The current state of modern technology and our knowledge of the processes associated with earthquakes and tsunamis allows early warning systems to be developed for the purpose of mitigating the effect such events have on human society. Early warning refers to the provision of timely and effective information that will allow actions to be undertaken that will reduce the effects of such events. In the case of earthquakes, early warning may also refer to the period immediately following an earthquake, where information such as shake maps would be invaluable to disaster response and management authorities, as well as the forecasting of aftershocks.

This session calls for presentations dealing with earthquake and tsunami early early warning, including, but not limited to the following themes; earthquake characterisation (location, magnitude), response and protective systems for buildings and other structures, aftershock assessment, communication procedures for issuing alerts, tsunami tracking, psychological aspects of early warning (public response, consequences of false alarms/missed events), liaison between scientists, engineers, and disaster management/civil protection, and sensor and communication technology.