The aim of the project is to conduct a comprehensive study on the uses and impacts of social media and crowdsourcing (SMCS) for disaster management purposes, and to better understand the ways in which different stakeholders can collaborate in these processes.

The project starts from the assessment of three complementary knowledge domains, which are:

• Disaster Risk Perception and Vulnerability (DRPV), which consists in how individuals and groups appropriate, subjectivize, and perceive risks,
• Disaster Management Processes (DMP), which consists in the process of management during and after a disaster,
• Disaster Community Technologies (DCT), which concerns the technological tools which allow the interaction among stakeholders during and after a disaster.

These knowledge domains contribute to develop the LINKS Framework, composed of methods, tools and guidelines for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, in order to optimise the uses of SMCS in disaster management.

This framework will be evaluated across 5 different cases (earthquakes in Italy, flooding in Denmark, industrial hazards in the Netherland, and drought and terrorism in Germany) + 1 associated scenario (tsunami in Japan).

The project is also building a community of key stakeholders engaging with SMCS in disasters, including practitioners, industries, policy/decision makers, scientific communities, and citizens. The LINKS Community will function as a sustainable forum for the ongoing exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices around the uses and misuses of SMCS in disasters both online (LINKS Community Center) and in person (LINKS Community Workshops).