Safe City: A Study of Channels for Public Warnings for Emergency Communication in Finland, Germany, and Greece

Author:

Yli-Kauhaluoma Sari1ORCID,Statheropoulos Milt2,Zygmanowski Anne3ORCID,Anttalainen Osmo1ORCID,Hakulinen Hanna1ORCID,Kontogianni Maria Theodora2ORCID,Kuula Matti1ORCID,Pernaa Johannes4ORCID,Vanninen Paula1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. VERIFIN, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

2. Analytical Chemistry and Technology Unit, National Technical University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece

3. Institute of Electrical Engineering and Measurement Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany

4. The Unit of Chemistry Teacher Education, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

Abstract

Public warning systems are an essential element of safe cities. However, the functionality of neither traditional nor digital emergency warnings is understood well enough from the perspective of citizens. This study examines smart city development from the perspective of safety by exploring citizens’ viewpoints. It investigates people’s perceptions of the ways in which they obtain warnings and information about emergencies involving health risks. Data were collected in the form of focus group interviews and semi-structured interviews in Finland, Germany, and Greece. The results suggest that people place a lot of trust in their social network, receiving text messages, and their ability to use web-based search engines in order to obtain public warnings. The study discusses the challenges identified by citizens in the use of conventional radio and television transmissions and sirens for public warnings. Based on the results, citizens demonstrate informed ignorance about existing mobile emergency applications. Our results imply that it is not sufficient to build emergency communication infrastructure: the development of smart, safe cities requires continuous work and the integration of both hard and soft infrastructure-oriented strategies, i.e., technological infrastructure development including digitalisation and education, advancement of knowledge, and participation of people. Both strategic aspects are essential to enable people to take advantage of novel digital applications in emergency situations.

Funder

European Union’s Horizon 2020 FET Open programme

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Computer Networks and Communications,Computer Science Applications,Human-Computer Interaction,Neuroscience (miscellaneous)

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