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Data Visualization and Effective Communication in Volcanology: Cross-disciplinary Lessons from Research and Practice

Edited by:

Danielle Charlton, PhD, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, New Zealand
Mary Anne Clive, PhD, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, New Zealand 

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025
 

Journal of Applied Volcanology is calling for submissions to our Collection on Data Visualization and Effective Communication in Volcanology: Cross-disciplinary Lessons from Research and Practice.
 

Image credit: © thinnapat / stock.adobe.com

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities and SDG 13: Climate Action.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Danielle Charlton, PhD, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, New Zealand

Dr Danielle Charlton is a Hazard and Risk Management Scientist at GNS Science. She is currently researching and working on applied projects aiming to improve natural hazard and risk communication approaches in New Zealand, particular focused on event response and data visualisation. The focus of Danielle’s PhD was volcanic hazard mapping at one of Europe’s most dangerous caldera volcanoes, Campi Flegrei in Southern Italy. Previous to her PhD (University College London) and volcanology Masters (University of Bristol). Danielle also worked for local government in the UK in flood risk and GIS and enjoys exploring new and visual ways of communicating hazard and risk science through maps and visuals.

Mary Anne Clive, PhD, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, New Zealand 

Mary Anne Clive is a Senior Hazard and Risk Management Researcher at GNS Science Te Pū Ao in Auckland, New Zealand where she is also the Team Leader for the Hazard and Risk Social Science team. She uses interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary social science research approaches to explore how different audiences use, understand, and make inferences and decisions with natural hazard and risk information to help develop science communication products that empower informed decision-making. She is particularly interested in how visualisation choices influence this process in products such as maps and graphs. She is a member of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior's Working Group on Hazard Mapping, and has carried out research on how visualisation of volcanic hazard data influences hazard map communication.

About the Collection

Journal of Applied Volcanology is calling for submissions to our Collection on Data Visualization and Effective Communication in Volcanology: Cross-disciplinary Lessons from Research and Practice.

This collection will highlight effective approaches for visualising and communicating volcanic information: from monitoring data to hazard model outputs, through to risk, impact, vulnerability information, and more.

Effective communication of technical information is critical to enhance the understanding of a volcano’s history, status, or forecast, and is vital for effective risk management. However, it is important not just to consider the aesthetic qualities of visual displays, we must consider how our visualisation and communication choices impact people’s responses to information, including how it may affect their decision performance. The effective display of critical information also impacts trust in the information, and the source of the information, particularly when uncertainty is present. Lessons for effective communication and visualisation can be drawn from numerous fields, including design science, UX, psychology, communication studies, informatics, GIS, data science, etc. Factors that can influence interpretation and use of visualisations include aspects such as volume, colour, graphics, symbology, uncertainty, and integration of local and cultural knowledge. Additionally, with the growth of big data, both AI and deep learning present opportunities and risks in the visualisation and use of complex volcanic information. 

In this special collection, we welcome submissions on a range of topics exploring effective information visualisation, considering the full spectrum of approaches to displaying complex science: ranging from effective maps and displays of spatial and three- or four-dimensional information, through to the use of symbology and information products for non-technical users, and beyond. We are interested in papers presenting research studies, case studies, and literature reviews, including evidence for best practice, techniques to identify and evaluate user needs and preferences, evaluation methods, software for visualisation and management of big data, and other topics that support effective communication. 

Prior abstract submissions are not necessary, however the Guest Editors welcome authors to discuss ideas they may have for manuscripts prior to submission. Springer Nature offers several options for open access fee support, these include institutional open access agreements, reduced fees via waivers for corresponding authors based in lower income countries (as defined by the World Bank), and case-by-case waivers or discounts based on financial need. The Journal of Applied Volcanology also has a limited number of partial and full fee waivers that can be assessed on a case-by-case basis based on need. If you are interested in applying, please indicate your interest at the point of manuscript submission and outline your case in your submission letter. More information can be found here.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research, Debate, Correspondence, Methodology, Review, Brief Report, Hazard Map, and Database type articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. 

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please, select the appropriate Collection title “Data Visualization and Effective Communication in Volcanology: Cross-disciplinary Lessons from Research and Practice" under the “Details” tab during the submission stage.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.