Laserfiche WebLink
<br />002811 <br /> <br />o Assuring that landslide information (including discoveries, advances and <br />innovative uses) is released promptly through appropriate communication <br />channels. <br /> <br />o Preparing new interpretative reports to meet user needs. <br /> <br />o Making special effort to present the information in a format and language <br />suitable for use by engineers, planners, and decisionmakers. <br /> <br />Methods of Communication <br /> <br />Before people can reduce landslide hazards, they need certain kinds of <br />information. They must know the nature of the hazard and what can be done to <br />reduce it. The information should be communicated to various users at <br />different stages in a carefully structured time sequence. For example, those <br />groups in a position to influence policies and programs affecting large <br />numbers of persons should be involved actively in two-way communication and <br />should receive information on a first-priority basis. The groups include key <br />national, regional, and community decisionmakers, and representatives of the <br />news'media. <br /> <br />Before collecting and interpreting landslide-hazard information, the required <br />two-way communication must be established between research workers and <br />information users. If potential users are not aware of the research, they <br />will not use it; they should be informed before, during, and after the <br />research. This kind of communication is common practice among scientists and <br />engineers already, but the needs of other potential users, such as State and <br />local government officials and the private sector traditionally have been <br />omitted from the process. Because research workers and some of the users tend <br />to have divergent interests and needs, interpretation of the research may be <br />necessary to make it helpful. <br /> <br />Examples of transferers of landslide-hazard information are given in List 3. <br />Many of the users in List 1 also will be communicating such information. Of <br />course, geologists and other landslide-research workers will be available to <br />provide some of the educational, advisory, and review services, but to rely <br />solely on these scientists would divert them from their work of collecting and <br />interpreting landslide information. Bates (1979, p. 11) notes that "* * * <br /> <br />- 25 - <br />