Preface: special issue on geo-social media analytics

Feng Chen, Arnold Boediardjo

Abstract

Advancements in communication infrastructures and low access barriers to communication sinks (e.g., personal mobile devices) have dramatically increased the size and reach of open source data such as those observed in social media: Twitter feeds, user blogs, Flikr images, and others. In several cases, the data have been implicitly or explicitly encoded with spatial and temporal attributes manifested in a variety of forms such as place names in Tweets and GPS coordinates in Flikr. Exploiting the open source data in conjunction with their spatiotemporal contexts can enhance our understanding of the physical environment, societal condition, and the dynamic and complex relationships between them. For example, in the context of disaster response, Twitter feeds and Flikr imageries can provide a rich and valuable avenue for monitoring the spatial distribution of affected areas and population sentiments to positively impact relief efforts such as the one caused by Hurricane Sandy. Also, during Arab Spring, the geographic evolution of population attitudes as observed in various social mediums can provide effective indicators of demonstrations and protests. These examples underline the importance of geo-social media in bringing awareness, insights, and decisions to impact these major events.