Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-3219-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-3219-2021
Research article
 | 
27 Oct 2021
Research article |  | 27 Oct 2021

Impact of information presentation on interpretability of spatial hazard information: lessons from a study in avalanche safety

Kathryn C. Fisher, Pascal Haegeli, and Patrick Mair

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Cited articles

Allen, P. M., Edwards, J. A., Snyder, F. J., Makinson, K. A., and Hamby, D.M: The effect of cognitive load on decision making with graphically displayed uncertainty information, Risk Anal., 34, 1495–1505, https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12161, 2014. 
Anderson, W. E., Potter, K. C., Matzen, L. E., Shepherd, J. F., Preston, G. A., and Silva, C.T: A user study of visualization effectiveness using EEG and cognitive load, EuroGraphics/EuroVis 2011, 30, 791–800, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8659.2011.01928.x, 2011. 
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Brooks, M. E., Kristensen, K., van Benthem, K. J., Magnusson, A., Berg, C. W., Nielsen, A., Skaug, H. J., Mächler, M., and Bolker, B. M.: glmmTMB Balances Speed and Flexibility Among Packages for Zero-inflated Generalized Linear Mixed Modeling, R Journal, 9, 378–400. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2017-066, 2017. 
Bühler, Y., Kumar, S., Veitinger, J., Christen, M., Stoffel, A., and Snehmani: Automated identification of potential snow avalanche release areas based on digital elevation models, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 1321–1335, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-13-1321-2013, 2013. 
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Short summary
Avalanche warning services publish condition reports to help backcountry recreationists make informed decisions about when and where to travel in avalanche terrain. We tested how different graphic representations of terrain information can affect users’ ability to interpret and apply the provided information. Our study shows that a combined presentation of aspect and elevation information is the most effective. These results can be used to improve avalanche risk communication products.
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