Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
So the decoder is characterised by at least three qualities: scientifi c-technical
expertise, acculturation to the problems of action on the ground and good commu-
nication skills. Likewise, in the prefect's crisis unit:
When the prefect triggers a COD, a Departmental Operational Unit, he asks for a
representative from the different services. (…) It is the departmental delegate (CDM) or his
representative who goes and represents Météo France. So he won't be making forecasts, but
he will be in contact with us [= Interregional Center for weather forecasting/CMIR
7
]. We
can talk technically with him, and then he may know the different people better (…) he acts
as a channel of communication with the authorities. (…) Because it is true that the lan-
guage, (…) to express doubts, our certainties too, that's not easy.
The CDM forecaster thus has all the qualities required of the decoder: fore-
casting expertise (and therefore capacity to talk to the CMIR), acculturation to the
crisis unit and capacity for intersubjectivity, fostered by a presence in the crisis unit.
The decoder-intermediary is therefore not a nondescript individual, and his or her
qualities explain the position of trust. This means that the task of taking account of
certain complex entities (here hydro-meteorological phenomena) can be genuinely
shared, since a signifi cant portion of the interpretation is entirely delegated to the
intermediary.
In summary, the decoder-intermediary enables the actor to continue to take
account of certain realities, while relieving the actor of part of the task of inter-
pretation that this entails. The importance of expertise and acculturation explains
the rarity of these decoders: combining the two demands a twofold and long-term
commitment. This is especially true in that acculturation is not very 'transfer-
able': if there are three CDM forecasters but only one works regularly in the crisis
unit, the two others will fi nd it harder to assume the decoder role, in particular
because they will not enjoy the same degree of trust. Decoders therefore do not
come ready-made; it is a role that is acquired and constructed collectively
(Créton-cazanave
2011
).
12.4.2.3
The Transistor-Intermediary
The transistor-intermediary, like the fi rst two, takes over part of an actor's relations
with one or more entities in their AE, but only under certain conditions. As an elec-
tronic component, the transistor 'adjusts, amplifi es or interrupts electrical oscilla-
tions, in response to the current applied to the transistor'. In the case that concerns
us, the transistor-intermediary is used to interrupt, amplify or adjust the whole rela-
tionship with an entity in response to the unfolding of events. More than the other
intermediaries, the transistor-intermediary temporarily emancipates the actors from
certain entities. For example, in a regional meteorological service (CMIR), a com-
munication department was set up to manage media relations:
7
CMIR: regional scale of Météo-France, which produces forecast at regional scale.
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