IMEXT: A method and system to extract geolocated images from Tweets — Analysis of a case study

Extracting useful information from social networks raises several challenges that still represent open research issues. In this paper we focus on the problem of extracting geolocated images from Tweets to support emergency response. A Tweet analysis process is discussed, focusing on the selection of posts, their geolocation based on their text content, and the subsequent analysis of the images linked by geolocated tweets. A prototype system has been built and tested on a case study based on the Tweets posted in the two days after the earthquake that occurred in Central Italy in August 2016. Results indicate that focusing on images linked by geolocated tweets represents a good criterion to identify useful information that can aid emergency response.