OSMOSE: tOward a multi-stakeholder Socio-seisMological Observation network for Seismic risk rEduction in Haiti

Context, positioning, and objectiveS

(OSMOSE web Site)

Research hypotheses and objectives Over the past 50 years, earthquakes have cost about US$ 800 billions – mostly in so-called developed countries – and 1.3 million human lives – mostly in so-called developing countries. Faced with these figures, which show no sign of inflection with time, the classic approach consists in formulating a scientific explanation of the natural phenomenon and adapting it to the public and decision-makers in order to trigger changes in behavior, or regulations, that should protect people and property. However, each major earthquake shows that these changes are slow, or even nonexistent, in particular in developing countries (e.g., Bilham, 2013; Tucker et al., 2013). This “top-down” approach indeed comes up against a set of local limiting factors linked to political governance, scientific capacity, socio-economic conditions, confidence in the State, cultural and religious elements, etc. (e.g., Hurbon et al., 2019; Abbott and White, 2019).

Our working hypothesis is that disseminating knowledge while placing citizens and communities at the heart of the mechanism of scientific information production and usage can improve earthquake awareness and promote grassroots protection initiatives.

We propose to reverse the top-down model for a “bottomup” approach to determine under which conditions a community of citizens can, in a development context, collect and share information on earthquakes while producing data useful to seismologists. Ultimately, could one envision a relationship of trust between citizens and scientists where each recognizes that they need the other to achieve their goals? Can such a relationship be sustainable and under which conditions?

We shall test this hypothesis through a participatory seismology experiment in Haiti, a country which was the scene of a major seismic disaster on January 12, 20101 (e.g., Calais et al., 2010; Hurbon et al., 2019). The planned work capitalizes on ongoing research as part of the S2RHAI2 pilot project (Calais et al., 2019, 2020; Fallou et al., 2020), whose partners participate in this proposal along with new collaborators.

We shall use low-cost and low-maintenance “Raspberry Shake” (RS) seismological stations, successfully tested in the framework of S2RHAI (Figure 1), which allow us to insert simple but scientifically useful seismological observation into the homes of citizens and develop a partnership with them to investigate their modes of appropriation of scientific information. This research-action project aims not only to advance our knowledge of earthquakes and their perception, but also to improve the operationality of fundamental knowledge towards stakeholders.

Our general objective is to determine the conditions under which it may become possible to develop a useful, efficient, and sustainable monitoring network of which all stakeholders feel to be a partner. This project therefore aims to test a paradigm shift: in fine, the seismological network is no longer just a set of seismometers but becomes a network of multiple stakeholders who revolve around these sensors and the information they provide, and are committed together to reduce vulnerabilities.

Our specific objectives (Figure 2) are to (1) produce scientifically validated seismological information with low-cost sensor involving citizens and the civil society, (2) understand perceptions, representations, and needs in relation with the earthquake problem within the local socio-cultural context, (3) co-construct, with citizens, solutions for the production and dissemination of information that are relevant to them, and (4) promote local ownership and sustainability of this multi-stakeholder information system.

OSMOSE will achieve these goals through (1) an integrated approach to the relationship between society and earthquakes that brings together specialists of environmental and socio-anthropological fields, and (2) direct interactions with citizens and the multiple stakeholders involved in earthquake risk reduction.

The key expected result of OSMOSE is a definition of the conditions that allow for the development and sustained support of an earthquake information system that empowers stakeholders by associating them to the information chain. At the intersection of seismological and social sciences, the project will advance current research on citizen sciences that aim to strengthen the link between environment and society, and between fundamental knowledge and operational action.