[Infographic] Hurricane Harvey victims take to social media

When catastrophic events strike, emergency services are seeing a growing reliance on social media by those affected. Citizens are going online to ask for help, mark themselves as safe and support relief efforts.

When Hurricane Harvey struck Texas at the end of August 2017, due to the scale of the disaster, traditional tools were unable to cope. 

Although unprecedented in modern history, the impact of Harvey shows that agencies need to recognize the importance of channels like social media.

With our analysis, we have pinpointed aspects that occurred during the event. Post-event recovery is another area where additional situational awareness can be gained ... but that’s a topic for another blog.

Read on for all the information we gathered in infographic format.

Case Study: How Emergency Management Victoria Leverage Social Media Intelligence To Their Advantage

Justin Kibell, Manager of Operational Intelligence, Emergency Management Victoria

We spoke with one of our customers, Justin Kibell - the Manager of Operational Intelligence for Emergency Management Victoria (EMV), to see what he thought the most important uses for monitoring online data were, when emergencies arose.

Here's what Justin had to say:

One of the key principles we use in our Intelligence section is to consider a broad range of information from different sources and agencies. Open source is a key source of information directly from the community, but it comes with a lot of noise.

It can often be difficult to locate the key pieces of information and this is why we have been using Signal to assist us with efficiently gathering and collating open source content across a range of platforms.

The key drivers for information gathering from social media platforms are similar to that of other information channels monitored by Intelligence Analysts.  Open source information such as social media provides an opportunity to corroborate information from other sources and in some cases discover additional (important) information shared directly by the public who are on scene or potentially impacted.

"... Intelligence Analysts utilise the powerful search and monitoring features of Signal..."

Our Intelligence Analysts utilise the powerful search and monitoring features of Signal to search through various open source streams to locate information across a range of intelligence requirements such as:

1. Gauging Public Sentiment – to assist the social media team in our Public Information team, we use Signal to help determine what the community is saying about the emergency and the Governments response, both positive and negative.

2. Monitor News Coverage – searching local and interstate news websites, journalists and associated influencers, we use Signal to help obtain a bird’s eye view of what media are reporting which we pass onto the Public Information team to address and minimise misinformation.

3. Situational Awareness – using Signal to search and collate information from videos, images and descriptions of damage posted online is incredibly useful to our analysts both in building a more complete picture of what is going on (including known and potential impacts), but also in assisting our predictive services team with on scene observations which help validate their modelling such as photos with smoke plumes and fire behaviour showing.

4. Survey Damaged Areas – pinpointing the worst hit areas with observations directly from the community assists us in more efficiently deploying resources to areas with the most need. The geo-located content he at map feature quickly highlight key areas of interest.

"... using Signal for over two years now"

At the State Control Centre we have been using Signal for over two years now. Our Intelligence Analysts have positively commented on improvements to the usability and features of the tool and look forward to using the new information offered through the new “Spotlight” functionality.

Over the last three years our social media emergency management intelligence capability has grown and throughout this period Signal has been an important and valuable tool in the tool chest used by our team.

Justin Kibell,  Manager of Operational Intelligence, EMV

---

Justin's experience with Signal demonstrates the various benefits social media offers for emergency management intelligence. 

How are you using open source intelligence in your emergency response efforts?

What Free & Abundant Resource May Have Helped Emergency Teams Contain the Chilean Wildfires?

Long gone are the days of relying on traditional sources of intelligence on the front line of a disaster - phone calls, emails sent from laptops, even SMS messages.

In today’s world of the Internet, Smartphone and Social Media there is an intelligence source in the hands of almost every citizen.

This abundance of intelligence has been highlighted no more so than during the 2017 Chilean wildfires.

With the fires covering such a vast land mass and in such a short period of time, emergency response teams needed a free and fast flow of intelligence to help protect towns - saving lives and property.

Aerial shot of the wildfire devastation

So, What's The Resource?

The photos and videos posted on Social Media provide enhanced situational awareness to emergency response teams. This level of insight was near on impossible to generate or acquire before the rise of social networks.

Why Photos & Videos Shared on Social Media are the Best Freely Available Source of Wildfire Intelligence Today

Photos often tell a better story, especially in a wildfire. The size of flames, what’s on fire, where fires are and how accessible they might be are just some of the reasons photos shared on Twitter and Instagram are such a useful source of intelligence.

Here are some different ways emergency response teams can use photos to enhance their situational awareness during a wildfire.

1.    Help identify potential flare ups or new wildfires
Tracking images using Geo location data (which is available on some social media networks) can not only help identify new areas where fire is spreading but also areas where fires have restarted.

2.    Check if Emergency Response teams are at the scene
Photos often include people and when emergency services turn up, it’s usually a time when citizens start taking snaps. This makes it easy for command centers to know when teams are at the scene and sometimes the potential issues they may be facing.

3.    Check for casualties and if medical assistance is required
Bystanders may take pictures of injured people being helped by other civilians. This can act as an alert to deploy medical staff. Or if medical staff are already at the scene it may help identify if enough have been deployed.

4.    Understand the size and scale of the fire at specific locations
Imagery from media stations is often a good source in helping determine the size and scale of a wildfire. Helicopters and drones provide a unique point of view.

While photos at ground level can help complete the picture for emergency teams. 

5.    Check to see if property or infrastructure is at risk from the wildfire
When wildfires start encroaching on built up areas images posted on social media can provide early warning signs that the fire may be spreading into communities or across roads and railway tracks.

As you can see, if you're an emergency management professional, you should be using the images freely available on social media to help aid your efforts during a wildfire (and other emergencies), giving you a better chance of preventing further damage and protecting the public.

"Nuestros pensamientos están con la gente de Chile que ha sido afectada por los incendios forestales." - the Signal Team

Are You Staying Alert for Changes in Your Supply Chain?

When a factory in Reddi-wip’s supply chain suffered an explosion, little did they know that in a couple of months the resulting shortage of their popular canned cream brand (produced by ConAgra Foods) would blow up online.

By December, just as the Christmas season got into full swing, terms such as "Whippocalypse" and "Creamageddon" began trending on social media. The lack of canned cream for apple pie and pumpkin spiced lattes was causing an uproar online in the US.

What could ConAgra have done to prevent this?

Corporations like ConAgra should have active monitoring in place for their entire supply chain, to help ensure they are notified of any incidents and can take action as quickly as possible.

This gives additional time to help mitigate risk and prepare crisis comms to both staff, their distribution network and the community.

In some cases, early alerts give corporations enough time to initiate a plan B, avoiding a crisis altogether.

Is your corporation monitoring their supply chain?

If not, here are just a few more good reasons they should:

• Your executive team will be praising you for the early "heads up"
• You're ultimately protecting forecast revenue and future business opportunities
• Your executive team will have more time to initiate a plan B, or at least put together a solid PR plan
• Your operations team will have more time to redistribute their production line workers onto other tasks

Don't be the last to find out critical information. Ensure you know everything that's going on with your supply chain and be the first to know when news of a crisis breaks online. Gather situational awareness from Open Source Intelligence to stay one step ahead when disaster strikes.

6 Ways Gatlinburg Emergency Teams Could Have Increased the Safety of Residents After The Wildfire

Whilst 14 lives were tragically lost during the Gatlinburg wildfire, this number may have been higher without  many residents posting photos and videos of the blaze online.

In the past, this sea of information in and around a disaster zone did not exist. But in today's world it brings with it an opportunity to save lives through insight not previously available.

Here are six easy ways emergency responders could have used this information in order to increase safety in the community during and after the wildfire.

1. Monitor for instances of online vitriol and hate speech (especially as there was possibly a suspect behind the incident):

2. Monitor ‘vigilante justice’ and ensure any manhunt-style posts are kept both accurate and under control:

3. Corroborate online updates that include photos and footage of the incident, to increase situational awareness – all of which could help fire investigators after the fact.

As arson was suspected, these posts could also be used to help find witnesses:

4. Monitor posts informing when the town would be reopening

It is important to keep an eye on these to ensure they are accurate and to pinpoint any misinformation before it spreads.

5. Stay informed as to what complementary agencies are communicating to the public and other public service announcements, to ensure statements are both accurate and align with your efforts

6. Stay informed of public opinion on how agencies are responding to the disaster

If you’re not monitoring social media during a disaster, you are missing out on important intelligence and don’t have the full picture.

To see how Signal can help you be more situationally aware during an emergency, watch the short demo or request a full demo from one of our team.

9 Things Emergency Management Teams Can Learn From Japan's Tsunami Warning

In November 2016 when a significant earthquake triggered a tsunami warning in Japan, citizens were quick to take to social media to share information of what was happening around them. The following are the 9 key ways in which Emergency Management teams can learn from Japan's online events.

1. Stay ­­­alert to possible ‘trolling’ or deliberate misinformation:

2. Monitor facts & figures that are being broadcast by citizens. Notice ‘trending’ information as it arises. Are Retweets accurate?

3. Citizen-sourced information on damaged or at risk areas:

4. Monitor the Public Service Announcements are being communicated:

Does the information match up or are there conflicting announcements?

5. Descriptions of damage and ongoing effects of the disaster:

6. Non-urgent questions from the public about the Tsunami:

7. Monitor response in the surrounding areas to the disaster zone and stay aware of requests for help:

8. Monitor what news coverage is being observed – for both information and misinformation:

9. Monitor citizens marking themselves as safe and adding to the situational awareness picture (safe areas etc.):

The online play-by-play of Japan's tsunami warning shows just how critical it is for Emergency Management teams to be monitoring social media when a natural disaster hits - it is no longer just a 'nice-to-have'. 

To see how Signal can help you, watch the short demo or request a full demo from one of our team.

How Transport Operators Could have Increased Situational Awareness During a Stabbing

When a man went on a rampage in a train station, brandishing a knife and screaming “kill all muslims”, terrified bystanders were quick to take to social media to warn others of the danger and provide potentially valuable insight.

When passengers noticed the man was armed with a knife they began triggering the train alarms. Police had been alerted to the situation, but there was about ten minutes of chaos and panic before reinforcements arrived.

Social media is often the first point of contact and can provide important updates to help with situational awareness. Valuable online accounts could inform transport operations centers, to provide additional insight over and above the train alarms that were triggered.

It is in these vital minutes that operations centers would be able to get actionable intelligence, in order to ensure they were fully informed as to what was happening and make required calls to delay trains, or similar matters of operation.

Signal can help to complete the situational awareness picture. To see how Signal can help you, watch the short demo or request a full demo from one of our team.

Are Emergency Services Doing These 7 Important Things During an Earthquake?

Image by Nasa.

2016 NZ Earthquake Infographic

On Monday the 14th November, just after midnight, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked New Zealand, shaking up the capital city of Wellington and wreaking havoc in the coastal town of Kaikoura. We took to Signal to see who was tweeting about the quake on the #EQNZ hashtag, and found some great examples of how open source intelligence can be useful for disaster response teams.

The scale of the disaster

To give you an idea of the scope of the disaster, in the 12 hours from 6am to 6pm on Tuesday, Geonet recorded 313 quakes, bringing the total since the initial earthquake to 1,212.

Initially considered a magnitude 7.5 shock, it was later upgraded to a 7.8 – making it the largest earthquake in NZ since the 7.8 Dusky Sound quake of July 2009.

While Wellington residents were being advised to stay out of the city, Kaikoura residents were trapped in their town due to landslides blocking the road.

Who was talking about the earthquake online?

#EQNZ tweets globally (First 24hrs):

#EQNZ tweets in New Zealand (First 24hrs):

#EQNZ Tweets for Wellington (First 24hrs):

So, what should Emergency Services have been doing?

1. Searching for Cries for Help:

2. Monitoring for Misinformation or Trolling:

3. Being Situation Aware:

4. Monitoring Worldwide Media Sources from Internationally Reputable Publishers:

5. Monitor what is being said by complementary disaster response agencies:

6. Monitor what local news channels are saying:

7. Monitor Public Service Announcements and what's being communicated to the public:

As you can see from the above, the aftermath of the earthquake was played out online from many different aspects. Without access to all of this chatter, Emergency Services are missing key puzzle pieces of 'the bigger picture'.

To see how Signal can help you, watch the short demo or request a full demo from one of our team.

[Infographic] How Damage from New Zealand’s 2016 Earthquake Played Out Online

When a disaster like New Zealand’s November 2016 earthquake hits, citizens are quick to report damage and effects online.

So, what was the damage and how were people reporting this online?