Performance of social network sensors during Hurricane Sandy.

ABSTRACT: Information flow during catastrophic events is a critical aspect of disaster management. Modern communication platforms, in particular online social networks, provide an opportunity to study such flow and derive early-warning sensors, thus improving emergency preparedness and response. Performance of the social networks sensor method, based on topological and behavioral properties derived from the "friendship paradox", is studied here for over 50 million Twitter messages posted before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy. We find that differences in users' network centrality effectively translate into moderate awareness advantage (up to 26 hours); and that geo-location of users within or outside of the hurricane-affected area plays a significant role in determining the scale of such an advan

SUBMITTER: Kryvasheyeu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4333288 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature