The following information type categories all include a description and/or comparative data regarding the hazard agent, e.g. location of a fire or level of a river. These categories also include information about physical aspects of the affected area, e.g. weather, geographical details, characteristics of city/county borders and similar information.
Tweets that provide geographic or logistical information about areas under threat or experiencing disaster.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | Geo-note for our non-Oklahoma friends: the fires around Velma-Ratliff City-Fox-Loco-Meridian are in oil producing regions. #OKFires |
| RR09 | @skangus GF built permanent levees after 97 flood of the Red. Difference was they declared entire neighborhoods greenspace to do it. |
| RR10 | @femaregion8 ND and MN and border the Red River which is flooding now. |
| Haiti | Haiti earthquake occurred in complex, active seismic region http://bit.ly/6VIRyN |
Tweets that provide information about the hazard agent at hand, but are not specific to a mass emergency situation.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | @Leosulli Firestorm is a fire. Wind is Hi n fuels fire. It spreads n wind carries it. Fire ‘jumps’ from house to house. Cedars, grass catch. |
| RR09 | @skangus Red River is like a pencil scratch in kitchen table. Plus it flows north. So downstream tends to backup. |
| RR10 | Red River in #Fargo #Moorhead now at 30.47 feet -- “Major” flood stage is 30 feet -- #flood10 |
| Haiti | @GottaLaff The earthquake happened because Haiti is on top of a major fault. Like LA and SFO are built on top of a major fault. |
Tweets that provide information comparing present hazard conditions to past hazard conditions of the same or different types.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | “This is probably the worst disaster in Midwest City's history, even worse than the May 3rd tornadoes” PD Chief Brandon Clabes. |
| RR09 | River at Hickson has exceeded 1997 levels #fargoflood #ndfloods #flood09 #redriver |
| RR10 | #fmflood. Three 100-year floods in 15 years. So, after this, we're flood free for 300 years? |
| Haiti | Video: Catastrophe in Haiti. Strongest Earthquake in 200 Years http://ow.ly/16ksO1 |
Tweets that provide information about forecasts of what will happen with regards to the hazard, or what the hazard will do.
As with any label that involves location, remember that precision matters. For predictions, the tweet should state something that is particularly specific (i.e. affecting a particular city) or extremely vast (i.e. that a hurricane is expecting to move from New York to San Francisco.)
Examples include:
- Where a fire will spread
- When a river will crest
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | Well this fire here in oklahoma it looks like its going to get bigger than the 12 miles it is now |
| RR09 | @velvetflamingo I haven't seen anything about the dike, specifically, but crest forecasts seem to be lowering. |
| RR10 | Expected crest in Grand Forks is 49 feet. Permanent levee system is good to 54 feet. #flood10 |
Tweets that provide information about the location and/or state of a hazard.
Examples include:
- The intensity of a fire and where it is burning
- The height of a river or other body of water in relation to flood levels
- The strength of an earthquake and information about aftershocks.
- How a fire is passing through a particular location
As with any label that involves location, remember that precision matters. For many disasters, the state won't be precise enough. The tweet should specify at least a county, if not a city, neighborhood, or building.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | RT @d_stew: Fires have started rekindling in SE OKC near Choctaw. East winds are creating tough conditions for firefighters again. |
| RR09 | ice jams worsen in north dakota |
| RR10 | RT @fargofloodstage: The Red River at Fargo ND is at 26.05 ft which is 8.05 ft above flood stage #flood10 #fargoflood |
| Haiti | Thirteen aftershocks strike Haiti. Seven of them were above a magnitude 5. Here are images from Twitter: http://bit.ly/5Ue17R |
Tweets that communicate information about weather conditions and how they may effect the progression or outcome of a mass emergency event.
NOTE that the relationship between the weather and the associated hazard can be complicated. For instance, hurricanes manifest as weather conditions (wind, rain) or cause environmental changes that could also be interpreted as weather (flooding). The Weather status should be used to refer to phenomena that impact the condition of the larger disaster but are external to it. A cold front or warm front moving in, for example, or a different rain storm that is approaching the hurricane from a different direction.
| Disaster Data Set | Example Tweet |
|---|---|
| OK09 | Wind gusts in Cordell reported 65mph+ #OKFires |
| RR09 | Thursday rainfall on the way, but potentially not as heavy as early thought. Still more ice to melt north of Valley City & Jamestown. |
| RR10 | RT @FargoMoorhead: Looking to really warm up over the next few days in #fargo Moorhead. Good and bad all at the same time. #fmflood |
| Haiti | @leashless re cold weather, that's not the case in #haiti with 17-31ºC today in capital area; maybe for kids and frail, only |