Digital Signage for Disaster Resilience

Abstract

– The two major disasters that occur most frequently in Turkey are floods (34% of recorded disasters) and earthquakes (33%). In Turkey, especially the 17 August 1999 Earthquake, the floods in the Northern Black Sea region in 2021 and the 6-7 February 2023 Earthquakes made the importance of predisaster studies more prominent. Due to the digitization megatrend, we are accustomed to looking at digital screens for information, entertainment, and education. Our brains process graphics faster than text and motion naturally attract our eyes. These three factors make digital signage for emergency messaging one of the best communication tools available. College campuses and city halls are perhaps the earliest adopters of digital signage for emergency messaging. A strategically placed digital sign can alert the campus and the city hall to danger. A carefully crafted message can assist students, staff and citizens get to safety. The municipalities and state institutions in Turkey still use text/email alerts, intercoms, sirens etc. These are inexpensive solutions that can reach off-site constituents. However, some methods are not very reliable. After all, not everyone checks their emails or messages regularly. Those emergency alert systems may also fail to address the visual component of mass communication. Digital signage filled this gap. Our brains are visually oriented and respond rapidly to images and motion. Emergency messages displayed on digital signage reach more people than an intercom announcement. However, the institutions in Turkey still lack the capacity and practice to use digital channels as emergency tools. Further, people are not adequately aware of how to behave in an emergency. This project aims to offer an effective disaster management system that can serve as a model for other districts.