Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The Future Is Right Here, Right Now
There are many examples of how both disasters and emergency management have
been impacted by social media and Web 2.0 concepts. These include the utiliza-
tion of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to name a few systems, as well as a strong
push to redefine the relationships between local governments, the media, and their
citizens. Although these issues may continue to be developed and/or redeveloped in
the near future, the emergency management community will also have the imme-
diate opportunity to begin to utilize various online, Web 2.0 tools that are available
for free.
These tools are free because of a shared network of servers, computers, net-
works, and interrelated systems often referred to as the “cloud.” This cloud is uti-
lized by all online social media and Web 2.0 service providers to ensure robust
networks that are both redundant and sufficient to meet the needs of the end user.
When this robustness fails, the social media community has often abandoned the
system or come up with colloquial monikers such as Twitter's “Fail Whale.” 22 This
sector represents numerous operational and response tools that can (and will) be
utilized by emergency management as a cost-effective alternative to many current
systems commonly used.
For instance, real-time collaborative editing tools would be of great value to
emergency managers and first responders who are creating planning and public
information documents during an event. This type of tool would allow for multiple
users to be simultaneously creating a document rather than the document being
written, reviewed, edited, and then reviewed before distribution or implementa-
tion. The time necessary for review and approval for press releases and other opera-
tional documentation could also be minimized and/or eliminated because of the
simultaneous reading, writing, and editing of a document. Again, this type of func-
tionality is critical in ensuring clarity and consistency of public messages, which is
necessary to ensure the public provides safe and expected response behavior.
The largest and most ambitious version of this type of tool was Google Wave,
which was initially released in May 2009. This system promised to have collabora-
tive editing with time-stamped tracking of information management, which was
projected as a possible new technology for implementation in Joint Information
Centers and other information management sources. Unfortunately, Google was
unable to address issues identified during its beta testing and ultimately shut down
Wave in August 2010. Since that time, other software and browser-based collabora-
tive editing systems have been released with TypeWith.Me showing the strongest
possibility for implementation similar to what was initially projected for Google
Wave.
Additional “cloud” technologies that may impact emergency management
include those systems that support information management, organization, and
distribution. Specifically, there is a group of social media systems referred to as
social bookmarking that allow for a Web-based listing and categorization of
Search WWH ::




Custom Search