2nd International Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction
November 27~29, 2007

Information Sharing Concerning Lifeline Utilities on the Mitigation
Information Sharing PlatformYasunori Hada1 , Suetomi Iwao2 , Takeyasu Suzuki3 and Kimiro Meguro1
1Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan
23

Japan Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd, Japan

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medical and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Japan

Abstract
It is well known that the information sharing is effective to mitigate damages due to disasters.
Such a lesson learnt from the past events of disaster, however, was not necessarily reflected inactual operation of disaster countermeasures. In order to get rid of a lack of information, aresearch project on disaster mitigation using crisis-adaptive information sharing technology
was started in July, 2004. It is a joint research of 12 different organizations funded by theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. National ResearchInstitute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) is in charge of leading the project,representing 12 organizations. The research reported here is carried out as a part of theproject.
In this paper, we focus on information sharing concerning lifeline utilities. Authors have beentackling information sharing of lifeline utilities (such as power, city gas, telecommunication
and road traffic) in disasters for reducing damages. When the mitigation information sharing
platform is realized, contents of lifeline information to be required and implementation issue
to be raised have been discussed. First, it is arranged that several information that lifeline
utilities require and also can provide in disasters. Using those results, possibility for sharing
information on disaster mitigation and its effects are discussed. Second, connecting between
information systems of lifeline utilities and other systems is examined using the developed
prototype system for lifeline utilities. Further more, issues on connecting an information
sharing platform that this project has been developing to existing information systems andrequirements for the platform are discussed.
Keyword: lifeline, information sharing, information sharing platform*Corresponding author address: Y. Hada, The University of Tokyo, Japan, haday@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp

1. Introduction
Information sharing among organizations regard to disaster reduction in disasters has beenraised based on lessons from past disasters. In spite of recent breakthrough of information andcommunication technology, it sill remains significant issue. In order to solve this problem, aresearch project on disaster mitigation using crisis-adaptive information sharing technology
was started in July, 2004[1]. It is a joint research of 12 different organizations funded by theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. National ResearchInstitute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) is in charge of leading the project,representing 12 organizations. The research reported here is carried out as a part of theproject.
In this paper, we focus on information sharing concerning lifeline utilities. When theinformation sharing platform is realized, contents of lifeline information to be required andimplementation issue to be raised have been discussed. First, it is arranged that several
information that lifeline utilities require and also can provide in disasters. Second, connecting
between information systems of lifeline utilities and other systems is examined using thedeveloped prototype system for lifeline utilities. Further more, issues on connecting an
information sharing platform that this project has been developing to existing information
systems and requirements for the platform are discussed.
2. Current status of lifeline information sharing
Current status of lifeline information sharing between lifeline utility company and otherorganizations, and its problems are reviewed. In this paper Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.(stated as TG
below the paper) and Tokyo Electric Power Company(stated as TEPCO below the paper) aretreated as representation of city gas company and electric power company respectively.
Because those two companies has done advanced activities such as online information
provision to DIS (Disaster Information System) in the Cabinet Office. This information
provision was operated from November 25, 2003.
2.1 Current status of information sharing
Table 1 and Table 2 show information sharing cases in TG and TEPCO respectively. Tables
are structured organizations to be provided to, contents and purpose. TG provides gas supply
suspension information and observed earthquake ground motion data. Also TG gets fire
outbreak information to prevent secondary damage such as fires and explosions. TEPCO
provides approximate number gathered power outage customers in each city.

Table 1 Information sharing cases in TG
providing/receiving

Toward/FromContents

providing/receiving

Keiyo Gas Co.

ground motion (SI and Gal)

providing/receiving

Chiba Gas Co.

ground motion (SI and Gal)

providing

The Cabinet Office

approximate number ofcustomers in suspension ineach cities

providing

Yokohama City

ground motion (SI and Gal)

providingTokyo Fire Department

gas supply suspension map

receiving

Tokyo Fire Department

faire outbreak point

providing

Mass media

SI sensor information (30points)

purposeemergency
response
emergency
response
emergency
response
emergency
response
assistance forfire fighting
emergency
response
emergency
response

Table 2 Information sharing cases in TEPCO
providing/receiving

Toward/Fromproviding

The Cabinet OfficeprovidingTokyo Fire Department

Contents
approximate number ofcustomers in power outage
in each cities
approximate number ofcustomers in power outage
in each cities

purposeemergency
response
emergency
response

2.2 Problems of providing suspension information
1) Different information requirements between information sender and receiver
Grasping number of customers in suspension is based on its provision system. GS andTEPCO grasps number of customers in suspension to gather numbers of customers belonging
to low pressure distribution blocks and power distribution lines in suspension respectively.
Basically area of those gathering units is different from administrative district. Therefore
lifeline suspension information can be supplied is just approximate number information
including errors.
2) Not reflecting restoration information
GS and TEPCO don’t supply online restoration information. Because lifeline suppliers had noincentive to develop information system which has function to calculate number of customers
restored lifeline suspension, those current information systems don’t have automatic
calculation function of restoration information.
3) Information standardization
Because electric power suppliers have individual information system, ways of gathering
power outage data are different from each other. For realizing information sharing between
suppliers, information standardization is absolutely necessary.

Table 3 Information available in TG and TEPCO
Subject

Electric Power

Information subject
supply disruption information
ground motion information
supply disruption information(TEPCO)

supply state on important facilities

City Gas (TG)

Contents and Qualification
block unit in low-pressure distribution area
SI and Gal per 50m meshdistribution line
Significant facilities such as governmental
offices, hospitals, refuge and so on.

Table 4 Information tobe required by TG and TEPCO
Subject

Information to be required

Use

City Gas (TG)

fire information
leckage informationarterial road information (regulationand congestion)
power supply information

restoration
emergency shut off
emergency shut off

water supply information
Electric Power(TEPCO)

aerial photegrapharterial road information (regulationand congestion)road information around facilities
aerialphotegraphsatellite image
keep out information in damaged area
secondarydamageprediction
information

emergency shut off
prevention of secondary disasteremergency shut off
restoration planinig
gathering damage information
restoration
restoration
restorationrestoration
restoration

As mentioned above, various problems are raised, however information sharing requires
mutual understanding of “contents, qualification and limitation of sharing information” and“who and how to use it”. On the other hand, supplying information to unspecified majority(general public), information suppliers have to be careful in order to avoid misunderstandings
and abuses.
3. Lifeline information to be required
According to interview investigation and brain storming with lifeline suppliers, lifeline
information

toberequired

isarranged

ineachsubject,

information

subject,

contents/qualification, use and time phase (Table 3 and Table 4).
As the information subject, in addition lifeline suspension, arterial road, fires, gas leakage,refuge, secondary damage prediction, keeping out area, aerial photograph and satellite images
are raised. Especially every organizations regard to disaster reduction requires arterial roadinformation, however, grasping road information in large are around damaged area, supplies

have to gather related every web sites and facsimile on/from road administrators because
different road administrators for road types and regions.
4. Requirements for Information sharing platform
4.1 Effective operation
1) Own information system can superpose at ease on GIS data provided by the others.
2) Data handling can be unified on the platform.
3) Providing information is required strongly, however, connecting own system to theplatform is not clear to be able to get information to be required.
4) Give-and-take in information sharing is absolutely necessary. How to give connectors
incentive for connecting platform is very important issue.
4.2 Accuracy and contents of information
1) Unreliable information is not provided to unspecified majority. Before providing
information, who provide it and who get it and how to use it are understood each other.
2) Before connecting the platform, accuracy and contents of providing information have tobe well-known.
3) According to unreliable information, misunderstandings and misjudgments, secondary
damage must be avoided.
4) Keeping information update in real time (high update frequency) is very important.
5) Information standardization is absolutely necessary.
4.3 Cost sharing
1) Information available and information to be required are not always corresponded witheach other. Therefore new system for providing information to be required has to be built.
In this case, how to share cost is problem.
2) Without large modification of developed system, information sharing has to be realizedeasily and economically.
3) Connecting to the platform has to be done at single point. If those who require information
sharing connect to information provider respectively, cost of system modification andmaintenance in information provider is enormous.
5. Information sharing prototype system
5.1 Building prototype system
Prototype system for sharing information with the other organizations is built. Prototype
system is composed of database access tool for connecting the platform and GIS application
to display shared information.

(i) evacuation directive area (blue zone)(ii) power outage area (yellow zone)
provided by a local government
provided by a power company
Fig. 1 Sharing information images on the prototype system

5.2 Demonstration test
Demonstration test for examination of connecting the developed prototype system to different
systems which suppose to belong to the other organizations was done. MISP (Mitigation
Information Sharing Protocol) [2] was used as a communication protocol. MISP is astandardized protocol composed of international standard such as XML, GML SOAP andWFS. Fig. 1 shows sharing information images on the prototype system. Evacuation directive
information and power outage information are provided by a local government and a powercompany respectively.
6. Conclusion
In this paper, lifeline information sharing on the mitigation information sharing platform indisasters is introduced. Lifeline information to be required is summarized and problems of theinformation sharing platform are arranged. According to the result of the demonstration test,
the effectiveness of the Mitigation information sharing platform and its access tools areverified.
References[1] T. Suzuki, Y. Goto, “Introduction of an approach to disaster mitigation using crisis-

adaptive information sharing platform and technology”, Risk Analysis V, WIT Press,
pp119-125, 2006
[2] NEID and AIST, “Specification for the Mitigation Information Sharing Protocol”, 2005

(in Japanese) (http://admire.jpn.org/gensaiproject/infosharp/)