The fourth webinar of the LandAware 2026 webinar series “What Makes Landslide Forecasts Actionable? Lessons from Users of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Trial Products”, by Sara Harrison (Earth Sciences New Zealand) is scheduled for 30 April 2026, 05:00 UTC.
Dr Sara Harrison is a Hazard and Risk Social Scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand, specialising in the design and use of people‑centred early warning systems for natural hazards.
Her work focuses on how hazard forecasts, warnings, and decision‑support tools are developed, communicated, and used in real‑world risk management, with a strong emphasis on ensuring science is actionable for those who need it most. In her current role, Sara contributes to national and international projects exploring how trial forecasting products—such as landslide, severe weather, and tsunami hazard and impact forecasts—can be made more usable, trusted, and decision‑relevant. Her work bridges social science and operational hazard modelling, helping ensure that forecast products support effective action rather than simply providing more information.
In this webinar, Sara draws on lessons from users of Aotearoa New Zealand’s trial landslide forecasting products to explore what makes forecasts truly actionable—and how understanding user contexts, decision thresholds, and institutional settings is just as critical as improving technical accuracy.