Awareness

The basic concept of the word is awareness is: the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something. In biological psychology, awareness is defined as a human's or an animal's perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event. (From www.wikipedia.com)

Some other synonyms are: aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, awake, alert, watchful, vigilant
These adjectives mean mindful or heedful: Aware implies knowledge gained through one's own perceptions or by means of information.
Cognizant is a formal equivalent of aware.
Conscious emphasizes the recognition of something sensed or felt.
Sensible implies knowledge gained through intuition or intellectual perception.
To be awake is to have full consciousness of something.
Alert stresses quickness to recognize and respond.
Watchful and vigilant imply looking out for what is dangerous or potentially. (From www.thefreedictionay.com