In 2000, the late Dr. Richard V. Fisher, scientist emeritus of University of California Santa Barbara, approached USGS volcanologists to explore what he could do to help prepare volcano-hazard educational material for the benefit of people having to deal with active and erupting volcanoes. By creating an online resource Dr. Fisher and the partners listed below hope people can learn to prepare and protect themselves from future volcanic ashfall.

In a separate development, the experiences from the 1995–1996 Ruapehu (New Zealand) eruptions by Dr. David Johnston and Dr. Bruce Houghton of the University of Hawai`i, Manoa (at that time of GNS Science) highlighted the need for real-time information on the consequences of volcano hazards.

The initial material for this Web site was developed by Jennifer Adleman and Steven Brantley of the U.S. Geological Survey, David Johnston, Richard Fisher and Bruce Houghton.

The site has been edited and expanded over time by Steven Brantley, David Johnston and later Thomas Wilson (University of Canterbury), Carol Stewart (Joint Centre for Disaster Research - Massey University/GNS Science), Kristi Wallace (U.S. Geological Survey), and Graham Leonard (GNS Science).