GeoSocial: ‘Social Sensing’ within the applied natural geohazard sciences

Information and knowledge about a natural hazard event as it unfolds are vital to all four stages of emergency management: preparedness; response; recovery and mitigation. Those working within a 24/7 operational environment (such as the UK Met Office), remote from the hazard event, will want to know as much as they can about what the situation is and how it is unfolding. Information about natural hazards have traditionally come from scientific instrumentation, models and the media. However, information generated through social media, particularly when used alongside these traditional information sources, offers potential to enhance or verify risk-based models, real-time monitoring of vulnerability and hazard-related impacts, and provide insights into local resilience, all of which can improve situational awareness and inform the scientific response, helping disaster management.