Feedback on the list of event terms

Dear all,

I would like to respond to the questions Elyza has sent some time ago (Dec 7) regarding the list of event terms (in red).

The response contains feedback from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and corresponds with work on the consolidation of terms made in the EU HEIMDALL project.

1. There are widely used terms with naming conventions that conflict. For example, Warning is used for some events and not for others in the actual term. Or Severe Thunderstorm when the actual event is a Thunderstorm, which may or may not be severe, or Extreme Fire Danger versus just Fire Danger. How do we reconcile this inconsistent naming? A complete re-working of the list of terms with agreement from all users on the naming convention and parameters for use would be required. This would remove the subjectivity that currently exists in the list.

2. There are some narrow terms that fall under several different broad terms. For example, Gale under Air Hazard and Gale under Marine Weather. Or Storm Surge on its own versus also part of a Tropical Storm. What is the feedback on either consolidating under a single broad term or allowing for the same narrow term to be repeated in multiple locations? Consolidation would be our preferred option as it would remove the confusion and misunderstanding that can come from using the same term in different scenarios with different meanings.

3. In attempting to develop the list we found there are a number of ambiguities between both the broad terms and narrow terms. In addition there are also some ambiguities with the CAP categories. For example, Air Quality in the Canadian list falls into 4 CAP categories. How will the community address the problems of using a very short list of broad terms given these ambiguities? A short list with broad terms would not be ideal as it would not give the required separation between categories. How can the list be made most useful to achieve the goals of an event list? a standardized list with clear parameters on when the different terms should be used would be ideal. Where possible different categories should replicate the narrow terms, for example the terms “large, severe, extreme” in any category should have a similar meaning whether the category is flood, fire, landslip, weather, etc.

Best regards,

Monika

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Earth Observation Center | German Remote Sensing Data Center | Geo Risks and Civil Security | Oberpfaffenhofen | 82234 Wessling

Dipl.-Medieninf. Monika Friedemann

Phone: +49 (0) 8153 28-1649 | Fax: +49 (0) 8153 28-1445 | monika.friedemann@dlr.de

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