An earthquake is coming. Experts expect the Cascadia fault just off the Oregon coast to grind out a big one sometime soon.
How big? Up to magnitude 9. By comparison, a M6.9 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, in 1995 killed thousands and did an estimated $100 billion damage.Oregon state staffers want Oregonians to get ready. So does Oregon Public Broadcasting, which has been presenting an online series called “Unprepared” about what OPB calls “this impending and unpredictable disaster.”
At the UO’s Build-a-thon, the OPB team joined with media design firm Sticky Co. to grab audience attention with a web app that customizes earthquake impact information for every unique user. The goal was to inform people about risks and resources, then how to prepare, by telling a disaster story customized for each address in Oregon.
How did the OPB team combine raw data on impact zones, ground disturbance, landslides, projected lost services and more into a gripping user-tailored experience in only three days? They practice what they preach. They prepared.
The OPB team has been salivating to create this app for months, as has the state Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, which told them that developing it would cost $100,000 and take a year of labor. They came in with a vision fully formed and a chip on their shoulder. They had as inspiration a prototype app called “What’s Your Risk?” in their “Unprepared” series.
Perhaps best of all, they brought in several consultants, including the DOGAMI state geologist and information officer, and the chair of the state Earthquake Commission. Geologist Ian Madin told them: “The message 27 years ago was magnitude 9 earthquakes comes along once every 500 years get ready. The message today: same thing. If we put as much effort into message as we do into research, we’d have a much more prepared community. But scientists want to do science.”
The director of enterprise reporting for OPB also stopped by and reviewed the work. Throughout, the team deferred to their visitors in reviewing data, making word choices, making accurate statements in the text, and overall tone and thrust of the piece.
Jason Bernert, team facilitator, made sure everyone working on the team had specific tasks. Everyone wore only one hat. For example, the OPB journalist who wrote the text was able to focus helped with visiting consultants and focus on tweaking messages, while the developers molded the databases. Bernert also sought out and brought in a GIS expert to work on the mapping applications.
Finally, they tailored their expectations, says Bernert. “Using the data that we already have, what can we tell Oregonians? What data sets cans we use to actually make something useful over the course of two and a half days?”
The final goal: Give us your address or city. We’ll tell you the risks and what you can do to be resilient.
The outcome: Aftershock: Preparing for Your Cascadia Quake Scenario, a two-step web app. The first page shows a map of Oregon and allows you to input your address. The second page shows you a localized map of that address. “Story nuggets” or “snuggets” cover The Event (what will happen during – ground shift, liquefaction and/or landslides), Community Recovery (how long services in your area will likely be out, from water and sewer to police, fire, highways and natural gas) and How to Prepare. Community Recovery will include these as graphs instead of text.
by John Strieder