Re-assessing Volcanic Hazard Maps for Improving Volcanic Risk Communication: Application to Stromboli Island, Italy

Abstract

Hazard and risk maps are both sources of information about hazards and different risk levels, and tool for risk management and planning and in informing and preparing the general public. Recent studies have highlighted that volcanic hazard and risk maps, usually used during emergencies, are often difficult to be interpreted. Our research had the aim of assessing the efficacy of currently available hazard and risk maps through testing map understanding and comprehension, understanding and perception of the volcanic hazards and to elicit opinion about existing maps and the information that this group would like to see on map, in order to produce new, innovative and more suitable maps. The test area was Stromboli island, an active volcano characterised by a persistent low-to-moderate magnitude explosive activity, and by sporadic high magnitude explosive events and lava effusions. Landslides on the volcano North-Western flank have sometime generated tsunami. The study has been developed in different phases, using semi-structured interviews conducted with local legislators, administrators and ‘enforcers’, in order to highlight common misconceptions and perceptions, and to get information about respondents’ mental spatial maps. The maps to evaluate were respectively a contour, an aerial photo and a DEM maps, plus an innovative 3D tsunami risk map. On the basis of the obtained results two different volcanic hazard maps for both ‘expert’ and ‘tourist’ use, respectively using a contour map and a DEM and also a 3D map focused on the tsunami risk area have been produced.