Leveraging Social Media Geographic Information for Smart Governance and Policy Making

Abstract

This chapter explored the use of social media geographic information in governance and policy-making. Social media geographic information has great potential to impact decision-making, citizen engagement, service delivery, crisis management, innovation, policy formation and evaluation, and public opinion assessment. However, challenges such as data quality, privacy concerns, data overload, standardization, limited access, ethics, technical issues, language barriers, and limited geographic coverage also arose. To address these challenges, policymakers should establish clear guidelines, ensure data accuracy, address privacy concerns, manage data overload, and promote ethical practices. Real-world applications in disaster response, traffic management, urban planning, air quality monitoring, disease outbreak tracking, and flood monitoring are also described. By harnessing social media geographic information while addressing challenges, policymakers can make informed decisions that benefit society.