uncertainty Archives - Water Diplomacy Network Blog

Matching Risks and Rewards: researcher’s goals, practitioner’s decisions, and flood risk management practices

By Amanda Repella On January 20, 2013 · 1 Comment · In Insights

Flood risk management seeks to prevent and mitigate disastrous outcomes from flood events through built infrastructure, management of control devices, land-use planning, flood prediction and emergency management planning. Researchers from NCAR and the University of Colorado interviewed decision makers at multiple levels and scientists who study flood risks and prediction to better understand how flood risk research questions are studied and how actual risk management decisions are made to better inform the researchers who seek to provide the information that will improve flood risk management decision making. However, while scientists often assume that more specific scientific information that reduces uncertainty about flood timing or magnitude will lead to better flood prediction and flood management policies, the diverse group of practitioners involved in the policy and management decision process may need different information that better addresses the realities of their decision making environment.