Accessing mobile apps & social media to monitor updates on Hurricane Irene

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It is definitely hurricane season, and one of the largest hurricanes we have seen recently is heading its way towards the East Coast of the United States.  From the Carolinas all the way up to New England, there will be millions of people who will be affected by what Hurricane Irene will bring with her.

Numerous photos, videos, and social media updates have been shared, discussed, and commented on over the last couple of days, which shows how social media is being used in natural disasters and emergency situations.

Here are a few sources you all might want to take a look at to monitor and watch for the developments of Hurricane Irene via social media:

• Kyoo Hurricane Irene Channel:  A multimedia channel where you get to see Twitter updates, featured updates, videos, and the top key words being used in connected with these social media data points.
• Traditional Weather Apps and Websites:  National Weather Center and other traditional weather channels are on point with making sure to share with others updates and information on what to do when the hurricane hits the coast.
• Esi Tracking Hurricane Irene Map:  The integration of crowd sourcing capabilities and social media channels into a visual map presentation is one of the ways Esri is allowing users to follow and monitor changes and updates in Hurricane Irene.  Other visual maps are also available from other useful sources as well.
• Identifying reliable Twitter feeds on the ground:  There are many people on the ground across the states who are actively sharing information and updates via Twitter on what is going on.
• Google Crisis App Landing Spot Website:  Similar to what Google has done in other crisis situations, they have created a site where people can track Hurricane Irene while getting additional information from government agencies and other emergency sources.
• Mobile apps related to tracking hurricane:  Being aware of the applications you can download onto your phone is key, and there are several that you would like to make sure you have.