Social Media, Crowd Sourcing & Crisis Response
Experiences and Lessons Learned
Rajib Subba, PhD
Deputy Inspector General of Police
Director of Communication Directorate
Nepal Police Headquarters, Naxal
Kathmandu, Nepal
State of the Map Asia 2017
Kathmandu

The EQ Day
• Communication Directorate staffs converged
at the designated place.
• Established Comm Center asap.
• Communication had no issues except in
Gorkha, and Sindhupalchwok.
Radios:
• HF/VHF/UHF
• Digital Trunking
Phone:
• Mobile, PSTN & Sat Phones
Information Systems

Foundational Backgrounds
DisasterInformational
Convergence
Personal
Convergence
Resources
Convergence
When a disaster strikes, spontaneous and massive movement of people,
information and assets take place toward the disaster site (Fritz and Mathewson,
1957).

Foundational Backgrounds
Interactions
Convergence
Behaviors
Crisis
Communication
Practices
Returnees
Anxious
Helpers
Curious
Exploiters
Supporters
Mourners
Detectives
(Fritz and Mathewson,
1957; Kendra and
Witchendorf 2005; and
Subba and Bui 2010).
Broadcast Information
Broadcast Warning
Encourage Behavior
Appeal for Information
Fighting Rumors
(Ehnis and Bunker, 2012 & 2013)
Institutional
Elements
Institutional Elements
Scott (2008)
Expectations, Profile, Protocols,
Mission, Norms, Roles, Jobs etc

Foundational Backgrounds
Interplay between Physical and Cyber world
EQ in Nepal
Anxious worldwide
Responders on-line
Responders on ground
Rules, regulations
Adhoc
The Detectives The Exploiters
Authorities Online forums,
SM Brigade
Volunteeris
m
Plan SOPs
Subba and Bui, 2010

Nepal Police Response Online
GIS Mapping
Missing Persons
Data and Infographics Relief & Rescue
Information
Emergency Numbers

Social Media and Crowd Sourcing
25th April: First post after the first quake: @4:59
pm “request for information on quake damages.”
SMS service was started on 26th April.
SMS:[Plz help us . 200 people are trapped in Miteri bridge
near Khasa boarder due to earthquake. Old help.]
4/26/2019 22:34:36
Social Media Project 2013: Consolidation work was quickly mobilized with existing
Facebook page along with newly stared SMS and twitter services
(@NepalPoliceHQ) to minimize the risk as time passes.
1,295,230 people like this
455277 followers

SM for Response: Crisis Convergence Behaviors
The Returnees:
The Anxious:
Fritz, C. E., & Mathewson, J. H. (1957)
@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Area police personnel came to our area to assess the damages but returned
while saying that this is not their area @NepalPoliceHQ
@nepalpolicehq Activity of Police #HQ in Twitter is really good, the Police
personnel who went back earlier returned, said that help will come do not
worry, also collected data.
@nepalpolicehq while returning they were grumbling who is the one who
informed Kathmandu about this trivial matter. I kept quite B-)
The Helpers
The Curious:
@xxxxxxxxxx
@nepalpolicehq How long is the lake? Is village
submerged? How long is hazardous area from the river?
The Supporters:
@xxxxxx
Assistance of @NepalPoliceHQ through social media during crisis is a highly
appreciable work. Lets thank together. Lets follow ☺
The Mourners
Kendra, J. and Wachtendorf, T., (2003)

SM for Crisis Response:
Convergence Behaviors, Crisis Communication Practices and Institutional Elements
Information on
Controlling Exploitation
Communication exists between
EROs (Police and public) when
public expectations are
matched by ERO’s obedience to
duty.
Institutional elements
interacting with CBs & CCP.
Detective Behavior
This bus has moved from
Pokhara to Kathmandu. It
charged Rs 500 extra for
every luggage. Travelling fee
is extra. @NepalPoliceHQ
@NepalPoliceHQ
Based on your
information the bus
with license# 4519 has
been fined Rs 1000.
EXPECTATION
S
OBDIENCE TO DUTY
Subba and Bui, 2017

✓A Facebook SOS message:
✓People stranded due to landslides at Dolakha were rescued
immediately after receiving information via FB messenger.
✓Police Chowki at Boz under Dolakha District Police rescued Ms.
Bhakta Kumari Lama and her team.
Social Media Helps in Rescue
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Experiences & Lessons Learned
Take Action and Inform
Make Ground Rules First
Remind Norms
repeatedly

Fake news, Rumors, Disambiguous
info and Disruptive Discussion
• Volcano eruption
– Asked to remove the news
• More severe earthquakes are coming
– People were advised not to leave
their properties
• Astrological prediction
– Put in custody and asked not to post
any prediction that may scare people
more
• Electronic Transaction Act
– Reminded that the handle is for
helping people. ETA discussion should
take elsewhere.
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Flexibility: Aligned responses to Public
needs
Missing Persons
Data and Infographics
Experiences & Lessons Learned
Relay Information
Anxious in
foreign
countries

Flexibility: Social Media 4 Public Concern
After receiving information from social media users that women and infants were not
getting their daily needs (baby food, diapers etc) Nepal Police mobilized its W&C
Directorate for collection and distribution of relief materials.
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Upon receiving complains of lack of power for charging handheld devices
Mobile Solar Charging stations were established.
Power Matters: Mobile Solar Charging
Stations
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Proximity Matters
This is the team that provides real-time information via @nepalpolicehq.
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Right To
Information
Online Governance
Bridging the Gap
Good Governance
I asked for help with @NepalPoliceHQ. I had no
expectation for a reply, but reply came. Proud that
right to information has been respected. Thank U.
This @NepalPoliceHQ handle should be on even after
the EQ. This is giving an impression of presence of the
government. Thank you Nepal Police.
Lessons Learned & Experiences
Information Dissemination Nepal Police’s most appreciable work
during this disaster is information
dissemination by social media. Thank
you @NepalPoliceHQ #NepalQuake

SAT Phone
SATCOM and Digital Trunking with GPS/Mapping
SATCOM: Communications via satellites to transfer of data (voice, images/maps, video).
Digital Trunking with GPS Mapping
Lessons Learned & Experiences
Power
Solar

Adopt new technologies sooner!
Experiences & Lessons Learned
UAVs
RCS eLTE

Adopt new technologies sooner!
GIS for Crisis Response: 25 April, 2015 till 14th May 2015, 17:00 hrs
Source: Nepal Police
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Disaster Management Information System
• Prototype helps!
• Not all high-end Systems are successful!
Experiences & Lessons Learned

Coordination and Information Sharing Online
Way Forward!

Disaster Management Information System
Framework
DRR Portal
One Stop Access
Multi-Disaster Management System
Coordination Among Stakeholders
Other Information Systems
Integration
MIS Backend
• Documents & Photos
• Person Finder
• Messaging: SMS & Email
• Disaster Victim Identification
• Organization registry
• Logistics management
Weather/Flood Info Sys
Geo Spatial Data
DSS
Decision Support System
Knowledge based Portal
Linkages
Seismic Data
Nepal Emergency Operations Center
The Proposed DMIS Framework

Conclusions
• Physical-Virtual Convergence responses help.
• Social Media could be used as an effective communication and
collaboration platform between the disaster management authority and
the general public, making it easier for the former to serve the community.
• Aligned response with expectations for information on the status of road
situations, casualties, landslides, relief and rescue operations, contacts and
missing persons, helped build a collaborative relationship between the
EM Organizations and the public.
• Interaction Site like Twitter Handle helped highlight the difference in
response priorities between the police and the general public, thus
allowing the former to reconsider and adapt its planning activities.
• Resilient Communication Networks and Infrastructure is must.
• Free access to Data Comm and free Social Media access druing crisis
helps. (Example: NCell)

Any Questions?
• Thank you ☺