Abstract: This paper introduces two concepts-dialogical emergency management and strategic awareness-as means to use and understand the content of social media for the purpose of emergency communication. Dialogical emergency management denotes that the emergency management organizations follow what people publish in various social media on emergencies and ongoing emergency response, and then adjust their information strategies in a way that matches the expectations and needs for emergency information of the public. The concept of strategic awareness suggests that it is essential to have an understanding of the receiver (public) of emergency information but also to have an understanding of the receivers' idea about the emergency and emergency response. Hence, the notion of strategic awareness incorporates structured awareness of how people interpret, value, and reacts on communication based on what they think about the sender's (emergency management organization's) actual intentions and motives.

Abstract: In this paper, we describe AsonMaps, a platform for collection, aggregation, visualization and analysis of near real-time, geolocated quantifiable information from a variety of heterogeneous social media outlets in order to provide emergency responders and other coordinating federal agencies not only with the means of listening to the affected population, but also to be able to incorporate this data into geophysical and probabilistic disaster forecast models that guide their response actions. Hurricane Sandy disaster is examined as a use-case scenario discussing the different types of quantifiable information that can be extracted from Instagram and Twitter.

Abstract: The 2014 West African EbolaOutbreak raisedfrom Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia at December in 2013 has been reported to cause 21296 cases and 8429 deaths until now which became the deadliest recorded in history. In this paper, we proposed the riskanalysis to assess the international spread risk from mentioned three African countries to China by GEM(Global Epidemic Mobility) Model. As another part of analysis, we crawled related online social media data of Ebola from the most four favorite online social networks (including SINA, TENCENT) in China from June to November in 2014.By analyzing these attained social media data and airline data of GEM, we found some interesting results. For example, Beijing has the most importing risk of Ebola while it has the hottest discussion on social network.. Furthermore, we showed analysis of combining social network data with geographicaldemonstration and Chinese citizen sentiment towards this disaster.

Abstract: Many observers heralded the use of social media during recent political uprisings in the Middle East even dubbing Iran's post election protests a “Twitter Revolution”. We seek to put into perspective the use of social media in Egypt during the mass political demonstrations in 2011. We draw on innovation diffusion theory to argue that these media could have had an impact beyond their low adoption rates due to other factors related to demographics and social networks. We supplement our social media data analysis with survey data we collected in June 2011 from an opportunity sample of Egyptian youth. We conclude that in addition to the contextual factors noted above, the individuals within Egypt who used Twitter during the uprising have the characteristics of opinion leaders. These findings contribute to knowledge regarding the role of opinion leaders and social media, especially Twitter, during violent political demonstrations. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Social or new media have over the past years become an integrated part of human communication, both as a means to establish and maintain social relationships, but also as a means of sharing and co-creating information. New media comes with an array of possibilities for individuals as well as organisations, corporations and authorities. Within the field of crisis communication new media possibilities, such as online sharing and social networking, has had an impact on the way crisis information is disseminated and updated. This paper addresses the issues related to using new media as a means of communicating crisis information and broadcasting alerting messages to the general population, and also discusses the role of new media in future pan-European alerting. It focuses on current and on-going research on social media for crisis communication. An extensive systematic literature review was done to identify factors that affect the use of social media for alerting and warning. These factors were mirrored in experiences, collected through interviews, in crisis communication organisations in three European regions (Sweden, Czech Republic and Spain). The factors finally form the basis for suggestions regarding the design of technological tools for both communication and information collection as part of a pan-European alerting system. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: We report on the use of a team of trusted digital volunteers during the 2011 Shadow Lake Fire that occurred in the US Pacific Northwest to extend the social media capacity of a Type I incident management team. In this case study, we outline the tools and processes used by this virtual team to coordinate their activities, monitor social media communication and to establish communications with the public around the event. Finally, we discuss the potential merits and limitations of implementing a team of trusted volunteers and explore how this idea could be incorporated into emergency management organizations. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Informal online communication channels are being utilized for official communications in disaster contexts. Channels such as networked microblogging enable public officials to broadcast messages as well as engage in direct communication exchange with individuals. Here we investigate online information exchange behaviors of a set of state and federal organizations during the Deepwater Horizon 2010 oil spill disaster. Using data from the popular microblogging service Twitter, we analyze the roles individual organizations play in the dissemination of information to the general public online, and the conversational microstructure of official posts. We discuss characteristics and features of following networks, centrality, and conversational dynamics that may affect information exchange in disaster. This research provides insight into the use of networked communications during an event of heightened public concern, describes implications of conversational features, and suggests directions for future research. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: This paper focuses on the micro-blogging service Twitter, looking at source credibility for information shared in relation to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan. We look at the sources, credibility, and between-language differences in information shared in the month following the disaster. Messages were categorized by user, location, language, type, and credibility of information source. Tweets with reference to third-party information made up the bulk of messages sent, and it was also found that a majority of those sources were highly credible, including established institutions, traditional media outlets, and highly credible individuals. In general, profile anonymity proved to be correlated with a higher propensity to share information from low credibility sources. However, Japanese-language tweeters, while more likely to have anonymous profiles, referenced low-credibility sources less often than non-Japanese tweeters, suggesting proximity to the disaster mediating the degree of credibility of shared content. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: The possibility of crowdsourced information, multi-geographical and multi-organisational information flows during emergencies and crises provided by web 2.0 tools are providing emergency management centres with new communication challenges and opportunities. Building on the existing emergency management and social media literature, this article explores how institutions are using and adopting social media for emergency communication. By examining the drivers and barriers of social media adoption in two European governmental agencies dealing with emergencies, the paper aims to establish a framework to examine whether and how institutional resilience could be improved.

Abstract: The communications of emergency response managers were tracked during simulated catastrophic events at a university campus in the Washington, D.C. region. Local, state, and federal response managers interacted with each other and with students using a variety of communication media in order to investigate the utility of new communication channels for emergency response management. Students and emergency managers interacted using a Twitter-like platform and a portal built with Ushahidi crowd-sourcing software. The emergency managers also used a chat interface that included private instant messaging, telephone, and the county's existing emergency web portal. Their media use was analyzed along with the functions of their communications, and the patterns that emerged are described and quantified.

Abstract: Engineering reconnaissance following an extreme event is critical in identifying the causes of infrastructure failure and minimizing such consequences in similar future events. Typically, however, much of the data about infrastructure performance and the progression of geological phenomena are lost during the event or soon after as efforts move to the recovery phase. A better methodology for reliable and rapid collection of perishable hazards data will enhance scientific inquiry and accelerate the building of disaster-resilient cities. In this paper, we explore ways to support post-event reconnaissance through the strategic collection and reuse of social media data and other remote sources of information, in response to the September 2013 flooding in Colorado. We show how tweets, particularly with postings of visual data and references to location, may be used to directly support geotechnical experts by helping to digitally survey the affected region and to navigate optimal paths through the physical space in preparation for direct observation.

Abstract: Social media together with still growing social media communities has become a powerful and promising solution in crisis and emergency management. Previous crisis events have proved that social media and mobile technologies used by citizens (widely) and public services (to some extent) have contributed to the post-crisis relief efforts. The iSAR+ EU FP7 project aims at providing solutions empowering citizens and PPDR (Public Protection and Disaster Relief) organizations in online and mobile communications for the purpose of crisis management especially in search and rescue operations. This paper presents the results of survey aiming at identification of preliminary end-user requirements in the close interworking with end-users across Europe.