A new era for emergency management

Social Convergence and Emergency Management We're in a participatory era And one more thing...you move at the speed of your audience or you become irrelevant ... and use the tools they use ... or can't be heard ... Introduction social convergence what it means for you case studies conclusion Things to set the stage Social convergence Today's presentation Introduction What brings us here? It's not just about social media ... don't focus on platforms (FB, Twitter, Youtube) but also mobile tech and what they allow = the instantaneous sharing of information + perceptions/opinions It's not YOUR emergency anymore ... audiences want to play a role ...people no longer just want to be victims or witnesses ... they use social networks and mobile technology. The era of organizations simply pushing info OUT during a crisis/emergency is over ... to be relevant you need to listen and gather IN the info that's out there. The age of social convergence What's driving this change? Mobile devices and technologies + Social media platforms and sharing = Empowered citizens and volunteers + Volunteer and data mobilization First vector of change Mobile devices: phones, PDAs, tablets First vector of change: mobile technologies GIS/GPS-enabled tech + sharing functions Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator: Monitoring SM to adjust your response to better meet local needs. Second vector of change: social media People sharing what they see and feel First result: empowered citizenry/volunteers Using technology to participate Crisis mapping, crowdsourcing, Next Debate: how do you integrate this in your EOC and plans? Second result: Tech and social media helping to mobilize people and data, coordinating donations and recovery Student Volunteer Army in Christchurch Rebuild Joplin/Tuscaloosa Facebook pages Community resilience tool How it works ... The social convergence equation MOBILE TECH AND DEVICES CITIZEN PARTICIPATION DATA/PEOPLE MOBILIZATION = SOCIAL NETWORKS Can't ignore change or this happens What this means for agencies Time is a luxury you can no longer afford Need to do 4 things at once First, as always, you need to respond ... but now you do so under lots more scrutiny ... Second, you need to warn and alert using the tools your audiences use (this means mobile devices and social media). Third, you need to aggregate, analyze and curate the information available on social networks ... Fourth, you need to engage in ongoing dialogue with your stakeholders, clients and the public ... also on social networks. Time is a luxury you can no longer afford ... Case Studies: How is the convergence happening Haiti: tech volunteers to the fore! “Haitians trapped under rubble used text messaging to send pleas for help. Concerned citizens worldwide engaged in a variety of ways, from sending in donations via SMS, to using shared networks to translate and map requests for assistance,” he added. Ted Turner, Chair, UN Foundation, Report on Haiti for the OCHA Boulder/Fourmile Canyon Fire: tactical applications of SM and crisis mapping SM as key EI tool + Twitter and pics combined on maps First responders dispatched based on that data The Aussie Experience: floods and a cyclone Crisis mapping and data integration 35 maps created by volunteers, media and agencies. info and maps linked from official agencies SM/volunteer-created sites often the only available info “ … Queensland’s emergency services and the population at large took full advantage of the versatility and robustness of social media to prepare for and combat disaster …” The Christchurch earthquake, Feb. 2011 Lessons learned from the September 2010 earthquake integrated platforms: blog, twitter feeds, local news, maps, Facebook page. outgoing and incoming communication, facilitating a dialogue rather than just unidirectional information flow SM as COOP/BCP tools Japan: the triple disaster Twitter = only communication tool immediately after the earthquake; however, Twitter helped spread rumors and misinformation, causing people to panic in areas where there was no reason to panic, one solution: have the government itself use Twitter to offer reliable information. Kobe City University Study Tornadoes in the US Joplin Tuscaloosa Henryville Donation and volunteer coordination How you can benefit: Integrate volunteers in your EOC work with a VTC the CanVOST concept