Community-based EEW Aotearoa New Zealand

Just out: a new paper on the potential of earthquake early warning in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study investigated the perceptions of various sectors; including utilities, infrastructure, emergency management, health, and education. Perspectives from the multiple sectors showed that there are perceived benefits to having an EEW system. Benefits highlighted include (1) life-safety and health & safety, (2) psychological preparedness, (3) activation of emergency plans and situational assessment, and (4) organisational actions to reduce impacts and aid in response and recovery. Read more about it here:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101765

On 28th and 30th July, the Smart Resilient Cities initiative hosted two TechWeek sessions. The two-day online event provided an opportunity to share, learn, network, and converse about the macro-trends and social innovations that are shaping our increasingly digital urban environments. The two sessions focussed on "Technology for Public Good". The first session looked into the topic of "Networking cities in a changing world: the Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics.  The second session looked into EEW and asked the question on "What's the potential for an earthquake early-warning system in Aotearoa, New Zealand?" Watch the first part of the 30th July session on EEW here:  Each session had around 25 attendees that engaged in the discussion. The recordings of all sessions can be found on this Youtube playlist .

Some of the project team members went to visit the Whakarongotai Marae at Waikanae, on 15 July, to have a korero about the earthquake early warning project with the Marae Trustees. The discussion raised interesting and important questions and provided exciting opportunities and avenues to explore. Kai was shared with everyone afterwards.

As we look to further engage wider communities on EEW research and its applications, it is good to understand our shared values and common goals. We would like to hold a workshop and invite you to explore this with us. The workshop will only be only for one hour and we hope we will have an hour of engaging discussion! When: 23 July, Thursday – 10am to 11am Zoom link: https://massey.zoom.us/j/94874187617 The format of the workshop will be a semi-structured discussion on these three questions: What are your aspirations for EEW in Aotearoa New Zealand? What strengths do you wish to share to the community-of-practice? Where do you think is a good place to start EEW research with communities? We value your participation and your insights will help frame our shared values. We hope you can come to this virtual workshop. This workshop is a chance for the community-of-practice to learn about each other and find a collective approach to EEW research.   Plea