Toward Dynamic Real-Time Informative Warning Systems

A great deal of research has been done to improve safety in the built environment. Disaster preparedness plans have been developed for a variety of situations; however, these plans often fail to convey sufficient information flow to the target audience. The literature discusses a variety of arguments that both support and limit giving information to the target audience. One of the arguments for limiting information is the assumption that people could panic and increase the difficulties at hand. Yet, a literature search for this paper indicates that target audience panics only in very rare situations. Furthermore, it shows that most people seek information about the event and that they actually try to make good decisions to ensure their survival. A system that could bring information to persons during an emergency could therefore address a variety of decision-making challenges in these tense situations. The handling of information could encompass a variety of scales: from national to urban to building scale. This paper looks into the realm of dynamic, real-time informative warning systems that deliver information to occupants of buildings during emergencies. It builds on a cognitive model for navigation in the built environment. A theoretical approach for the design of the warning message is discussed. Since this is an ongoing research project, only the results of the initial assessment will be presented here.

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