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Implementing a real-time Twitter-based system for resource dispatch in disaster management

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Abstract

This study investigates the possibility of utilizing VGI in disaster management. Effective cross-jurisdictional disaster management requires real-time information, which is not available from official sources. This paper identifies tweets from Twitter as a potential VGI data source and shows how to discover and utilize relevant tweets. The paper proposes research methods for real-time (or near real-time) tweets harvesting, live tweets saving in a distributed geodatabase, and real-time VGI data redistribution. The study implements a Web GIS application as a platform for geo-tagged tweets operation. The implemented Web GIS application includes a tweet discovery component, a geo-tagged tweets mapping component, as well as an online geo-tagged tweets operation and analysis component. The major tasks include how to record the harvested geo-tagged tweets in a geodatabase so that it can be redistributed in real-time. Based on tweets from Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 and a hypothetical mass evacuation, the case study evaluates the pros and cons of VGI for response in emergency management. Spatial–temporal analysis components are also demonstrated.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation (1416509). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Xiannian Chen & Gregory Elmes

  2. Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44240, USA

    Xinyue Ye

  3. School of Statistics and Mathematics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, 430073, China

    Jinhua Chang

Authors
  1. Xiannian Chen
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  2. Gregory Elmes
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  3. Xinyue Ye
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  4. Jinhua Chang
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Correspondence to Jinhua Chang.

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Chen, X., Elmes, G., Ye, X. et al. Implementing a real-time Twitter-based system for resource dispatch in disaster management. GeoJournal 81, 863–873 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9745-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9745-8

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