Virtual Reality Disaster Game
PReparing Older Adults: Communicating Threat risk In Virtual Environments (PRO-ACTIVE)
The PRO-ACTIVE Project aims at enhancing disaster preparedness for older adults using immersive Virtual Reality (VR) simulations.
Through creative risk communication strategies, interactive VR training, and machine learning-driven behavioral analysis, the project is dedicated to improving decision-making in emergency situations.
Led by researchers at the University at Albany, SUNY, it includes co-prinicipal investigators at Georgia Institute of Technology and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The project incorporates an industry partner, Superluminal.
Elizabeth Davis, JD.
President and CEO, EAD Associates, LLC
Jayson Kratoville, MPA
Vice President of Operations, Constant Associates
Cyndi Mellen, PMP, CBCP
Executive Director, Strategic Operations, New York City Emergency Management
Jeannette Sutton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University at Albany, SUNY and Lead Editor and Founder of The Warn Room
The Extreme Events, Social Equity, and Technology Laboratory (E2SET) serves as a dedicated space for research, testing, and training with socially vulnerable populations, on assistive technologies, or with individuals (and organizations) interested in understanding specific measures to increase resilience among populations-at-risk during disasters from natural hazards and human-induced hazards including terrorism and cybersecurity.
Photo by: Brian Busher
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Award Number #2425223. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.
Emergency Management Preparedness and Technology
Considerations for older adults need to be included at every stage of disaster planning, including public alerts and warnings. Older adults are among our most vulnerable to weather-related disasters. Further, older Americans are expected to reside in places that may be more affected by climate change, including coastal zones and large metropolitan areas.
Older adults are more likely to have a chronic condition or at least one disability. However, very few studies have focused on the decision-making of older adults during a disaster, yet they are considered one of the more vulnerable populations subject to more difficulties prior to, during, and after an extreme event. This project conducts an exploratory survey of adults in the US.
The nationwide survey asked respondents to consider their emergency preparedness to different types of hazards and their willingness to use various emerging technology for personal preparedness measures. The survey included responses from individuals between 18 years of age to 86 from across the US. The annotated questionnaire includes the questions asked of survey respondents and the breakdown by individuals under 65, over 65 and by disability.
n=1042, adults over 18; Younger adults (<65) n= 897; Older adults (>65) n= 156; Individuals requiring a caregiver n= 254.
November 28 – December 31, 2023.
The survey was conducted in December 2023, disseminated in English through Qualtrics. The survey took about 12 minutes to complete. The survey was approved by the University at Albany, SUNY, Institute Review Board, Study Number 23X081.