Publication Date

5-2025

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

1-22-2025

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Science in Geoscience

Department

Geosciences

Supervisory Committee Chair

Brittany Brand, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Chris Birdsall, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Jen Pierce, Ph.D.

Supervisory Committee Member

Keith Weber, MS

Abstract

Advancements in technology have made hazard data increasingly available. However, officials in rural communities with limited resources often face challenges in accessing, interpreting, and applying these data to assess vulnerabilities and plan future development. Furthermore, when hazard data is not paired with relevant population and infrastructure, data vulnerability assessments become increasingly difficult. To address this challenge, this project aims to co-create a web tool with decision makers in Valley County, Idaho following a user-centered design approach, consolidating hazards, social vulnerability, and infrastructure data to help local officials with risk management, decision-making, and resilience planning. The project started with listening sessions, identifying data gaps, community needs, and building relationships with community partners, including emergency managers, project planners, decision-makers, and health officials of the county. To select web tool features and datasets, we held focus groups and one-on-one meetings with community partners. Recently, the team finalized and published the web tool (Link to the tool: https://bitly.cx/M0w60j) on Valley County’s official website, and developed a sustainability plan to ensure this tool is usable for resilience planning for years to come. This study is an example of successfully engaging community partners toward developing user-centered tools for resilience planning in rural communities in Idaho. Even though many counties and states have web tools to help with their risk management, resilience planning, and decision-making, they lack a proper framework regarding how to effectively involve community partners in developing these tools. My research evaluated the community partner engagement process based on the Five-Feature Framework for Stakeholder Engagement in Natural Resource Management and looked into community partners’ satisfaction with the overall engagement process. I followed an explanatory qualitative research methodology where I interviewed the community partners using a structured questionnaire to understand their satisfaction with this community-engaged research. I applied the qualitative Thematic Analysis method to analyze the data collected from the interviews and looked into themes and patterns to understand how to successfully engage community partners in developing user-centered web tools for increasing community resilience. This study will provide insights into the process and dynamics of effectively engaging community partners. By doing so, the research can benefit the community in terms of risk management and help them with decision-making to make their communities more resilient in the face of disasters and vulnerability.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/td.2341.boisestate

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