Economic Value of a Weather Decision Support System for Oklahoma Public Safety Officials

Bibliographic Data

ID5158952
AuthorsDolly Y Na-Yemeh (0000-0003-0938-7806, University of Oklahoma), Tiffany A Legg (0000-0002-7265-5503, Oklahoma Biological Survey), Lixia H Lambert (0000-0002-2812-1336, Oklahoma State University)
Year2023
Volume113
Issue2
Pages549-565
Publication date2023-02-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnals of the American Association of Geographers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2469-4452 • E-ISSN: 2469-4460
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/24694452.2022.2108747
OpenAlexW4303453169
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

The Oklahoma Mesonet’s Public Safety outreach program, OK-First, has provided weather education and data delivery to the public safety community for the past twenty-five years. By delivering high-quality weather data tools, regular classes, and continued follow-up support to its trained members, the OK-First program has empowered more than 1,800 public safety officials. Testimonials from OK-First users indicate that there is an immense value in providing nonscientific audiences with meteorological information and training. OK-First users have saved lives and property using the the program. There has been no quantitative analysis, however, that evaluates the value of the OK-First program. This study fills a gap in providing quantitative analysis for the economic value of the OK-First program. This research used a modified travel cost method to measure the value of information provided by the OK-First program to the users of the program. Results suggest that the average willingness to pay for OK-First is $1,122 per training. The OK-First program in Oklahoma is valued at an estimated $254,000, with a collective surplus of $80,000 per training for OK-First users. This conservative estimate suggests the importance of programs such as the OK-First training, especially for public safety officials in Oklahoma

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Meteorology · Outreach · Political science · Public relations · Public value · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · Housing Market and Economics · Marketing

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