IUPUI

Indiana University School of Informatics Steven Entezari

[SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING DURING CRISES]

How social media can enhance disaster planning, rescue, and recovery

Steven Entezari

Social Media Monitoring During Crises

Social media has played an unprecedented role in saving lives during disasters and crises in recent years. From the earthquakes in Haiti to tsunamis in Japan, social media has been a major stakeholder in rescue and communication efforts by citizens in need. Unfortunately, however, designated emergency response and planning teams are not utilizing social media monitoring to its full potential; yet. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook allow users to broadcast messages to friends and followers in real-time, anytime, and anywhere via mobile devices like cell phones. In many cases, text messages may be able to reach their destination even if voice calls fail due to power and data connection outages (Gahran, 2011). Other social networking sites are also prevalent within different niches such as YouTube for video messages, Twitpic (via Twitter) for images, and Foursquare for location-relevant updates. These utilities are not only free and easy to use, but also adaptable for special circumstances. An example of this is would be Googles Voice-to-Twitter service, launched during the 2011 protests in Egypt, allowing protestors to post first-hand news from the ground while internet connections were shut down. Emergency agencies, first responders, political analysts and others involved with response teams could utilize this information to supplement their tactics and planning before, during, and after a crisis.

Current Uses
Over 45 million Americans access at least one of their social media sites multiple times, every day (Webster, 2011). People are already sharing images, tweets and texts before, during, and after crises (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011); however these tend to be directed towards, and read only by friends and followers of that particular social media user. This goldmine of real-time data seems relatively untapped by the emergency response community. There are, however, many agencies utilizing these media for broadcast purposes. In 2009, the Alexandria, VA health department broadcast its vaccine location availabilities in real time via Twitter, along with YouTube videos to tell over one million viewers what was happening, what to expect, and how to prevent the spread of influenza (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Clinic and ER wait times are also available in many areas for users of Twitter and smartphone apps (Versel, 2011). These are just two examples of many instances where emergency agencies are alerting the public via these social media. What is seen less, however, is the active use of the content within these social media relating to the crisis at hand. The American Red Cross utilizes an online message board system as a forum for sharing and receiving information about suspected disaster victims (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Emergency

Steven Entezari teams can then accommodate this information generated by individuals directly affected by the disaster into their rescue and recovery plans. Similarly, first responders could utilize messages from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to respond to mid-to-high level emergencies. The Virginia state police department is actively looking at ways to make sure someone is monitoring and responding to any Facebook emergencies when 911 goes down, or a major disaster strikes (Petriello, 2011). The academic realm is beginning to address the need for the integration as well. Andrea Tapia, an associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State will begin teaching a course, in the Fall of 2011, that will explore the interconnectedness of information, people and technology in a crisis (Lynch, 2011). Tapia also leads a project called EMERSE (Enhanced Messaging for the Emergency Response Sector). EMERSE categorizes tweets and texts from disaster sites into data NGOs can use to aid victims (Lynch, 2011). The only other Crisis Informatics class is at Dominican University. Unfortunately there currently lacks a scientific analysis of these capabilities. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, few published scientific studies have applied these tools to evaluating the capabilities or effectiveness of social media in public health emergencies (2011). Currently, these capabilities are being used by some agencies, but mostly by individuals to other individuals. It has proven to be an unparalleled system to connect individuals within crises. Emphasis should be placed on the utilization of these tools by emergency response personnel.

Future Uses
Many emergency services currently utilize these social media to broadcast vital and time critical health information. An aggregate look at this data or a real-time meta-analysis of these systems could show trends that arent immediately evident when seen separately. Grouping data from healthcare centers, for example, could make the identification of capable health care centers more efficient by identifying centers that are over capacity during an emergency. Another exciting look ahead is the capability of this type of system to improve the situational awareness of a crisis specific to its geographic area (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Models created by emergency personnel during a crisis or natural disaster could assimilate or accommodate this real-time information to supplement decision making (Gahran, 2011). Resource management could be supplemented as well by identifying resources that may not have always been seen. Perhaps off-duty nurses or paramedics who check in at a venue could also broadcast their professional background and willingness to help in the event of a nearby emergency (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Russ Johnson, Director for Public Safety and Homeland Security for ESRI, makes note of simplified novice incident reporting by way of and context-aware smartphones (Gahran, 2011). This data can be pulled, compared with messages from social media, and aggregated to enhance planning and disaster recovery. In addition to this, Foursquare check-ins could share geographic information about hazards during and after a crisis. These data, when coupled with a timeline and a map, could potentially

Steven Entezari tell the story of a disaster and make capabilities and vulnerabilities known to better assist in planning for future disasters. The Wisconsin Department of Administration published its Capital Protest Response: After Action Report and Improvement Plan, addressing strengths and weaknesses of their plans and delivery during the February 2011 Protests. In the write up, regarding phase one of the three phase process, the administration explicitly makes mention of needing to improve their ability to monitor social media during events to anticipate crowd psychology, actions and reactions. (Wisconsin Department of Administration, 2011, p. 11). Mention was also made of getting engaged in social networking much too late and not addressing the use of social media allow[ing] protestors to mobilize and react very quickly (Wisconsin Department of Administration, 2011, p. 12). Integrating these networks into emergency management plans and preparedness activities could help build social capital and community resilience, making it easier for both professional responders and ordinary citizens to use familiar social media networks and tools in a crisis (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Additionally, Tapia from Penn State mentions the unlikelihood that people would ever use a social media application that was designed specifically for emergency situations (Lynch, 2011) due to the general purpose of sites like Facebook and Twitter. Users arent navigating to domainspecific websites to address disaster-related issues; they are making note of them to their friends and followers. It is this information that emergency response teams could utilize to better prepare and respond to crises via social data.

Challenges
Unfortunately, enough work has not been done to identify better ways of addressing at-risk and vulnerable populations as well as the accuracy and legitimacy of non-specific messages via these social media (Versel, 2011). The good news is that inaccuracies that are broadcast via social media sites are usually corrected by other members of the community (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). Many posts regarding disasters or other crises are incomplete; For instance, someone might tweet Power Lines Down but neglect to specify the location (Gahran, 2011). Introducing this to the public and educating them on ways to tweet and post during emergencies could help curve this level of error for emergency responders. Russ Johnson makes many suggestions on how to tweet during disasters in the article Mobile Devices Save Lives in Emergencies (2011). Monitoring mobile social media during a major disaster are limited by certain physical restrictions. For instance, the most fruitful timeframe to utilize social information during or after a disaster is within the first few hours due to battery life constraints. Technologies have been created recently for solar charging and extended battery life that can help resolve some of these physical restraints. Utilizing these media can also help forearm emergency responders in planning by monitoring protests and riots. In August of 2011, riots broke out in England, organized by way of social media sites

Steven Entezari like Facebook and Twitter (Pinkston, 2011). The monitoring of these systems by emergency responders would have given the teams a leg-up on the rioters and the opportunity to plan accordingly. Experts say that the best method for the integration of social media into emergency planning and response is to augment it; not replace. Implementing social media in this way does present some ground-level concerns in itself. In many cases, the first responders are the ones to resist this paradigm adjustment. According to Russ Johnson of ESRI, They dont want to be distracted by or overloaded with information. They just want to focus on saving people and putting out fires (Gahran, 2011). Another concern of the public could be one of privacy. Identifying who will monitor what and when is a fragile piece of the bigger puzzle (Merchant, Elmer, & Lurie, 2011). It is also unknown if sharing-behavior would be modified given that individuals knew emergency responders would now be listening in. Conclusion Social media like Facebook or Twitter were designed to broadcast a message to friends, followers, and the public. It has been observed, during crises, that individuals tend to use these social media as a means to communicate with one another within the crisis itself. Emergency response and planning teams have the capabilities to incorporate this raw data into their schema of crisis management; not as a replacement, but as an advancement.

Steven Entezari

Works Cited
Gahran, A. (2011, July 21). Mobile Devices Save Lives in Emergencies. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from CNN: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-21/tech/mobile.emergency.response.gahran_1_emergencyresponse-tweets-social-media?_s=PM:TECH Lynch, J. (2011, August 3). New IST Course Examinies Crisis Informatics. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from Penn State Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/54297 Merchant, R. M., Elmer, S., & Lurie, N. (2011). Integrating Social Media into Emergency-Preparedness Efforts. New England Journal of Medicine , 289 - 291. Petriello, G. (2011, July 14). Social Media Gaining Traction with Emergency Dispatchers. Richmond, VA, USA. Pinkston, R. (2011, August 10). British Riots Exposing Social Media's Dark Side. Retrieved August 10, 2011, from CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/10/earlyshow/main20090575.shtml Versel, N. (2011, July 29). In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter. Information Week , p. 2011. Webster, T. (2011, May 29). The Social Habit 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from Edison Research: http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/2011/05/the_social_habit_2011.php Wisconsin Department of Administration. (2011). Capitol Protest Response: After Action Report & Improvement Plan. Madison.