Contents■ Smart Communication Experiment■ The Third World Water Forum■ Study on methods for constructing gateway spaces for improving regional value■ Establishment of a system for revising technical standards based on the Building Standard Law and Housing Quality Assurance Law■ The 2nd Japan / US Governmental Conference on Drinking Water Quality Managemant and Wastewater Control■ RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (January-March, 2003)■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (January-March, 2003)■ "2003 Annual Report of NILIM" is now on our website(in Japanese only,for the time being)

No.5June 2003

News Letter■ Smart Communication ExperimentIntelligent Transport Systems Division

The 5.8 GHz active system DSRC that can offer
various services.
aaThe 5.8 GHz active system DSRC (Dedicated Short
Range Communication) can transmit and receive
interactive, large-volume data and it is a key ITS
technology to realize various services. Also it is theinternational standard approved by ITU-R (theRadiocommunication Sector of the International
Telecommunication Union). In Japan, ETC (Electronic TollCollection System) has already been deployed throughout
the country by using this technology as national uniform

standard. Moreover, as for uses other than ETC, it isactively pursued to apply the DSRC technology to suchservices as information provision at service areas alongexpressways, electronic payment and information
provision at gas stations, entrance and exit management
at parking lots. Those services, which are offered by using
the 5.8 GHz DSRC system, are called “SmartCommunication Services”, and actions toward practical
deployment have started in full swing.

“Smart Communication Platform” is the technologythat offers various services on a single on-board
equipment.
aaThe key technology to provide Smart Communication
Services on a single on-board equipment is Smart

Information about
congestion androutes

Dynamic images
content dissemination

Timetables andinformation abouttransfer

ISSN 0389-4150

Reservation of restaurants
Music contentand accommodations
dissemination
Service area / Michi-no-Eki(Freeway rest stop or roadside rest area)

InternetIP phone

Drive-through shop

Information
for sightseeing
and area
information

Parking lot
information

Gas station

Information provision for driving support, etc.

Paying tolls and charges
Common antenna

Speaker

Car navigation,
display ofon-board system

Parking area and roadCharge payment
Road traffic information
Navigation
Various information

On-board equipment

ETCVehicle operations management

Smart Communication Platform
Figure1 Smart Communication Platform

N I L I M

News Letter

Communication Platform. NILIM has lead establishmentof this platform, and will provide infrastructure support torealize various services that are planned by the public andprivate sectors.

The beginning of various services : Start of Smart
Communication Experiment.
aaSmart communication experiment, conducted fromJanuary 29 to February 2, 2003, at a service area on
expressway, test the provision of services succeeding ETC
using the 5.8 GHz DSRC. In this experiment, the Smart
Communication Platform was actually installed andvarious driving support information, including dynamicimages, were transmitted to vehicles parked at the service
area (Moriya Service Area), from a roadside antenna sothat drivers in that area could actually experience it.
aaThe result showed that the services are highly needed
and thus effective. NILIM is actively going to continue
studies to implement the service in cooperation with theprivate sector.

■ The Third World Water Forum
Water Management and Dam Division, Masahiko Murase(2) NILIM Special Session at APHW2003
aaBefore the Third World Water Forum, APHW2003 washeld on March 13 to 15 in Kyoto. This international
conference was held by the Asia Pacific Association ofHydrology and Water Resources, which was established in
September 2002, to discuss topics specific to the AsiaPacific region. NILIM invited 11 specialists from Asian
nations to the special session, who described the water
problems in their countries, including the history andbackground. The session was concluded by agreeing tocontinue exchanging information.

(3) WWAP
aaWWAP is jointly conducted by 23 organizations of theUN as comprehensive assessment of water. On March 22,
the first World Water Development Report, as the firstresults of the assessment, was published in the ThirdWorld Water Forum. In this report, pilot case studies areregarded as an important challenge for various water
issues. NILIM has actively supported one of the pilot casestudies, Greater Tokyo region case study, with the River
Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport etc.

(4) IF Net
aaThe Third World Water Forum was held on March 16 to23, 2003, around Lake Biwa and Yodogawa River Basin inKyoto, Shiga, and Osaka Prefectures. Over 24,000 people
from 182 countries and regions gathered at the forum,and discussed 38 topics and five regional issues during
the 351 sessions. These issues revolved around balancing
increasing human requirements for appropriate watersupplies and improved health and sanitation with foodproduction, transportation, energy and environmental
needs. NILIM exhibited its researches at “Water EXPO” in
Osaka, hosted a special session of the First International
Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources in Asia
Pacific Region (APHW2003), which was held before theforum, and provided technological supports for theGreater Tokyo region pilot case study of the World Water
Assessment Programme (WWAP) and the International
Flood Network (IF Net).

aaOn March 18 and 19, intensive sessions on floods were
held at the Third World Water Forum. As a result, it wasdecided that an International Flood Network (IF Net)
would be constructed by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport to mitigate flood damages
throughout the world. It was proposed to predict floods inareas for which rainfall data are insufficient, such as indeveloping nations, using global rainfall monitoring datafrom satellites. NILIM will support the flood prediction
system in cooperation with related organizations.

(1) Water EXPO
aaWater EXPO was held on March 18 to 22 as a main
project of “Water Fair (in Osaka)”, which was a part of theThird World Water Forum. NILIM produced an exhibition
to showcase its researches and exchange information andknowledge. Eight divisions (River Environment, River,Coast, Water Management and Dam, Marine Environment,
Airport Terminal, Erosion and Sediment Control, andFlood Disaster Prevention) jointly displayed information
panels and models, and explained them at the exhibition
site.

Photo2 Floods Opening Plenary

methodsfor constructing■ StudyStudy onon
methods
for constructing
gateway
forregional
improving■ gateway
spaces forspaces
improvingvalueregionalvalue
Airport Terminal Division, Kenji Ueshima
aaAirport terminals and their access roads (hereafterreferred to as “gateway spaces”) provide the gateways andfirst impressions based on which visitors judge the values
and images of the region, and are an important backbone
with which residents form such values. The constructionof gateway spaces increases the value of regions, andeffectively revitalizes not only the region but alsosurrounding villages. The Airport Terminal Division has
Photo1 Exhibition at Water EXPOinvestigated methods for constructing gateway spaces that
effectively increase the values of regions. Before full-scale
investigation, the landscape potentials of gateway spaces
were investigated. Using landscape indices and programs
for analyzing landforms, the spatial characteristics of all
airport terminals in Japan and their access roads wereanalyzed. Field surveys were also conducted to identifyproblems. The results and future directions ofconstruction are described below.

(1) Positions of airplane observation decks
aaThe attractiveness of airplane observation decks wasinvestigated by analyzing the landscape indices andconducting field surveys. From platforms on the roofs ofairport terminal buildings, airplanes can be seen very far
away with the visual angle of approximately 8 degrees. At
some airports, people gather at the places where they canget good views of the air planes, suggesting that sites fromwhich people can view airplanes close-up need to beanalyzed and constructed.

(2) Spatial constitution of terminals to provide
aaspectacular viewsaaAlthough most airports face attractive landscaperesources such as mountains and sea, there are terminals
from which visitors cannot see the landscape resources
when they reach airports, and so the potentiality of
airport terminal is not utilized. The spatial constitution ofterminals should be improved to provide visitors withattractive views.

(3) Spatial constitution of access roads
aaAlthough access roads to air terminals are the gateway
to regions, most roads have not been constructed fromsuch a viewpoint except for Kumamoto and Miyazaki
Airports. Moreover, the majority of recently constructedairports are located in mountains, and there are few
spectacular sights from the access roads. Although theroads to some air terminals have the potential forbeautiful views of the cities and coast, the potential is noteffectively used. The spatial constitution of such accessroads should be improved to better utilize the resources.

Photo3 People naturally gather for good views of airplanes.

■ Establishment
Establishment ofof aa systemsystem forfor revising
revising
technicalstandards
thetechnicalstandards
based basedon the on
BuildingBuilding
Lawand Assurance
HousingStandard
LawStandardand Housing
Quality
Quality Assurance Law
Law
Wataru Gojo, Head of the Standards and Accreditation
System Division, Building Department
aaTheHousing

BureauoftheMinistryofLand,

Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) and the National
Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM)
have discussed systems for smoothly revising thetechnical standards of the Building Standard Law and theHousing Quality Assurance Law. A new system started in
January 2003, in which NILIM is in charge of preparing
drafts of the technical standards.
aaSince the revision of the Building Standard Law in1998, introduction of performance-based technicalstandards has been promoted, to enable various design
solutions and materials to be used.
aaThe performance-based technical standard system
consists of 1) standards that state the required
performances, 2) verification methods for examining
whether buildings satisfy the required performances, and3) examples of solutions that satisfy the required
performances (see the Figure2). The Housing Performance
Indication System, which started in 2000 based on theHousing Quality Assurance Law, is based on the sameprinciple.

Law

Performance
Items(Example:
fireproof performance)

Cabinet
Order

Performance
Requirements(Example: The principal building parts shallget no damage against heat of expectedindoor fire.)

Cabinet
Order
Minister’s
Notifications

Verification Methods

Example Solutions(Example:
Fireproof Design Method:
Calculate the duration thatthe building can withstandfire and check the time islonger than the fire duration
time.)(Example:
Prescriptive expression ofdesign solutions for eachpart of a building that havethe performance equivalent
to the verified building by themethod shown left.)

Figure2 Structure of the performance-based technical standards (example)

aaFor the performance-based system to be fully effective,
verification methods and example solutions should beconstantly reviewed and revised in line with technology
development by the private sector. A system for revisingtechnical standards was established, in which NILIM is incharge of preparing drafts of new technical standards withthe cooperation of related organizations.
aaThe Building and Housing Performance-based Code
Review Committee was established in MLIT. The
committee consists of people of learning and experience,and is discussing revision of the standards.
aaAt the request of the Ministry, NILIM prepares thedrafts of new technical standards. The Building andHousing Departments, with the cooperation of theBuilding Research Institute, set up the Building andHousing Performance-based Code Drafting Committee,
which functions as working groups of the Ministry’s
Review Committee. During preparation of the drafts,
information and opinions are to be exchanged with theprivate sector and other sectors at technical committee
meetings of the Council for Building and Housing
Performance-based Codes and Standards. A contact point
has also been established in cooperation with the Council
to collect proposals on the revision of technical standards
from the general public.
aaNILIM has supported MLIT in developing technicalstandards, and this role of NILIM became clearer underthe new system. To accomplish its role, NILIM will also
actively carry out related research activities.

■ The 2nd Japan/US Governmental Conference on Drinking Water Quality Managemant andWastewater Control
Hiroaki Morita, Head of the Wastewater System Division, Water Quality Control Department
aaThe 2nd Japan/US Governmental Conference on Drinking Water Quality Managemant and Wastewater Control washeld on October 21 to 23, 2002, at Tokyo Mita Kyoyo Kaigijo. On October 24, the members visited the Misato Water
Purification Plant and Ariake Sewage Treatment Plant of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
aaMrs. Sally Gutierrez and twelve
other representatives from the US
attended the meeting. From Japan, 12
wastewater specialists and 11 citywater specialists participated. Recent
issues concerning city water andwastewater treatment in Japan andthe US were actively discussed in thecongenial gathering, and 32 studies in
13 fields in total were presented. On
the last day, the discussions were
Photo5 Pond of Reclaimed Water
Photo4 Members of Conference
summarized, and it was agreed to hold(Ariake Wastewater Treatment Plant)
the next meeting in 2004 in the US.

■ RESEARCH REPORT of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(January-March, 2003)
No
67Title of Paper
A Study on Design Methods of Barrier-free at Exterior Space -Problems and its Solution Proposals
for Barrier-free Designs at Ports,Harbors,and Coasts-Names of Divisions
Airport Terminal Division

Application of Recycled Asphalt Concretes in Airport Pavement Surface Courses -Investigation
with Laboratory Teste-

Airport Facilities Division■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management(January-March, 2003)
Title of Paper
No
25 Annual Research Report 2000 of Traffic Environment Division

Names of Divisions
Road Environment Division

Counter measure data of salt damage on concrete bridges
55 -examination about counter measure of salt damage on concrete bridges based on real research-Bridge Division

56 Annual Report of Advanced Road Design and Safety Division in FY 2001
59 Actual Motions and Motion Model of Large-Sized Quay Crane in Container Handing

Advanced Road Design and Safety Division
Coastal Zone Systems Division

60 An Analysis on the Mode/Route Choice Behavior in Domestic Unit-Load Freight Transportation
61 Analytical Study on Earthquake Resistant Evaluation Method for Pile-Supported Wharves

Port Facilities Division

Port Systems Division

62 Optimum Estimation of S-wave Velocity Structures by Use of the Microtremor Array Observation
63 A Study on the Performance-based Design of Quay Walls under Berthing Condition

Port Facilities Division

Port Facilities Division

65 Landscape and Ecology Division,Annual Research Report(17th)
66 Annual Report of Research Activities,Earthquake Disaster Prevention Division,2001

Landscape and Ecology Division

The Present Situation of Government Program for the Satoyama Conservation
67 -From National Local Self-governing Community Questionnaire-Landscape and Ecology Division

Earthquake Disaster Prevention Division

74 Lake Kasumigaura in the old days -Pictures of Lake Kasumigaura before 1965(Syowa 40)Various Viewpoints to Consider Scale of Public Investment
798082Landscape and Ecology Division
National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement Public Investment Project Team

Eisuke ISHIKAWA's Lecture and Interview"Circular Social Life System and Social Infrastructure Management in the EDO"

Construction Economics Division

Report of Evaluation Sub Committee of NILIM in FY 2002 Evaluation Committee of NILIM

Research Administration andInternational Cooperation Division

85 The Questionnaire Inquiries about the Informations during Flood Disaster

Construction Economics Division■ "2003 Annual Report of NILIM" is now on our website(in Japanese only,for the time being)
aaWe publish "2003 Annual Report of NILIM" to show our research activities and accomplishments, and you can see its
contents on our website, www.nilim.go.jp. English version will be available in this summer.

National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Asahi 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0804, Japan(Tachihara) Tachihara 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0802, Japan(Yokosuka) Nagase 3-1-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 239-0826, Japan
TEL:+81-29-864-2675 FAX:+81-29-864-4322

News Letter

No.5June 2003w w w . n i l i m . g o . j p