Communicating disasters to children through digital learning activities, geospatial data and platforms

Natural disasters can significantly impact children's well-being, making it essential to effectively communicate risks and potential hazards to them. This paper outlines a data-driven holistic approach to enhance resilience among children by leveraging geospatial data and maps used in the classroom. By providing easy-to-understand information about the location, extent, and intensity of potential hazards, geospatial data, and maps can help children better understand the risks and prepare for emergencies. Also, the integration of geospatial data and maps can facilitate improved comprehension of risks among children while concurrently fostering their preparedness for emergency situations. During the primary research phase, various mediums were explored for effective communication of disasters. Presentation templates were developed to present information about different types of disasters, their causes, and appropriate actions during and after such events. Various practical activities that students can engage in to learn about natural disasters and their impact were developed. These activities include exploring flooding in different areas using a virtual globe, visualizing wildfires using satellite data platforms, and studying plate tectonics using a virtual globe. Students can also work with KML datasets containing fault lines and point GIS layers of all the earthquakes in the country since the beginning of the XX century, as well as explore the country’s landslide register using various maps and layers. These activities provide students with hands-on experience in using technology and data to understand natural disasters and their impact.