Articles | Volume 25, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1681-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1681-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Social sensing a volcanic eruption: application to Kīlauea, 2018
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
James Young
Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Michelle Spruce
Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Ravi Pandit
Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Centre for Life-Cycle Engineering and Management, Cranfield University, Bedford, UK
Hywel Williams
Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Rudy Arthur
Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Wendy Stovall
Volcano Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey, USA
Matthew Head
Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Related authors
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Michelle D. Spruce, Rudy Arthur, Joanne Robbins, and Hywel T. P. Williams
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2407–2425, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2407-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2407-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Despite increased use of impact-based weather warnings, the social impacts of extreme weather events lie beyond the reach of conventional meteorological observations and remain difficult to quantify. This study compares data collected from the social media platform Twitter with a manually curated database of high-impact rainfall events across the globe between January–June 2017. Twitter is found to be a good detector of impactful rainfall events and, therefore, a useful source of impact data.
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Editorial statement
This paper shows a very useful analysis of social media activities during volcanic eruptions. The authors used social sensing of Twitter posts to track social action and reaction changes throughout the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Island of Hawaiʻi.
This paper shows a very useful analysis of social media activities during volcanic eruptions....
Short summary
Protecting lives and livelihoods during volcanic eruptions is the key challenge in volcanology. Analysing social media usage during volcanic crises can help us better understand the impacts of volcanic eruptions and how warning messages are received and actioned, to eventually better protect those people and their livelihoods. Our work shows how social media data could be used in real time during a volcanic crisis to learn more about volcanic eruptions.
Protecting lives and livelihoods during volcanic eruptions is the key challenge in volcanology....
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