Abstract
ICTs are key to effective disaster response and recovery. This chapter focuses on how mobile devices, social media, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of AI-infused information technologies can meet the communication and information needs of crisis managers. In examining research on mobile phones, the chapter reveals the pivotal role they play in helping people participate in more conversations that can increase their chances for receiving help and for providing early alerts. But during disasters, power goes out and Internet connections can be lost, revealing fragile infrastructure and inequities, and underpinning current disaster communication. Mobile phones also provide a primary avenue to access social media, an important communication channel for people to share their calls for help. The chapter discusses the vast quantity of data generated by social media and how scholars are using textual, visual, geo-referenced, and network data to train machines to provide meaningful situation awareness for crisis managers. As AI-infused information technologies are being developed, often by incorporating human expertise, they are making progress toward being an integral partner in disaster response and recovery. The future of research on using ICTs to bridge some of the existing gaps includes considering additional methods, expanding to consider cultural variables, and including disaster practitioners on even broader interdisciplinary research teams.
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This work was supported by the following grants from the National Science Foundation [award # 2029692, 2043522, & 1952196]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Stephens, K.K., Carlson, N.H., Xu, Y. (2023). Disaster Rescue Communication Using Mobile Devices, Social Media, and Artificial Intelligence. In: Singh, A. (eds) International Handbook of Disaster Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8388-7_175
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