Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management

System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER)

Innovative Uses of Social Media in

Emergency Management

September 2013

Prepared by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management report was funded under

Interagency Agreement No. HSHQDC-07-X-00467 from the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate.

The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the

U.S. Government.

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade

name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its

endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government.

The information and statements contained herein shall not be used for the purposes of

advertising, nor to imply the endorsement or recommendation of the U.S. Government.

With respect to documentation contained herein, neither the U.S. Government nor any of

its employees make any warranty, express or implied, including but not limited to the

warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Further, neither the

U.S. Government nor any of its employees assume any legal liability or responsibility for

the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or

process disclosed; nor do they represent that its use would not infringe privately owned

rights.

Cover images are courtesy of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) News

Photos.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

FOREWORD

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the System Assessment and

Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program to assist emergency responders

making procurement decisions. Located within the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)

of DHS, the SAVER Program conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial

equipment and systems and provides those results along with other relevant equipment

information to the emergency response community in an operationally useful form. SAVER

provides information on equipment that falls within the categories listed in the DHS Authorized

Equipment List (AEL). The SAVER Program mission includes:

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Conducting impartial, practitioner-relevant, operationally oriented assessments and

validations of emergency responder equipment; and

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Providing information, in the form of knowledge products, that enables decision-makers

and responders to better select, procure, use, and maintain emergency responder

equipment.

Information provided by the SAVER Program will be shared nationally with the responder

community, providing a life- and cost-saving asset to DHS, as well as to Federal, state, and local

responders.

The SAVER Program is supported by a network of Technical Agents who perform assessment

and validation activities. Further, SAVER focuses primarily on two main questions for the

emergency responder community: ¡°What equipment is available?¡± and ¡°How does it perform?¡±

As a SAVER Program Technical Agent, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center

(SPAWARSYSCEN) Atlantic has been tasked to provide expertise and analysis on key subject

areas, including communications, sensors, security, weapon detection, and surveillance, among

others. In support of this tasking, SPAWARSYSCEN Atlantic conducted research on innovative

uses of social media in emergency management. Social media falls under AEL reference

number 04AP-09-ALRT Systems, Public Notification and Warning.

Visit the SAVER section of the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at

for more information on the SAVER Program or to view additional

reports on social media or other technologies.

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POINTS OF CONTACT

SAVER Program

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Science and Technology Directorate

OTE Stop 0215

245 Murray Lane

Washington, DC 20528-0215

E-mail: saver@hq.

Website:

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic

Advanced Technology and Assessments Branch

P.O. Box 190022

North Charleston, SC 29419-9022

E-mail: ssc_lant_saver_program.fcm@navy.mil

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword..................................................................................................................................... i

Points of Contact ........................................................................................................................ ii

1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1

1.1 Literature Review ..........................................................................................................1

1.2 Case Study Criteria and Selection ..................................................................................2

2. Social Media Overview .........................................................................................................2

3. Social Media Implementation ................................................................................................4

4. Case Studies of Innovative Uses of Social Media ..................................................................5

4.1 City of New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac 2012 ...................................................................6

4.2 Country Fire Authority in Victoria, Australia, 2009 Bushfires........................................7

4.3 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010 Earthquake ..........................................................................8

4.4 Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 Earthquake ................................................................8

4.5 Northern Virginia, 2011 Earthquake ..............................................................................9

4.6 Queensland Police Service, Victoria, Australia, 2010-2011 Flooding ........................... 10

4.7 Colorado On-Site Visits ............................................................................................... 11

4.7.1 Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management ............ 11

4.7.2 Jefferson County Sheriff¡¯s Office ...................................................................... 12

4.7.3 Colorado National Guard .................................................................................. 14

4.8 Fairfax County Virginia Office of Emergency Management ........................................ 14

4.9 American Red Cross .................................................................................................... 17

5. Summary ............................................................................................................................. 18

Appendix A.

Product Information ....................................................................................... A-1

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3-1. Social Media Implementation Methods ......................................................................4

Table 4-1. Outreach Metrics ..................................................................................................... 12

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4-1. CFA News & Media Screenshot ...............................................................................7

Figure 4-2. Haiti Earthquake Crisis Maps ...................................................................................8

Figure 4-3. Christchurch Recovery Map .....................................................................................9

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