DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH-BASED SHORT MESSAGE CREATION TOOL FOR WILDFIRE EMERGENCIES

Abstract

Wireless Emergency Alerts are short message alerts that authorities can send to devices in specific geographical regions during times of imminent threat. These messages give authorities the ability to distribute important information in a timely manner to those who need it most.

The majority of research regarding best practices for creating short message alerts is vague and requires interpretation before implementation. This thesis reviews and analyzes research and evidence-based guidance currently available to those creating short message alerts. Using the research, evidence-based guidance, and subsequent analysis, fifteen user prompts were developed and implemented to build a message creation tool that generates wildfire evacuation messages. The result of using the tool is a wildfire-based evacuation message that auto-incorporates the research and guidance currently available. This thesis helps develop a foundation for the bridge between short message alert research and the practical generation of messages during imminent threat emergencies.