Environmental Hazards: A Coverage Response Approach

Paul Croft

doi:10.3390/fi11030072

Abstract

The rapid rise and implementation of Smart Systems (i.e., multi-functional observation and platform systems that depict settings and/or identify situations or features of interest, often in real-time) has inversely paralleled and readily exposed the reduced capacity of human and societal systems to effectively respond to environmental hazards. This overarching review and essay explores the complex set of interactions found among Smart, Societal, and Environmental Systems. The resulting rise in the poorly performing response solutions to environmental hazards that has occurred despite best practices, detailed forecast information, and the use and application of real-time in situ observational platforms are considered. The application of Smart Systems, relevant architectures, and ever-increasing numbers of applications and tools development by individuals as they interact with Smart Systems offers a means to ameliorate and resolve confounding found among all of the interdependent Systems. The interactions of human systems with environmental hazards further expose society’s complex operational vulnerabilities and gaps in response to such threats. An examination of decision-making, the auto-reactive nature of responses before, during, and after environmental hazards; and the lack of scalability and comparability are presented with regard to the prospects of applying probabilistic methods, cross-scale time and space domains; anticipated impacts, and the need to account for multimodal actions and reactions—including psycho-social contributions. Assimilation of these concepts and principles in Smart System architectures, applications, and tools is essential to ensure future viability and functionalities with regard to environmental hazards and to produce an effective set of societal engagement responses. Achieving the promise of Smart Systems relative to environmental hazards will require an extensive transdisciplinary approach to tie psycho-social behaviors directly with non-human components and systems in order to close actionable gaps in response. Pathways to achieve a more comprehensive understanding are given for consideration by the wide diversity of disciplines necessary to move forward in Smart Systems as tied with the societal response to environmental hazards.

Highlights

The much anticipated value of (e.g., Pew Report, [1]) and rapid advancement in the capabilities [2,3], prevalence [4], and synthesis of Smart Systems within the cultural landscape [5,6,7] and within many Smart Cities on a global scale is well documented [8]
This paper offers an overarching review to explore the Future Internet 2019, 11, 72 complex set of interactions that exist with regard to the application of Smart Systems, architectures, and applications and tools to the problem of hazards impacts and response
The interactions of human systems with environmental hazards is first considered (Section 2) with regard to existing and created vulnerabilities as related to societal responses. These systems interactions (Section 3) are explored with regard to the complexities involved in managing expectations, standard responses, and the usefulness and true applicability of observational systems in an actionable manner for the decision-making process before, during, and after an environmental hazard

Summary

Introduction

The much anticipated value of (e.g., Pew Report, [1]) and rapid advancement in the capabilities [2,3], prevalence [4], and synthesis of Smart Systems within the cultural landscape [5,6,7] and within many Smart Cities on a global scale is well documented [8]. The interactions of human systems with environmental hazards is first considered (Section 2) with regard to existing and created (or aggravated and compounded) vulnerabilities as related to societal responses These systems interactions (Section 3) are explored with regard to the complexities involved in managing expectations (of society), standard responses, and the usefulness and true applicability of observational systems in an actionable manner for the decision-making process before, during, and after an environmental hazard. Several means and approaches of identifying these pathways are explored in an attempt to help direct and orient a substantive transdisciplinary and holistic effort that will make use of the burgeoning body of literature in a longitudinal manner while making use of a variety of experimental methodologies and techniques These are intended to guide the conceptualization and design of future interactive and interdependent Smart Systems to ameliorate impacts associated with environmental hazards in a more comprehensive manner that are both adaptable and self-evolving in real-time

Vulnerabilities

Systems Interaction