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

Joint Research Project on Disaster Reduction using Information Sharing
Technologies
Takeyasu Suzuki 1*, Yasunori Hada 2 and Yozo Goto3
1*

University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8511, Japan
2

University of Tokyo, Meguku-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan

3

Fuji Tokoha University, Fuj, Shizuokai 417-0801, JapanAbstract
It is well known that the lack in information led to an enlargement of damages in the past
notable disasters like Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake of 1995 in Japan. This lesson has not beennecessarily reflected on disaster response activities even in recent disasters. For the purposeof reducing disaster damage by applying information sharing technologies, the research on
disaster reduction using crisis-adaptive information sharing technologies was commenced inJuly, 2004, as a three year joint project composed of a government office and agency, national
research institutes, universities, lifeline corporations, a NPO and a private company. In thisproject, the disaster mitigating information sharing platform which is effective to disastermitigation activities especially for local governments was developed.

The platform iscomposed of a framework of both information contents and information systems.

Thedevelopment of the information sharing protocol, database and various information systems
and tools was conducted. The research on standardization of information items and spatial
data processed through the platform also was successfully performed. Then, the researchwent into the stage of constructing a prototype of the platform by integrating an individual
system and tool. Finally, the prototype of the platform was applied to Mitsuke City in Niigata
Prefecture, Japan as a field test and was proved to be effective to disaster response activities
for not only the city but the Cabinet Office, the Fire Defense Agency and Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport as central government agencies, Niigata Prefecture as local
government and lifeline companies, etc.
Keyword: information sharing platform, local government, disaster response, heavy rainfall*Corresponding author address: Takeyasu Suzuki, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11, Takeda, Kofu 400-8511,Japan, Email: takeyasu@yamanashi.ac.jp

1 Introduction
The central disaster prevention council of Japan decided a fundamental principle on thepreparation of disaster information systems in March, 2003. Since every disaster response iscarried out based on information, an information sharing is indispensable in every disaster
response activity. Thus, the principle proposed the building of disaster information sharing
platform among disaster prevention organizations. The Cabinet Office started an examinationon the introduction of disaster information sharing platform among central government
agencies in 2004 and continuous operation has been conducted for building such a platform.
For the purpose of reducing disaster damage by applying information sharing
technologies, the research on disaster reduction using crisis-adaptive information sharing
technologies was commenced in July, 2004, as a three year joint project [1]. In this project,
the disaster mitigating information sharing platform which is effective to disaster mitigation
activities especially for local governments was developed. The platform built in this projectis in mutually complementary relationship with the platform among central government
agencies built by the Cabinet Office. The project aimed that the platform built in this project
could form the disaster information platform of Japan, in coordination with another platform.
The paper describes the results of the three year project, focusing on the framework of theplatform and its application to a local government.
2 Definition of the DiMISIn this project, the DiMIS platform is defined as the framework for establishing liaison
among different information systems in different governmental agencies and public
institutions at the time of disaster response [2]. The framework is furthermore divided into
two different frameworks, i.e., frameworks on information engineering basis and on social
science basis. The former is represented by communication protocol, information sharing
database and application software in conformity to the protocol. The latter, on the other hand,is represented by contents of information and their distribution method. Thus, the DiMIS
platform constitutes of frameworks regarding both information systems and informationcontents.
3 Framework as Information Systems
The communication protocol of the DiMIS platform is the communication procedure toaccess to the DiMIS database. As a prototype of the DiMIS platform, MISP (Mitigation
Information Sharing Protocol) was established in the project. XML is used as data expression

Figure 1 Schematic view of DaRuMa

Figure 2 Framework as the information system

and GML is adopted as geographical data expression in MISP. WFS is adopted as theprotocol for database searching and management. SOAP is used as a standardized form of theWeb service. Thus, MISP is mainly composed of international standards. The dynamicregistration for a new data structure is added to MISP as an extensive function.
Different information systems for supporting disaster response activities, with various
database systems and GIS engines, have been already introduced to local governments or
public institutions in Japan. A rigorous standardization of information systems, therefore,cannot be an expedient approach to establish liaison among different disaster informationsystems. Thus, in the research project, a generous unification of various disaster information
systems through MISP, the information sharing protocol was proposed.
The DiMIS database is the information sharing database in conformity to MISP. A
prototype of this database is built on MySQL, an existing relational database, and it wasnamed as DaRuMa (Database for Rescue Utility Management).

When an application

program accesses this database using MISP, it can access MySQL through the protocol
processor. It has both functions of a database server and a communication server. The
concept of the database is illustrated in Figure 1 and the framework as information systems issummarized as Figure 2.
4 Framework as Information Contents
A local government such as a city or a town needs to share various information withlocal inhabitants, lifeline utilities, disaster prevention organizations such as the police station,
the fire station, the Self-Defense Force, hospitals, and the upper local government (prefecture),
when a large disaster occurs. The investigation was carried out based on a questionnaire andan interview to local government personnels who have experienced disaster responseactivities in an actual disaster.

The result of the investigation was arranged and summarized as the database for shared
information necessary for disaster response activities. Such information is correspondent withthe disaster mitigating information. Based on the database, the information flow diagram wasdrawn for individually classified information group. In addition, the information processing
flow for individually classified information group was also summarized.
Figure 3 shows the schematic diagram to demonstrate the research on the framework asinformation contents.

The table for shared information in which information items areclassified systematically, was made first. Then, XML schema for each shared information
datum was built. It describes the structure of information datum and every information
system can access to DaRuMa to register, acquire or search datum using the schema throughthe DiMIS protocol, MISP.
Investigation on
Disaster Responsefor Local
Governments

Information
Processing
Flow
DiagramInformation
Sharing Rule

Database forShared
Information

Information
Flow
Diagram

Table for Shared
Information

DiMIS
Platform

XMLSchema

Figure 3 Approach to the framework of information contents
4 Field Test on the Application of the DiMIS Platform to a Local Government
4.1 Outline of Field Test
MItsuke city in Niigata Prefecture, featuring a rural district with rice fields with thepopulation of about 44000, was selected as the test field. The city was attacked by two
notable disasters, i.e., the Fukushima-Niigata heavy rainfall and the central Niigata prefectureearthquake in 2004. The city employees in Mitsuke were well trained by response activities
due to the above-mentioned actual disasters. They can take part in the field test as players andcan evaluate the effectiveness of the platform.
The disaster response drill was executed in an environment where the DiMIS platform
was established.

The city employees of construction department and fire department in

Mitsuke collected disaster information and responded using the disaster response management
system, according to the scenario which we had drawn up [3]. After the drill, they evaluatedthe effectiveness of the platform by comparing their response activities with and without thePDA, Cellular
Phone
Niigata Pref.

Cabinet Office
Web Camera
Wireleaa
LAN

FDMA
Tohoku Electicic
Co.Ltd.

Niigata Prefecture
DiMIS Database

Mitsuke CityDiMIS DBSharing
DBSharing
DBDisaster ResponseManagement System
Verification
ViewerNTT East
GIS Data

Mass MediaDB

Sensor Data (Meteorlogical,River level,Dam)

Mass Com. Media

Shelter

Evacuation
Simulation

Road Traffic
Simulation
CellularPhone, FAX,,
Radio
Transmission

Figure 3 Prototype of the DiMIS platform applied to Mitsuke City
platform in dependence upon their experience.
Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram to describe the prototype of the DiMIS
platform applied to the field test. The DiMIS database was allocated inside and outside
Mitsuke city, respectively. The database inside Mitsuke city is the information sharing
database server for Mitsuke city and it was connected with such client systems as the disaster
response management system, simulators, information collection systems and tools (PDA,cellular phone) and a viewer system. The viewer system is the system to display the contentof information registered on the database. In addition, the database is connected with theinformation sharing database set outside the city (Niigata Prefecture) and the database formass communication media.
The DiMIS database outside Mitsuke city was supposed to be located in Niigata
Prefecture Government. The database was connected with information sharing systems oflifeline utilities such as Tohoku Electric Power Co., Ltd. and NTT East, Niigata prefecture(including the river and dam information center of Niigata Prefecture), and the Fire andDisaster Management Agency in Tokyo.
4.2 Evaluation of Field Test
The evaluation of the platform was made by collaborators in both forms ofquestionnaire and interview. Then, the platform was evaluated highly effective to disaster
response activities. As closing remarks, Mr. Kusumi, Mayer of Mitsuke city expressed his

Figure 5 Field test conducted in Mituke

Figure 6 Snapshot of the viewer system

gratitude to us and he indicated that he wanted to introduce the platform to Mitsuke city forthe safe of citizens.
Concluding Remarks
This paper presented an outline of the three year joint research project on the disastermitigating information sharing platform.

The framework of the platform was built andvarious information systems and tools were developed as a prototype of the platform. The
prototype was applied to the field test and the platform was evaluated as highly effective todisaster response activities.
Researchers who participated in this project have set up incorporated non-profit
organization named as ADMiRe (Agency for Promoting Disaster Mitigation and DamageReduction) in order to realize the platform and started their activities in various fields.
References[1] Suzuki, T. and Goto, Y., “Introduction of an approach to disaster mitigation using crisis-

adaptive information sharing platform and technology”, Risk Analysis, V, pp.119-125,
2006.
[2] Suzuki, T. and Goto, Y., “Framework on disaster mitigating information sharingplatform”, Proceedings of the 12th Japan Earthquake Engineering Symposium, pp.13461349, 2006 (in Japanese).
[3] Suzuki, T. and Amami, M.: Disaster response management system for local government

and its application to the response drill, Proceedings of Earthquake Engineering, JSCE,
Vol.29, 2007 (in Japanese).