Social media analysis tools for preparedness: new report available
Trilateral Research’s report on a Comparative Review of Social Media Analysis Tools (SMAT) for Preparedness was released today. The report presents the findings of research, funded by the Global Disaster Preparedness Center, and designed to support the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) network and other humanitarian actors in their selection and use of SMAT for disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction (DRR).
The report, based on research undertaken by Trilateral between March and June 2015, examines how SMAT are a valuable tool not only for disaster response, but also for DRR and disaster preparedness efforts as they allow for community engagement and the ability to ‘listen to’ conversations on social media. The report examines 31 SMAT that can contribute to the disaster preparedness work of humanitarian actors in a variety of ways, such as: evaluating and improving the quality of preparedness messages; increasing the reach of preparedness messages; scheduling preparedness messages to increase their relevance, and managing the organisation’s reputation.
The comparative review also outlines barriers that influence the selection and use of SMAT by RCRC actors, related to the user (e.g., limited financial resources and time) and the tool (e.g., cost, difficult to use). Recommendations on how these barriers can be overcome are provided and brought to life through four use cases that provide solutions to the complexity of selecting a suitable tool to analyse social media data.
General recommendations and strategic advice on how to prepare for the use of social media and SMAT within DRR and preparedness activities are highlighted in the report, in addition to specific recommendations on the variety of purposes that SMAT can be used for and future considerations and next steps in the use of SMAT for preparedness and DRR. The report is based on desk-based research and primary research with RCRC actors, researchers, and SMAT developers.
Karin Metz, Global Disaster Preparedness Center, said:
“The comparative study of social media analysis tools for preparedness conducted by Trilateral significantly increased our understanding of the opportunities and challenges in deploying such technology for preparedness and risk reduction purposes. It provides concrete information and guidance that allows the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and the wider humanitarian community to successfully develop strategies for the integration of social media and analysis to support communities be better prepared and cope with disasters.”
Kush Wadhwa, Senior Partner at Trilateral, said:
“Working with the Global Disaster Preparedness Center on this project has been a rewarding experience for Trilateral. We have built upon our existing expertise and research on the application of social media analytics for crisis management while at the same time we are supporting our client and the RCRC network to use these tools more effectively for preparedness and disaster risk reduction.”
Trilateral Research is a London based research and advisory company bringing together strategy, technology and policy. It specialises in research and the provision of strategic, policy and regulatory advice on new technologies, privacy, trust, risk and security issues. If you would like to get in touch with Trilateral about this and related research in this area, please e-mail Hayley Watson: hayley.watson@trilateralresearch.com
The Global Disaster Preparedness Center is an international resource center of the Red Cross/Red Crescent network focused on increasing disaster preparedness through the development of knowledge, innovation and best practices that are widely shared with networks of actors involved in disaster preparedness work. To learn more about the work of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center, please contact Karin Metz: karin.metz2@redcross.org