How digital volunteers and VOSTs can assist official government agencies and emergency management organizations. A brief overview of the experience so far.

1. INTERNATIONAL SAFETY RESEARCH
Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Digital Volunteers And
Emergency Management
July 2014

2. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Overview
2
Digital volunteers and emergency management … an ongoing experiment

Types of missions/deployments
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Examples … case studies … a global phenomenon … rise of the VTCs
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The Volunteer Operations Support Team concept
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Integrating digital volunteers in the emergency operations centre
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Challenges and opportunities
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Questions
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Conclusion

3. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Types of missions and deployments
3
Take on all forms … organic, spontaneous, organized, sponsored
Key characteristics:
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Crowdsourced … issues identification … solutions … applications
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Most often … distributed task assignments … no hierarchy
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Cloud based tools … socially-convergent tools … open source
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Incident-specific … core group of coordinators or liaisons with agencies
Some issues:
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Coordination challenges … duplication of efforts
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Information validation … trusted agents
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Mistrust from institutions … misunderstanding of SMEM

4. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Types of missions and deployments
4
Also vary by type of work being conducted
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Social media monitoring, analysis and reporting
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Monitoring + crisis mapping
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Message amplification
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Public information supplementation
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Response and recovery coordination
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Logistics coordination
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Missing persons, family reunification
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Imagery/GIS analysis
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Others

5. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Examples … a global phenomenon
5
From strategic, large-scale deployments … to tactical implementation
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Haiti earthquake:
– Open Street Maps
– Fletcher School/Tufts + Ushahidi > HUSAR/USAR teams,
– crisis mapping,
– donations apps
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Lybia Crisis Maps: official request/activation … SBTF

Christchurch earthquake:
– recovery map,
– Student Volunteer Army FB coordination
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Joplin tornado: recovery page on FB
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Four-mile Canyon Fire in Boulder: tactical implementation mapping + SM
monitoring
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Typhoon Haiyan
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Next ? Drones and more

6. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST)
6
Born in the USA … growing everywhere … different models
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VOST origins: Jeff Phillips and others … NEMA barcamp 2011
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First activations: Pacific northwest forest fires
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Hurricanes Irene and Sandy
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International growth: NZVost, CanVOST, VOSTespana, more
Coordination: loose, VOST leadership coalition, http://vosg.us/
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Cross-team membership … outside area of ops
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Mix of volunteer and professional EM

7. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST)
7
Use of open source tools: Skype, Google Docs, SMS group text, others
Roles vary for different VOSTs
– Some directly support PIOs and manage SM accounts during crises
– Message amplification: retweets of official posts, engage
– SM monitoring:
• Identify rumours = threats to public health/safety
• Calls for help: route through appropriate channels (Sandy, Moore)
• Detect reputation threats = jeopardize ability of agency to respond
• Validate official messaging
• Situational Awareness
Geo-fenced and keywords/hashtag searches
Best when given specific tasks/requests

8. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Virtual Operations Support Teams (VOST)
8
Common VOST operational requirements:

Leadership and liaison
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Recruiting and training members … and keeping them engaged
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IT pros and SM enthusiasts, community volunteers, EM/1st
responders
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Basic IMS, basic SM tools (hootsuite, tweetdeck) + online collaborative
tools
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What skills are needed? Leadership cadre?
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Procedures and references
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Need for regular exercises or activation (including support of other teams)
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Clear accountability/expectations
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When/how to activate … for what types of incidents
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Internal work flows and reporting back to agency/EOC
Key: maintain balance between volunteer
enthusiasm and structure

9. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Integrating digital volunteers in the EOC
9

First, the need to integrate SMEM into EM … from the incident command post
to the EOC at all levels
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Looking at the IMS structure … some examples:
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Command: up-to-date situational awareness … digi vols can support in
real-time, coordinated with GIS specialists
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PIO: VOST team can supplement SM monitoring and message
distribution
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Planning: Sit Unit can be augmented by digi vols doing analysis
(imagery, GIS requirements, etc)
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Logistics: SM monitoring by volunteers to help match offers of
assistance/supplies with needs in the field

10. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Challenges … and opportunities
10

Obstacles: not technology but policy/mindset … growing need for acceptance
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Common issues:
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Digital volunteers: trusted agents? Or wannabees?
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SM intel validation? Why should I believe Twitter?
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Where to put SM (and liaison with digital vols/VOSTs) in the EOC
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Lack of understanding of the benefits of SMEM and digital volunteers

11. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Challenges … and opportunities
11
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Benefits: not agency-based but community-based situational awareness
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What can work for agencies:
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Used of enthusiastic, trained, tech-savvy volunteers in tight fiscal
environment ( Angus drone video)
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Integrated real-time social intelligence to support effective decision-
making and engagement with audiences
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Use resources that are available through different time zones and
outside the area of operations …
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Build community resilience and speed up recovery

12. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Questions
12

13. Engineering Risk Management Solutions
Conclusion
13

EM agencies trail the public they serve in the adoption of new technology
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Move at the speed of your audiences (speed of social networks) or be
irrelevant … Use the tools they use (mobile tech) or don't get heard …
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Use the power of the crowd and the cloud
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Fantastic pool of volunteers available … eager, dedicated, serious
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It's cost efficient !