CROWDSOURCING FUEL AVAILABILITYThe History, Capabilities, and Future Development of GasBuddy’s Emergency Management Solutions

Published 06/01/2018

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Preface - A Pioneer in Crowdsourcing

Six years before author Jeff Howe coined this term in Wired Magazine, GasBuddy had already begun its journey to becoming one of the largest aggregators of crowdsourced data. The idea was simple. When enough motorists reported their local fuel prices, a clear image of the market emerged—enabling others to discover which stations offered the best prices at the pumps.

Fast-forward to 2017, and these “spotters” now submit 707 million prices annually through our mobile app that has more than 12 million active monthly users—consistently placing it within the top three travel apps on Google Play and Apple’s App Store. The same GasBuddy users who spot prices also rate and review stations on customer experiences ranging from the quality of coffee to the cleanliness of restrooms.

Building upon its humble origins, GasBuddy has now become an indispensable resource for those who visit America’s more than 154,000 fuel and convenience stores.

But when Hurricanes Harvey and Irma threatened parts of the Southern United States, GasBuddy leveraged its network to crowdsource a different kind of information—fuel availability. Do stations even have gasoline and diesel? And what about power?

Fuel availability is often a concern during hurricanes and other disaster situations. The response of GasBuddy users, in addition to major fuel and convenience retailers who submitted their own outages data, enabled millions of motorists to locate fuel and navigate to safety. It was such an essential tool that Florida’s governor, Rick Scott, recommended the GasBuddy app repeatedly during press conferences and on Twitter.

This information and data also proved essential for emergency management officials. Never before had accurate, real-time data on fuel outages been available during a hurricane; and this information enhanced both the efficacy of high-level and site-specific strategies and actions.

As we look to 2018 and beyond, these developments have significant implications for future disaster scenarios.

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Crowdsourcing Fuel Availability

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Many of the individuals who fled Hurricane Irma were forced to travel long distances. For example, the drive from Miami to the intersection of I-70 and the Florida/Georgia border is approximately 420 miles and takes about six hours to complete. It’s the sort of distance that may require one or two stops at a gas station—especially for those who leave without a full tank.

But what if the stations along the drivers’ routes are out of fuel? And what happens when word of these outages spreads? Panicked purchasing only compounds the problem and adds to the wave of increased demand from the mass movement of people. The result is that motorists are forced to drive around burning gasoline while looking for it—which is neither safe nor efficient.

These challenges inspired GasBuddy to create the Emergency Tracker. Originally deployed as a web-based solution, GasBuddy went beyond crowdsourcing gasoline prices and asked if stations were experiencing fuel shortages. By providing a map view and using a red marker to identify stations without fuel, motorists were empowered to quickly assess the situation and make appropriate decisions.

This solution was first tested in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy. Its success led to later deployment in 2016 for both Hurricane Matthew and a major Colonial Pipeline outage—the latter of which led to thousands of Southeastern gas stations running out of fuel due to a leak and shutdown of two major lines.

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With the evolution of GasBuddy’s mobile app, it made sense to support motorists by adding this technology to it. The new in-app feature was tested with much success during 2017’s Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The Emergency Tracker remains part of the GasBuddy app, allowing motorists to continue reporting on the availability of gasoline, diesel, and power. Users are able to zoom in or out, check along major interstates, examine exit points, and safely plan their route.

During Hurricane Irma, data accuracy was further enhanced by working directly with retailers willing to supply their own lists of outages. Because some major fuel and convenience retailers already had

relationships with GasBuddy Business Pages—a business intelligence and listings management platform—we created a dashboard that allows them to upload their own data for fuel outages. Additionally, some fuel retailers were able to make strategic decisions and direct deliveries by downloading crowdsourced data for stations that did not have accurate or timely reporting systems.

Due to the success of this development, we have continued to have the Emergency Tracking Solution available within our dashboard. In case of emergencies, this can be easily opened and accessed by retailers to update the status of their stations.

Image 1: During emergency situations, GasBuddy makes it easy to locate stations with fuel. Through the mobile app, motorists can also help their communities by reporting whether or not the status at individual stations has changed.

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Image 2: After tracking functionality was added in-app, the online tracker was reskinned with new back-end technology and capabilities. It continues to provide a reliable alternative to the mobile app.

Image 3: Beginning with Hurricane Irma, GasBuddy created a dashboard for retailers to upload data on fuel outages at their stations.

Image 4: Screenshot of the mobile app during Hurricane Irma.

Working with State and Federal Agencies

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A holistic view of fuel outages has long eluded emergency response officials. There exists no centralized system to report fuel levels across the various brands and independent operators, and some companies are understandably cautious about sharing private operational data.

In the past, emergency responders have obtained rough estimates of outages by placing phone calls to stations in key markets; but some employees are asked to avoid talking to the media, and may mistake them as such, and others are simply too busy to answer the phone. Power outages may also prohibit phone calls from going through.

During Hurricane Irma, GasBuddy was able to provide views of data collected from crowdsourcing and provided directly through retail partners who were making updates into our systems. This enabled us to supply emergency responders with the following:

State Summary. Percentage of stations in each state without gasoline, diesel, and power.

DMA Summary. Percentage of stations without gasoline, diesel, and power in each Designated Market Area, or DMA.

Levels of gasoline outages were displayed graphically and updated by the hour.

Master Station List. Status of gasoline, diesel, and power at every station across the state.

At a high level, this information was used to inform public policy decisions related to the supply of fuel. Our calculations and analysis were influential in painting the picture that led to temporarily waiving the Jones Act—in addition to providing clarity both before and after the storm. At the individual level, the data was a trusted resource to help emergency responders locate fuel in the field.

As future hurricanes and disaster scenarios occur, GasBuddy will continue to support emergency responders and do its part.

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Implications for Future Disasters

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We value continual improvement and advancement at GasBuddy. Although the Emergency Management Solution is effective in its current form, there are many ways in which this technology can be further enhanced and developed.

Potential areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

Custom Dashboard for Emergency Management Officials. GasBuddy can create a dashboard for representatives of state and federal agencies and supply them with relevant data. Updates could be provided as quickly as every 15 minutes with additional support for APIs and KMLs. Mobile-friendly and printable lists could also be sent to responders in the field who need to know which stations have gasoline and diesel.

Increased Communication with Motorists. GasBuddy can provide motorists with timely updates on traffic conditions, emergency preparedness, and other easy-to-miss information. Stitch advertisements can also increase exposure and reinforce messaging.

Act as an Influencer to Help Reduce Panicked Purchasing. Temporary shortages caused by panicked purchasing inspires fear amongst motorists—which leads to additional demand and a repetitive cycle. GasBuddy can help mitigate this problem. Through the use of geo-targeted push messaging, we can

deliver information from relevant stakeholders to those who need it.

Additional Partnerships. Retailers willing to help can provide their fuel gallon files every 15 minutes. By weighing current levels against their total storage capacity, we can post gauges on station profiles that list the status as full, medium, or low. When tanks are low, GasBuddy users would be prompted to report whether or not stations have fuel. Retailers can be given the ability to control messaging on station profiles, such as time-stamped updates from store managers.

GasBuddy is exploring partnerships with those who wish to see additional development beyond current solutions. With upfront investment, we can prioritize building these and other tools—and provide teams with onboarding and training.

To learn more or discuss solutions, please email business@gasbuddy.com

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