Social Media Analytics by Virtual Operations Support Teams in disaster management: Situational awareness and actionable information for decision-makers

Abstract

Virtual Operations Support Teams are groups of institutionalized digital volunteers in the field of disaster management who conduct Social Media Analytics tasks for decision-makers in Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) during hazard situations such as floods. Through interagency integration into EOC structures, the volunteers provide analytical support using advanced tools and monitoring various social media platforms. The goal of VOSTs is to increase decision-makers’ situational awareness through need-oriented analysis and to improve decision-making by providing actionable information in a time-critical work context. In this case study, the data collected during the 2021 flood in Wuppertal, Germany by 22 VOST analysts was processed and analyzed. It was found that information from eight social media platforms could be classified into 23 distinct categories. The analysts’ prioritizations indicate differences in the formats of information and platforms. Disaster-related posts that pose a threat to the affected population’s health and safety (e.g., requests for help or false information) were more commonly prioritized than other posts. Image-heavy content was also rated higher than text-heavy data. A subsequent survey of EOC decision-makers examined the impact of VOST information on situational awareness during this flood. It also asked how actionable information impacted decisions. We found that VOST information contributes to expanded situational awareness of decision-makers and ensures people-centered risk and crisis communication. Based on the results from this case study, we discuss the need for future research in the area of integrating VOST analysts in decision-making processes in the field of time-critical disaster management.

More Help Was Offered—But Was It Effective? First Responders and Volunteers in the 2021 Flood Disaster in Germany

“…This reflects their high motivation to be active and to engage despite needing more official commands or information on where and what to do. Other studies find that information is a key issue for disaster preparedness and for acquiring and organizing volunteer help, where digital information and groups play an increasing role [38]. High motivation is also an enabling factor for volunteers in other studies about the 2021 flood disaster [10].…”

When, at what speed, and how? Resilient transformation of the Vesdre river basin (Belgium) following the 2021 floods

“…Our study shows how the policy arrangement influences the temporal strategies that are important to be able to strengthen long-term resilience after an acute crisis, because policy-makers use them to integrate long-term perspectives in their choices which is needed given the long-term characteristics of climate-related issues. The July 2021 floods are a typical case that highlights different temporalities at stake in dual crises and therefore the importance of temporal strategies: on the one hand the challenges of rapid response and recovery [41,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70], on the other of long-term adaptation and resilience-building [12,14,16,17,71]. The temporal strategies help to promote a long-term focus in the aftermath of an acute shock [1], and the policy arrangement approach helps to identify factors of stability or change [36] of that policy domain.…”

Volunteered Geographic Information

“…VOST address this need, integrated into EOC structures in times of crises, and their goals are to increase the situational awareness of decision-makers and to provide actionable information to improve decision-making in a time-critical environment. To examine these efforts, a case study was carried out, using the data collected by 22 VOST analysts during the 2021 flood in Wuppertal, Germany (Fathi and Fiedrich 2022). The city was severely flooded in July 2021; parts of the city had to be evacuated, and warning sirens were set off (Zander 2021).…”

“…These information products can contribute to the situational awareness of EOC members and to the decision-making processes by integrating actionable information. In a case study following the 2021 flooding in Germany, the aspects of analyzing social media by digital volunteers in VOST and the impact of the information products on situational awareness and decisionmaking were examined and are presented in Section 4 (Fathi and Fiedrich 2022).…”