Managing social media uncertainty to support the decision making process during Emergencies

Abstract: Recent emergencies have shown the positive impact of using social media and social networks for communicating and exchanging information. Citizens and authorities can make safer decisions during emergencies based on the real-time information available on social media. Decision-making starts with information gathering and social media provides the opportunity to inform multiple citizens at once. However, message and source uncertainty can place emergency stakeholders in a risky position, as it is not always possible to know if messages are accurate, rumours or even malicious. Current approaches for social media information verification focuses on technical resources like analytical packages. Little research has been developed to provide citizens and field workers with tools to evaluate social media information. This paper presents research in progress for developing a verification framework – for all emergency stakeholders – to support their decision-making process by managing social media uncertainty during emergencies.