Real-time identification and monitoring of abnormal events based on microblog and emergency call data using SMART

This article describes a real-time visual analytics process based on microblog and emergency call data to solve VAST 2014 Mini Challenge 3. We extended SMART system (Social Media Analytics and Reporting Toolkit), developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's VACCINE Center. Our system consists of multiple linked views to allow the analyst monitor topic evolution, identify influential microblog users, observe geo-location patterns and examine correlations among different data sources. Extensions to our previous work include a time series view, a reply/retweet networks view, and integration of emergency call data.