Anna Serra Llobet
Research project
Flood risk perception and communication through mapping: Experience in the EU and internationally
Project summary
Floods are the most important natural hazard in the Mediterranean region in terms of economic and human losses. Maps are critical tools for flood risk management, especially maps through which experts communicate risk to the public. Good maps can engage stakeholders, clearly communicate hazards and risk to end-users, while bad maps can create misperception of the actual risk. The EU Floods Directive (2007) required member states to submit flood risk maps and management plans by 2015, with wide latitude in how they were done, to reflect differences in hydrology and land use among member states. These maps constitute a remarkable dataset. I propose to systematically analyse these submitted maps, conducting detailed studies on a subset of maps, including some within the Mediterranean region, and comparing with flood maps in the the US and Japan to identify elements of style that make some maps more effective than others for flood risk management.
