Development of an online hazards atlas to improve disaster awareness

Understanding the causes, effects and geographic patterns of local hazards is important for helping individuals make educated decisions about how to respond to their threat. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find comprehensive sources of information about local hazards. In this paper, we discuss the development of an online hazards atlas for the state of South Carolina. We have designed this atlas to facilitate awareness about the causes and effects of hazards. An effective method for communicating this information is through education and awareness programs for children, so we have designed this atlas primarily as an educational tool for K-12 students. However, we have also structured the atlas to ensure that it provides details of interest to the general population. In this paper, we focus on educational, methodological and technical aspects of development of the online hazards atlas to highlight both the benefits and challenges of this type of product and to emphasize where it fits as a tool for improving hazards education. In addressing these issues, we present a model that can be adapted for use in other geographic areas.