Weather Channel's Immersive Mixed Reality and its influence on storm surge communications.

This research analyzes the public’s perception and assessment of hazardous weather information using The Weather Channel’s Immersive Mixed Reality (IMR) storm surge video. The objective of IMR is to present storm surge impacts in a visual manner that will increase a person’s evacuation intentions to a location outside of an evacuation zone. Through online surveys, the results found that IMR increased a person’s perceived risk of hurricane impacts and led to a higher likelihood of evacuating. The results also showed that a person’s age influenced not only what hurricane impact a person perceived as the deadliest and most destructive, but also, how they responded to those threats. IMR led to a high retention of the provided information and was cited as a communication tool that was both educational and informative. Through interviews, the participants identified gaps in the information needed to make sound risk-avoidant decisions. Additional factors a person brings to the decision-making process were also found to sway a person’s evacuation decision. These factors stem from both past experiences and current personal and societal influences. Ultimately, this study looks to advance virtual and mixed reality as a communication tool in both the field of meteorology and hazardous communication.