Our chaotic world in context
Bring home the impact of natural disasters
About
How would the earthquakes of the Pacific Rim or the storm surges of the Americas affect Northern Ireland?
OurRagingPlanet assists teachers and educators in demonstrating the need for resilience and the implications of natural disasters upon local services and surroundings. Bring simulations to life!
OurRagingPlanet is a human impact education tool that allows students to view basic simulations of disasters in their area, using public data to estimate the impact on familiar local landmarks. The web-based tool works on modern desktop and tablet systems.
Maps, landmarks and street asset locations are collected from local open data sources, giving learners a realistic view of their virtual surroundings.
This product is not endorsed by any public body. This educational software is not intended to provide accurate simulation of natural phenomena and should not be used to estimate disaster outcomes in susceptible areas.
Features and Benefits
- Follow the timeline as events unfold! See news reports and generate tasks based off the disaster you have simulated, whether it be hours or even days, with accurating scaling
- Tasks can be refined down to the lesson plan, and also tailored for each natural disaster
- Combine physical and human geography together by exploring not only the physical effects of a disaster, but the impact upon social life
- Contextualise with local data! Using OpenStreetMap, we have populated OurRagingPlanet's software with Northern Irish landmarks and features
- Our list of simulations includes earthquakes, storm surges, volcanic eruptions and sandstorms, bringing social, economic and cultural resilience to life
What can I simulate?
Earthquakes
Our earthquake simulations allow learners to focus the epicentre of the disaster on their chosen geographical location. See how the disaster would unfold - including danger rings, which landmarks and local features would be most affected, andhow this spans across hours and days!
Hurricane Storm Surges
Explore how a storm surge affects an area and understand the height the surge could reach. They visually retain an understanding of natural disasters, the need for resilience and the impact on individuals in those contexts.
Volcanic Eruptions
Learners will see the effect of a volcano on their local water and electricity supplies, and include disaster details such as lava flow to see the flow rate in different topographies.
Sandstorms
Sandstorm simulations allow learners to see how desert regions experience sand and dust storms and how they manage the after effects. Using Saudi Arabian open data, students can simulate what it would be like to be a student in Riyadh or Dhahran!
Resources for Educators
Click on a simulation below to download an example lesson plan you can use with OurRagingPlanet.