Abstract
Human errors are well recognised in avalanche education as one of the most important factors causing avalanche accidents. However, to date no adequate methods exist to enable people to learn about their own human weaknesses and ameliorate them. A second problem that contributes to many avalanche accidents is that it is not possible to exactly predict, when an avalanche will occur, since the triggering of an avalanche is a matter of probability and people are not well educated in dealing with probabilities. In order to overcome these two deficiencies, a concept for a role-playing computer simulation tool for backcountry ski guides is presented. Well-documented avalanche accidents, mixed with non-avalanche ski trips, are chosen as scenarios. At the start of the play, the role-player has to choose a role that is defined by two human factors, ambition and popularity, that aim to ensure that the player is acting in a realistic manner. During the simulation, the player has to make many decisions that influence his ambition and popularity as well as his safety. Avalanches are triggered based on a probability function such that the role-player can experience the consequences of relatively small occurrence probabilities and, subsequently, better understands the existing risk management rules.
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Gruber, U. (2004). Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain. In: Johnson, C.W., Palanque, P. (eds) Human Error, Safety and Systems Development. IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, vol 152. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-8153-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-8153-7_10
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