We analyze microblog posts generated during two recent, concurrent emergency events in North America via Twitter, a popular microblogging service. focus on communications broadcast by people who were "on the ground" Oklahoma Grassfires of April 2009 and Red River Floods that occurred March 2009, identify information may contribute to enhancing situational awareness (SA). This work aims inform next steps for extracting useful, relevant emergencies using extraction (IE) techniques.

We present AIDR (Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response), a platform designed to perform automatic classification of crisis-related microblog communications. enables humans and machines work together apply human intelligence large-scale data at high speed. The objective is classify messages that people post during disasters into set user-defined categories information (e.g., "needs", "damage", etc.) For this purpose, the system continuously ingests from Twitter, processes it (i.e.,...

This paper considers a subset of the computer-mediated communication (CMC) that took place during flooding Red River Valley in US and Canada March April 2009. Focusing on use Twitter, microblogging service, we identified mechanisms information production, distribution, organization. The event resulted rapid generation Twitter communications by numerous sources using variety forms, including autobiographical mainstream media reporting, among other types. We examine social life microblogged...

Crises and disasters have micro macro social arrangements that differ from routine situations, as the field of disaster studies has described over its 100-year history. With increasingly pervasive information communications technology a changing political arena where terrorism is perceived major threat, attention to crisis high. Some these new features life created changes in response we are only beginning understand. The University Colorado establishing an area sociologically informed...

The use of social media to communicate timely information during crisis situations has become a common practice in recent years. In particular, the one-to-many nature Twitter created an opportunity for stakeholders disseminate crisis-relevant messages, and access vast amounts they may not otherwise have. Our goal is understand what affected populations, response agencies other can expect-and expect-from these data various types disaster situations. Anecdotal evidence suggests that different...

Locating timely, useful information during crises and mass emergencies is critical for those forced to make potentially life-altering decisions. As the use of Twitter broadcast such situations becomes more widespread, problem finding it difficult. We describe an approach toward improving recall in sampling communications that can lead greater situational awareness crisis situations. First, we create a lexicon crisis-related terms frequently appear relevant messages posted different types...

In times of mass emergency, vast amounts data are generated via computer-mediated communication (CMC) that difficult to manually cull and organize into a coherent picture. Yet valuable information is broadcast, can provide useful insight time- safety-critical situations if captured analyzed properly rapidly. We describe an approach for automatically identifying messages communicated Twitter contribute situational awareness, explain why it beneficial those seeking during emergencies.We...

This article reports on a set of studies the use Twitter, popular microblogging service, during 2009 seasonal flood threat period to Red River Valley whose river separates North Dakota and Minnesota in region that extends across U.S.-Canadian border into province Manitoba [1, 2, 3]. Computer-mediated communication has been around for some time but risen popularity with progression cross-platform Web 2.0 applications services. Microblogging is social media service allows users send short...

Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook), microblogging services Twitter), and content-sharing YouTube Flickr) have introduced the opportunity for wide-scale, online social participation. Visibility of national international priorities such as public health, political unrest, disaster relief, climate change has increased, yet we know little about benefits - possible costs engaging in activism via media. These powerful issues introduce a need scientific research into technology mediated What...

This paper examines online, widescale interaction during an emergency event of national interest. Widescale describes the potential for broad, immediate, and varied participation that conditions online forums, social networking sites in particular, increasingly allow. Here, we examine a group on popular site as virtual destination aftermath Northern Illinois University (NIU) shootings February 14, 2008 relation to related activity happened response Virginia Tech (VT) tragedy 10 months...

The need for quick, timely, and accurate information is critical in emergency events. During mass emergencies, people assemble from both official unofficial sources. As digital access expands, will increasingly incorporate sources into decision making assess it against the local circumstances they experience. If we extrapolate what such behavior means future, can see that management under conditions to become socially distributed. key question then how quality of information: "good" or "bad"...

Millions of people use social media to share information during disasters and mass emergencies. Information available on media, particularly in the early hours an event when few other sources are available, can be extremely valuable for emergency responders decision makers, helping them gain situational awareness plan relief efforts. Processing content obtain such involves solving multiple challenges, including parsing brief informal messages, handling overload, prioritizing different types...

Theories of privacy and how it relates to the use Information Communication Technology (ICT) have been a topic research for decades. However, little attention has paid perception from perspective technology users in Middle East. In this paper, we delve into interpretations approach Arab Gulf citizens. We consider is practiced understood technology-mediated environments among population, paying particular role Islam cultural traditions constructing norms around privacy. then offer culturally...

Understanding users in the era of social media is challenging, requiring organizations to adopt novel computation-aided approaches. To exemplify such an approach, we retrieved information on millions interactions with YouTube video content from a major Middle Eastern outlet, automatically generate personas that capture how different audience segments interact thousands individual pieces. Then, used qualitative data provide additional insights into generated persona profiles. Our findings...

Twitter user profiles contain rich information that allows researchers to infer particular attributes of users' identities. Knowing identity such as gender, age, and/or nationality are a first step in many studies which seek describe various phenomena related computational social science. Often, it is through media focus on, for example, the isolation foreigners, become possible. However, characteristics not often clearly stated by users, so must turn other means ascertain categories...

Musicologists and sociologists have long been interested in patterns of music consumption their relation to socioeconomic status. In particular, the Omnivore Thesis examines relationship between these variables diversity a person consumes. Using data from social media users Last.fm Twitter, we design evaluate measure that reasonably captures musical tastes. We use explore associations capture status, demographics, personal traits such as openness degree interest (into-ness). Our can provide...