Using Social Media to Enhance Emergency Situation Awareness
By: Jie Yin
"In recent years, social media has emerged as a popular medium for providing new sources of information and rapid communications, particularly during natural disasters"..."This growing use of social media during crises offers new information sources from which the right authorities can enhance emergency situation awareness. Survivors in the impacted areas can report on the-ground information about what they’re seeing, hearing, and experiencing during natural disasters"..."Because of its growing ubiquity, communication rapidity, and crossplatform accessibility, Twitter is increasingly being considered as a means for emergency communication during and after natural disasters"..."Specifically, our clustering algorithm maintains a list of active clusters"...& more to discover!
"Social media has amply demonstrated its abilities as an outbound tool, a means for government to push information out to its constituents. Municipalities tweet emergency information during crises. Politicians rally friends on Facebook"..."During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Tulane University students used Ushahidi, an open source software platform, to aid in the massive cleanup effort. Participants in the Oil Spill Crisis Map project helped visualize data on maps by harvesting reports generated through email, text messaging, Twitter and other social media platforms"..."During the 2009 swine flu outbreak, the monitoring system helped city managers control the situation. As citizens tweeted their concerns about the vaccine’s validity and availability, managers were able to make correct information available. Such capabilities give responders a clearer view of the situation during a crisis"...& more to discover
Using Social Media to Enhance Situational Awarness
By: Adam Stone
Data aggregation is the process retrieving data from across many sources and combining them into a single new one. The overall goal of data aggregation is to combine sources together in an effort to have the output at the user interface is smaller than the input. This helps with the user’s need to process volumes of data in either a batch jobs or real time application. The benefit is that an aggregated output reduces the network traffic and increases the computer’s performance while running. Data aggregation software systems require a function specific Java Script (JS) API library to ensure that the events a user requests are effectively pulled from the social media source through the development of effective programmer code. Failures can be eliminated or reduced through a testing process that complies with the application’s best practices.
The key component to an effective social media data aggregator software package is the program’s application program interface (API). In order to effectively ensure that all of the social media data is presented to the user in the most accurate format, the API must be able to interface effectively with the ever-expanding variety of social media services. Each service, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., issue a unique API for its software platform. Processing the volume of data from social media is similar to drinking from a fire hose. Having an effective API in place is essential to managing quantity and quality of the important content.
What is Data Aggregation Continued
Internet Social Networking Risks
"Internet-based social networking sites have created a revolution in social connectivity. However, con artists, criminals, and other dishonest actors are exploiting this capability for nefarious purposes"..."There are primarily two tactics used to exploit online social networks. In practice, they are often combined. 1. Computer savvy hackers who specialize in writing and manipulating computer code to gain access or install unwanted software on your computer or phone. 2. Social or human hackers who specialize in exploiting personal connections through social networks. Social hackers, sometimes referred to as “social engineers,” manipulate people through social interactions (in person, over the phone, or in writing)"..."There are many tactics people may use to trick others into providing information or granting access to that information through social networking venues. Although not exhaustive, this brochure lists some of these tactics and suggests ways to mitigate online social networking risks"...& more to discover.