and temporal scales (video animation).
The above context in which effective flood management today has to be embedded shows that relevant scientific results may only be obtained by good interdisciplinary networking. For several years, the Institute for Water and River Basin Management (Professor Nestmann; Hydrology Division: Dr. Ihringer, Dr. Kämpf) has been studying aspects of risk communication in flood protection in cooperation with the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM). Work is based on a comprehensive website analysis, from which evaluation heuristics with the four functional categories of “access to data/information”, “technical aspects of data presentation”, “factual contents”, and “readability of data/information” were derived. In addition, transcripts of several discussion forums on “flood protection” in municipalities affected were evaluated. Citizens and representatives of the municipal administration participated in these forums. The ambiguous term of “uncertainty” was analyzed. From the point of view of hydrology, this term is indispensable for all statements regarding flood events. Estimation of uncertainty means a gain of information beyond the data observed, contrary to the conventional understanding. To meet the political requirements of conveying flood-relevant information to the population with the objective of an effective use of this information for socially adequate flood management in all phases, all questions given below can only be answered with the expert knowledge of cultural sciences (literature and media science): How can the significance of the technical information conveyed be shown or illustrated by text elements that are familiar to the users? Which contents can be conveyed best via which medium and in which format? Moreover, consideration of various time scales is relevant depending on whether the information conveyed shall be used for short-term decisions or for longer-term reflection of past events (lessons learned).
Which media and presentation formats
(a) are suited best for which user groups,
(b) complement the information offered, such that all aspects in which the information is embedded are taken into account (scientific expert knowledge, cultural experience, and expectations)?
How can information on episodic and periodic extreme events from science and municipal administration be transferred to certain living areas of various groups of society by regular processes such that it will be appropriated intellectually and emotionally?
Partners
Institute of Literature Science – Professor Dr. Andreas Böhn
Institute for Water and River Basin Management (IWG) – Professor Dr. Nestmann, Dr. Charlotte Kämpf
Contact Partner: Dr. Charlotte Kämpf
Duration: 2009 – 2012
