The changing Web

With the launch of the public Internet in 1993 Web 1.0 came into existence. Although not named until years later, it provided the ability for people to create and link content using websites but it did not provide the ability for users to interact with the content as we do today.

Web 2.0 has been with us over the last decade, delivering social media and collaboration platforms. These have been adopted quickly by the general public in their many different forms as a mechanism to share personal information and form communities of interest. Public Safety Agencies have been slow to adopt new and emerging Internet based technologies, however once these technologies have been proven as a successful mechanism to enhance public safety, there is rapid implementation. There are now many examples of the successful use of Web 2.0 technologies by Public Safety Agencies as an additional communications channel.

This paper will discuss Web 2.0 using case studies of its current use in Public Safety Agencies and then look towards the future and what Web 3.0 and 4.0 may mean to the Emergency Management Community.

It will argue that Public Safety Agencies must evolve their thinking to consider adoption of emerging public communications channels early, as a strategic investment, to enable improved engagement with communities and individuals in the manner in which they choose.