How usable are current GIS maps? : Communicating emergency preparedness to vulnerable populations

Background: Despite the growing popularity of Geographic Information System (GIS) information maps as tools in public health and emergency preparedness, there is little known about the ability of inner city residents to read and use GIS information. Objectives: Using a GIS map from New York City's Office of Emergency Management Storm Surge Report, researchers sought to determine if residents could use the map to identify whether or not they lived in a hurricane evacuation zone, and locate where the nearest evacuation center was. Methods: researchers conducted 178 interviews with adult residents of East and Central Harlem (134 English-speaking, 44 Spanish-speaking), randomly selected and interviewed at various locations. Results: Findings reveal that a majority of less educated adults (those not completing high school) could not read and use the maps for basic and vital information. Forty percent (40%) of those who had not graduated high school could not find where they lived on the map, and 83% could not correctly identify what hurricane evacuation zone they lived in. Conversely, those who had completed high school were 9.4 times as likely to be able to correctly identify their zone. Eighty three percent (83%) of those with a lower education did not know how to get to the evacuation center closest to their home. Discussion: Given the high rates of under-education in urban centers the researchers conclude there is a real and dangerous gap between the language and design of GIS and the abilities of millions of adults to interpret and use this information a currently presented. Implications for redesign and revising language will be discussed.