Crisis Mapping: Big Data from a Dynamic Network Analytic Perspective

Big data holds the promise of enabling analysts to predict, mitigate and respond rapidly to natural disasters and human crises. Rapid response is critical for saving lives and mitigating damage. Rapid response requires understanding the socio-cultural terrain; i.e., understanding who needs what or can provide what, where, how, why and when. Today, new technologies are forging a path making use of sensor and social media data to understand the socio-cultural terrain and provide faster response during crises. A review of this area, the state of the art, and known challenges are discussed. The basic argument is that this technology is still in its infancy. Critical scientific challenges, social challenges, and legal challenges will need to be addressed before the promise of big data for Crisis Mapping is fulfilled.