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Huan Liu is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Arizona State University. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science at University of Southern California. At Arizona State University, he was recognized for excellence in teaching and research in Computer Science and Engineering and received the 2014 President’s Award for Innovation. His research interests are in data mining, machine learning, social computing, and artificial Intelligence. He is a co-author of Social Media Mining: An Introduction by Cambridge University Press. He is a founding organizer of the International Conference Series on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction. He is an IEEE Fellow.
Information Filtering in Social Media During Disasters
Disaster relief systems are built upon the assumption that information provided by volunteers is accurate. In recent years, social media have become widely used tools to assist in disaster relief. This essay brings to light the various types of unwanted data and their characteristics. Drawing on the case of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the essay shows how social media can support as well as impede relief efforts. The essay concludes with suggestions regarding how to ‘filter’ information so as to help make social media a more effective disaster relief tool.
