  This paper details the creation and use of a massive (over 32,000 messages)
artificially constructed 'Twitter' microblog stream for a regional emergency
preparedness functional exercise. By combining microblog conversion, manual
production, and a control set, we created a web based information stream
providing valid, misleading, and irrelevant information to public information
officers (PIOs) representing hospitals, fire departments, the local Red Cross,
and city and county government officials. PIOs searched, monitored, and
(through conventional channels) verified potentially acionable information that
could then be redistributed through a personalized screen name. Our case study
of a key PIO reveals several capabilities that social media can support,
including event detection, the distribution of information between functions
within the emergency response community, and the distribution of messages to
the public. We suggest that training as well as information filtering tools are
necessary to realize the potential of social media in both emergencies and
exercises.
