The role of Geo-spatially oriented Social Media

Communication in Disaster Response

Susan McClendonWyDOT GIS/ITS Developer

GEOG 596AAdvisor: Anthony Robinson, Ph.D.

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Presentation OutlineIntroductionBackgroundProject OverviewResearch QuestionsMethodologiesProject ManagementAnticipated ResultsReferences

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Introduction

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Background“Social media may have changed disaster relief forever.”

(Slagh, 2010)

Aftermath of Haiti Quake (Reuters, 2010)

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Project OverviewProbe the capabilities of two systems

Project Epic’s Tweak the TweetUshahidi Crisis Mapping application

GoalsEvaluate the effectivenessIdentify the challenges and successesRecommend suitable platforms for the rapid and

effective integrationIdentify requirements for future platforms that will

support social media communications and mapping

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Project EpicProject Epic began in September 2009 with the

goal to “unite a range of computational techniques with behavioral knowledge of ‘widescale’ computer-mediate interaction—information people generate using social media—in routine and disrupted situations” (Project Epic).

This capstone focuses specifically on Project

Epic’s “Tweak the Tweet” (TtT) project which attempts to direct Twitter communications using Twitter hashtags in order to facilitate data extraction during disaster events.

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Project Epic

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Mapping Tweeting Reports from the Boulder Fire#fire,flare up,9/9/2010 23:31:33,"near top of long gulch

closer to gold hill rd sw of colorado mt ranch 40.061,-105.41...",NA,NA,NA,40.061,-105.41,NA,NA,brokerz_gold,"RT @SophiaBLiu - #boulderfire #fire flare up #loc near top of long gulch closer to gold hill rd sw of colorado mt ranch 40.061,-105.41...",NA,NA,NA,#boulderfire,NA,14096

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Ushahidi (oo-shah-hee-dee)“testimony”

Ushahidi is an open source software project originally developed by volunteers in Kenya to map reports of post-election violence in 2008 (Meier). The software facilitates the collections and mapping of reports from social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, as well as SMS test messages.

This capstone focuses on the use of the Ushahidi crisis mapping and volunteer efforts during disaster response.

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Ushahidi Haiti Map

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3125,Tents urgently needed - Leogane,2/5/2010 15:09,Leogane,9295978 Creole: Tanpri f* message la pase pou nou nan L*ogane nou bezwen tant se vraiment urgent m*si beaucoup. English: Please spread the word: We need tents in Leogane.It is really urgent.,"2d. Refuge | Shelter needed, ",18.508261,-72.633362,YES,NO

Ushahidi Haiti Map

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Ushahidi Haiti Map

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Research Questions1. What kinds of information and what was the source of the

data collected by TtT and Ushahidi efforts during recent events?

2. What evidence exists to show information collected and mapped from these systems has been used in the different phases of a disaster, specifically response and recovery? 

3. Using examples from the recent events are there differences in capability and utility that can be characterized between these two systems, or are they performing similar functions?

4. What are the key design considerations for the future development of  these projects and similar applications using social media in disaster response? 

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MethodologyPreliminary

Identify events to be analyzed from TtT and Ushahidi deployments

Project Epic TtT Chile earthquake Joplin Tornado Boulder Four mile Canyon Fire

Ushahidi Haiti earthquake Queensland Floods Gulf Oil Spill

Shared Resources (Ushahidi used Project Epic’s TtT data) Pakistan Flooding

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Methodology What kinds of information did the Ushahidi and TtT efforts collect during recent events?

Analyze social media traffic and create a matrix of the types of information collected

Download available data from projects from the date of the disaster to 3 to 6 months after the disaster

Determine the matrix categories location information from LBS / determined by volunteers from

message content Incident reports Date/Time Stamps Twitter Tags/Category of need Source (Author or Organization) Social Media Source (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr) Actionable  Verified Language

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Methodology What evidence exists to show information collected and mapped from these systems has been used in the

different phases of a disaster, specifically response and recovery?

Research media, academic papers, and after action reports for examples of actionable items and organizational use

Find specific examples of use by first responders 

Find specific examples of use by NGOs, Military and Governments for response efforts

If possible, identify use in situational awareness and/or other coordination efforts

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Literature Review Examples

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Methodology Using examples from the recent events are there differences in capability and utility that can be

characterized between these two systems, or are they performing similar functions?

• Use maps to characterize effectiveness.

Map the geographic extent of each selected disaster

Map social/economic information for each extent (focus on population, income, cellular telephone use, internet use)

Map the extent of the damage for each disaster (focus on communication infrastructure - key to use of social media)

Attempt to map information that was verifiable or not verifiable (based on each organizations own characterizations of verified information)

Attempt to map information that was actionable

Compare and contrast the presentation of the data by the organizations

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Methodology What are the key design considerations for the future development of these projects and similar

applications using social media in disaster response?

Identify challenges, successes, and failures and recommend requirements for improving these and future applications

Volunteer realm vs. use by government organizations

Automatic processing of information vs. volunteer processing

Handling the large volumes of information

Verification of information

Applications that go beyond crowdsourcing to coordinated response and situational awareness

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Project ManagementUsing Google Sites Project Tracking Template

https://sites.google.com/site/smcclendonpenn/

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Project Home Page

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Project Tasks

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Project Calendar

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Anticipated ResultsCurrent tools

Ushahidi likely to be suited for large scale disasters with multiple volunteers.

Project Epic TtT likely to be suited for smaller scale, localized events.

What is missing?Automated location determinationAutomated or streamlined verification Translation ToolsFirst Responder input or controlTracking ResponseSituational Awareness overview

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References Haiti Aid Map. Interaction a United Voice for Global Change (2010). Web.

05 May 2011. <http://haitiaidmap.org/>. Meier, Patrick and Nesbit, Josh . “The Haiti 4636 Story”. 18 March 2008.

Web YouTube. 11 January 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ifAnk8d0Y&feature=related>.

No Title. Reuters. Web Image. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jan2010/5/3/haiti-earthquake-pic-reuters-581841911.jpg>.

Project EPIC. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://epic.cs.colorado.edu/>. Mapping Tweeting Reports from the Boulder Fire. Web. 05 May 2011. <

http://haitiaidmap.org/>. Social Media and Disaster Communications. Proc. of Senate Committee

Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs | Disaster Recovery, Washington, DC. CSPAN, 05 May 2011. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/DisasterC>.

Slagh, Chris. "How the Rise of Social Media Transformed Disaster Response in Haiti." Secure Nation. Conversations about National Security and Defense. Web. 30 June 2011. <http://www.securenation.org/how-the-rise-of-social-media-transformed-disaster-response-in-haiti/>

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Questions?