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.

The 2014 VAST Grand Challenge required us to find victims, suspects, and criminal motivations based on three separate dataseis. We developed three VA tools (AnnotatedTimeTree, Dodeca-Ring Map and SMART) to facilitate the understanding of heterogeneous multivariate dataseis. These tools were integrated to gain insights into the source data and find connections among complex information (Fig. 1). AnnotedTimeTree aims to identify the cause clues and timeline of kidnapping based on analysis of text and network data. Dodeca-Rings Map allows analysts to interact with geospatial, temporal, and card transaction data to find suspicious personal behaviors and social networks. SMART is a visual analytics tool that enables text stream analysis by dynamically visualizing microblog data on the map over time.