bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Typhoon Economic Loss Prediction in China by Applying General Regression Neural Network and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis
Authors: Cheng Bo ,   School of Informatics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510420, China, Cheng Ling , Jiang Lingmin ,   School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits. 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Published: April 2016

Natural disasters may cause extreme damage and enormous economic loss. It is important to look for efficient and precise damage prediction models using neural networks, which are increasingly used in many applications. One challenge of developing such a damage prediction model is its limited amount of available data. We therefore chose to predict typhoon damage loss based on a general regression neural network (GRNN). The GRNN is able to converge to kernel functions of data with limited training samples available. This paper investigates a GRNN-based neural network and introduces a loss prediction index. The proposed GRNN structure gives an improved prediction performance with a normalized mean squared error of 0.0071 and a correlation of 0.9321. According to prediction results of economic loss, 30 typhoons have been grouped into five categories by hierarchical cluster analysis. Due to its simplicity and fast-converging features, this scheme is suitable for practical, simple but robust typhoon damage prediction.
Uncertainty Estimation During the Process of Flood Risk Assessment in Developing Countries – Case Study in the Pampanga River Basin –
Authors: Okazumi Toshio ,   International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8516, Japan, Miyamoto Mamoru , Shrestha Badri Bhakta , Gusyev Maksym
Published: April 2016

Flood risk assessment should be one of the basic methods for disaster damage mitigation to identify and estimate potential damage before disasters and to provide appropriate information for countermeasures. Existing methods usually do not account for uncertainty in risk assessment results. The concept of uncertainty is especially important for developing countries where risk assessment results may often be unreliable due to inadequate and poor quality data. We focus on three questions concerning risk assessment results in this study: a) How much does lack of data in developing countries influence flood risk assessment results? b) Which datamost influence the results? and c) Which data should be prioritized in data collection to improve risk assessment effectiveness? We found the largest uncertainty in the damage data among observation, model, and agricultural damage calculations. We conclude that reliable disaster damage data collection must be emphasized to obtain reliable flood risk assessment results and prevent uncertainty where possible. We propose actions to improve assessment task efficiency and investment effectiveness for developing countries.
Local Dialysis Disaster Relief During Two Torrential Downpours on Amami-Ohshima Island
Authors: Nishimura Hiroaki ,   Department of Urology, Kagoshima Prefectural Ohshima Hospital, 18-1 Nazemanatsu-cho, Amami City, Kagoshima 894-0015, Japan, Kagara Ichiro , Inokuchi Satoru , Enokida Hideki , Hayami Hiroshi , Nakagawa Masayuki ,   Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan
Published: April 2016

Two torrential downpours hit Amami-Ohshima Island in 2010 and 2011 and affected the administration of chronic dialysis treatments. The 2010 Amami Torrential Downpour in particular created communication and transportation breakdown. The communication blackout, which affected the emergency communication system of the local administrative damage control organization, hindered contact between dialysis centers and patients. The disrupted patient transfer system forced local and national government to take emergency measures and provide rescue services. The 2011 Amami South Area Torrential Downpour caused similar problems. The reallocation of patients and the adaptation of dialysis schedules appeared to solve the transportation problems. The use of a satellite phone was suggested to resolve the communication problem. New psychiatric complications were also identified. Local dialysis disaster relief should be established in advance in disaster-prone areas. Lessons learned from various disasters should translate into better preparedness.
Review: Source Models of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Long-Term Forecast of Large Earthquakes
Authors: Satake Kenji ,   Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan, Fujii Yushiro ,   International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, Building Research Institute, 1 Tachihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0802, Japan
Published: April 2016

Numerous source models of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake have been proposed based on seismic, geodetic and tsunami data. Common features include a seismic moment of ∼ 4×1022 Nm, a duration of up to ∼ 160 s, and the largest slip of about 50 m east of the epicenter. Exact locations of this largest slip differ with the model, but all show considerable slip near the trench axis where plate coupling was considered to be weak and also at deeper part where M∼7 earthquakes repeatedly occurred at average 37-year intervals. The long-term forecast of large earthquakes made by the Earthquake Research Committee was based on earthquakes occurring in the last few centuries and did not consider such a giant earthquake. Among the several issues remaining unsolved is the tsunami source model. Coastal tsunami height distribution requires a tsunami source delayed by a few minutes and extending north of the epicenter, but seismic data do not indicate such a delayed rupture and there is no clear evidence of additional sources such as submarine landslides along the trench axis. Long-term forecast of giant earthquakes must incorporate non-characteristic models such as earthquake occurrence supercycles, assessments of maximum earthquake size independent of past data, and plate coupling based on marine geodetic data. To assess ground shaking and tsunami in presumed M∼9 earthquakes, characterization and scaling relation fromglobal earthquakes must be used.
Pre-, Co-, and Post-Seismic Deformation of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and its Implication to a Paradox in Short-Term and Long-Term Deformation
Authors: Nishimura Takuya ,   Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Published: April 2016

The 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake caused large eastward displacement and subsidence along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. This earthquake partly solved a well-known paradox holding that sense and rate of deformation differ greatly between geologic and geodetic estimates. A paradox remains, however, in explaining long-term uplift along the Pacific coast on a geologic time-scale. Geodetic data show that coastal subsidence continued at a nearly constant rate of ∼5 mm/yr with small fluctuations associated with M7-8 interplate earthquakes for ∼120 years before the Tohoku-oki earthquake. In an area near the Oshika Peninsula where coseismic subsidence is largest, extrapolation of a logarithmic function fitting observed postseismic deformation suggests that coseismic subsidence may be compensated for by the postseismic uplift for several decades but it is difficult to expect the postseismic uplift exceeding 2 meters, so it is implausible that the observed rapid subsidence continued throughout an entire interseismic period in a great megathrust earthquake cycle. We propose a hypothetical model in which the sense of vertical deformation changes from uplift to subsidence during the interseismic period. Using simple elastic dislocation theory, this model is explained by the shallow coupled part of a plate interface in an early interseismic period and the deep coupled part of a late interseismic period.
Slow Slip Transients Before the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
Authors: Kato Aitaro ,   Earthquake and Volcano Research Center, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan,   Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Published: April 2016

I review a spatiotemporal evolution of slow-slip transients on the plate interface of the subducting Pacific plate that happened in and around the mainshock rupture area prior to the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Based on foreshock activity before the mainshock, two sequences of slow-slip transients were identified by earthquake migrations toward the initiation point of the mainshock rupture. These two slow-slip transients were also detected by geodetic measurement. The second sequence of slow-slip transients, which involved large slip rates, may have caused significant stress loading onto the hypocenter of the mainshock and prompted the initiation of unstable dynamic rupture. In addition, decadal slip-behavior on the plate interface revealed by geodetic measurement and small repeating earthquakes show that slow-slip transients occurred in the down-dip and up-dip portions of the mainshock rupture area. These slow-slip transients imply the reduction of coupling between the subducting and overlying plates, that could be interpreted as the late stage of mega-thrust earthquake cycle, although this notion remains conjectural.
Real-Time Tsunami Inundation Forecast for a Recurrence of 17thCentury Great Hokkaido Earthquake in Japan
Authors: Tanioka Yuichiro ,   Institute of Seismology and Volcanology, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan, Gusman Aditya Riadi , Ioki Kei , Nakamura Yugo
Published: April 2016

Paleotsunami studies have shown that several large tsunamis hit the Pacific coast. Many tsunami deposit data were available for the 17thcentury tsunami. The most recent tsunami deposit study in 2013 indicated that the large slip of about 25 m along the plate interface near the Kurile trench would be necessary and the seismic moment of this 17thcentury earthquake was 1.7 × 1022Nm. If a great earthquake like the 17thcentury earthquake occurs off the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, the devastating disaster along the coast is expected. To minimize the tsunami disaster, a development of the real-time forecast of a tsunami inundation area is necessary. Estimating a tsunami inundation area requires tsunami numerical simulation with a very fine grid system of less than 1 arcsecond. There is not enough time to compute the tsunami inundation area after a large earthquake occurs. In this study, we develop a real-time tsunami inundation forecast method using a database including many tsunami inundation areas previously computed using various fault models. After great earthquakes, tsunamis are computed using linear long-wave equations for fault models estimated in real time. Simulating such tsunamis takes only 1-3 minutes on a typical PC, so it is potentially useful for forecasting tsunamis. Tsunami inundation areas computed numerically using various fault models and tsunami waveforms at several locations near the inundation area are stored in a database. Those computed tsunami waveforms are used to choose the most appropriate tsunami inundation area by comparing them to the tsunami waveforms computed in real time. This method is tested at Kushiro, a city in Hokkaido. We found that the method worked well enough to forecast the Kushiro’s tsunami inundation area.
Downscaled Climate Change Projections for Wa District in the Savanna Zone of Ghana
Authors: Tachie-Obeng Emmanuel ,   Environmental Protection Agency, Post Office Box M326, Accra Ghana, Hewitson Bruce , Gyasi Edwin Akonno , Abekoe Mark Kofi , Owusu George ,   CSAG ENGEO Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa,   Department of Geography and Resources, University of Ghana, Ghana,   Department of Soil Science, University of Ghana, Ghana
Published: April 2016

The possibility of future climate change in Ghana has received much attention due to repeated droughts and floods over the last decades. The savanna zone which is described as the food basket of Ghana is highly susceptible to climate change impact. Scenarios from 20-year time slices of the near future – 2046-2065 – and the far future – 2081-2100 – climate change meant to help guide policy remain a challenge. Empirical downscaling performed at the local-scale of Wa District in the savanna zone of Ghana under the IPCC A2 SRES emissions scenario showed evidence of probable climate change with mean annual temperatures expected to increase over an estimated range of 1.5°C to 2.3°C in the near future, with number of cool nights becoming less frequent, especially during the Harmattan1 period. The dry season is expected to be warmer than the wet season, with high inter-annual variations projected in both maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperatures. Given an average of 1 day of Tmax > 40°C per month in the control period of 1961-2000, the number of hot days is expected to increase to 12 by 2046-2065. An increase in total rainfall is projected with possible shifts in distribution toward the end of the year, with a slight increase in rainfall during the dry season and an increase of rainfall at the onset and toward the end of the wet season. However, a decrease in June rainfall is projected in the wet season. The objective of this paper is to improve the understanding of future climate as a guide to local level medium-term development plans of effective adaptation options for Wa district in the savanna zone of Ghana.
Assessing Rural Communities Concerns for Improved Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Northern Ghana
Authors: Samaddar Subhajyoti ,   Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan, Yokomatsu Muneta , Dzivenu Togbiga , Oteng-Ababio Martin , Adams Mujeeb Rahaman , Dayour Frederick , Ishikawa Hirohiko ,   University for Development Studies, Ghana,   University of Ghana, Ghana
Published: April 2016

Northern Ghana is becoming vulnerable to risks induced by climate change. There is an urgent need to improve communities’ ability to cope by implementing risk-preventive measures at the household and community levels. However, studies have shown that the existing risk communication system often fails to encourage the people to implement risk-preventive measures because community concerns are not seriously taken in the adaptation planning and management process. The present study systematically examines community concerns about existing risks and possible adaptation strategies by conducting group meetings in four rural communities in the Wa West District. Results show that local communities consider drought or water scarcity to be the most severe risk from climate change because it is directly affecting their livelihood, which ismainly rain-fed subsistence agriculture. As their livelihood is increasingly affected by drought, the local communities are becoming more exposed to floods and other natural calamities. Presently, the climate change adaptation strategies of the local communities are weak and ineffective. It is found that improved irrigation facilitated by rainwater harvesting, watershed management, and seasonal weather forecasting are the preferred adaption strategies. Though a high level of intention to adopt non-structural preventive measures is observed, local communities report that a lack of knowledge and insufficient financial resources aremajor impediments to their implementation.
Short History of Risk Communication in Japan
Authors: Kinoshita Tomio ,   Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University, 31-17 Kotakeyabu-cho, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0967, Japan,   Fellow, International Institute for Advanced Studies
Published: April 2016

The notion of risk was introduced in Japanese academia in the 1970s. Following this initial period of interest, the Society for Risk Analysis, Japan, was launched in 1988, coinciding with the first study of “risk communication.” However, the concept was not widely embraced by the public at that time. This situation changed after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and risk communication gradually came to be acknowledged in Japanese society. Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant incident ofMarch 11, 2011, a boom in risk communication occurred due to anxieties among residents about the possibility of low-level radiation exposure. Regrettably, however, the government’s risk communication system did not work well, and consequently, the general public did not know who or what to believe. Underlying this confusion, we can observe the differences between the “risk cultures” of Japan and the West. Thus, it remains to be seen in what manner Japanese people will come to accept risk communication.
Risk Communication in Chemical Sector in Connection to the Role of Risk Assessment
Authors: Tokai Akihiro ,   Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan, Kojima Naoya
Published: April 2016

Chemical related risk analysis and communication were discussed in connection with the role of risk assessment. Some of the chemicals are thought to be one of the hazards that tend to consider as dread and unknown risk. Owing to the institutionalization of Pollutant Release Transfer Register (PRTR) and development of risk assessment have gradually revealed new aspect of risk analysis and communication. In this review, we briefly discuss about the representative cases and discuss the role of risk assessment to risk communication.
Verbal Expressions of Risk Communication: A Case Study After the 3.11 Crisis
Authors: Okamoto Shinichiro ,   Faculty of Psychological and Physiological Science, Aichi Gakuin University, 12 Araike, Iwasaki-cho, Nisshin City, Aichi 470-0195, Japan, Kikkawa Toshiko ,   Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University, 2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345, Japan
Published: April 2016

This paper explores problems related to verbal expressions of risk communication. In particular, we analyze several problems that arose during the critical situations caused by the accidents at the Fukushima nuclear plants following the Great East Japan Earthquake from pragmatics, linguistic psychological and social psychological perspectives. e focus on verbal expressions with implicatures and expressions incongruent with the sender’s right of involvement, underscoring that these expressions can lead to inferences on the part of the receiver that were intended by the sender and/or to negative images about the sender
Disaster Experience and Participatory Energy Governance in Post-Disaster Japan: A Survey of Citizen Willingness to Participate in Nuclear and Energy Deliberations
Authors: Nakamura Hidenori ,   Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Published: April 2016

This study, which is based on an online social survey, confirms that Japanese citizens after the Fukushima nuclear accident are willing to participate in both a national, random sampling deliberation on the management of nuclear power plant accidents or of nuclear waste and spent fuel as well as in local deliberations on disaster preparation. At the same time, citizen eagerness to join national public deliberations on decontamination and human support after the Fukushima accident is less than that of local disaster preparation. The personal damage experienced in the Fukushima accident enhanced the inclination to engage in national public discussions on nuclear related issues. The Japanese national government should continue random sampling-based deliberations on nuclear and energy policy (accident and waste), following the examples of local governments on local themes.
Text Mining Analysis of Radiological Information from Newspapers as Compared with Social Media on the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Authors: Kanda Reiko ,   National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1, Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan, Tsuji Satsuki , Yonehara Hidenori ,   International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Published: April 2016

After the nuclear meltdown incident at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, citizens are increasingly concerned about the adverse effects of radiation on health. Perception and anxiety about risks have been worsened by inaccurate news reports and a lack of information about the incident. In this research, newspaper headlines from March 2011 to January 2012 on the Fukushima incident were comprehensively collected and analyzed using text mining. Extracted data were also compared to information transmitted via social media such as Twitter during the same period to examine the following four issues related to features of the two types of transmission, i.e., newspaper headlines and social media, and the relationship between information from the media and anxieties about the adverse effects of radiation on health. 1) Over 10 months after the nuclear meltdown incident, the information most frequently provided by newspapers was that related to radiation measurement and surveys but providing few articles directly related to adverse effects of radiation on health. 2) Newspaper headlines combined multiple topics in short transmitted text while, at the same time, the limited information transmitted by social media was exaggerated. 3) Newspapers indirectly explained the adverse effects of radiation on health using concepts such as “danger/risk,” “safety,” “anxiety/dissatisfaction,” and “security.” 4) Many articles used the term “danger/risk” in March 2011 before the degree of radiation exposure had been evaluated reliably.
Index to Evaluate Tsunami Evacuation Potential and its Validation at Yamada, Iwate Prefecture
Authors: Goto Yozo ,   Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Published: April 2016

Over 18,000 people were killed or went missing in Tohoku district Pacific coast communities during the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster. The author proposes a victimindex, a simple index to evaluate tsunami evacuation potential, for comprehensively evaluating the ease of evacuation and the evacuation capability of residents in communities based on field research data, and determined the index values for 13 villages of Yamada town, Iwate prefecture. Whether the index values matched regional features was analyzed using interview survey data on evacuation actions of residents by the Joint Survey Group on Tsunami Evacuation during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster (team for Yamada and Ishinomaki) (Appendix A). As a result, under some restrictions, the difference in features related to the evacuation capability of affected communities could be explained well using the victim index. This index is applicable to compare damaged factors among the communities and allows for the objective analysis of damage potential of each community.
The Outline of the “Collaborative Study on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Vietnam, Enhancement of Research Capacity”
Authors: Yamashiro Tetsu ,   Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki city, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
Published: April 2016

The Institute of Tropical Medicine, of Nagasaki University (ITM) and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Vietnam (NIHE), have been jointly conducting a joint project since 2005 on emerging and reemerging infectious diseases under a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. A Vietnam research station established on the NIHE campus has been the site of a number of research activities. Project for clarifying environmental and social factors affecting outbreaks of zoonosis, vector-borne infectious diseases, diarrhoea, and childhood pneumonia have been conducted within a collaborative project framework. Having achieved the goals set or research in the project’s first phase (from 2005 to 2009), the next objectives have been underlined, clarifying the factors and mechanisms causing infectious diseases. Four groups were established to answer these research questions, i.e., diarrhoea, vector-borne disease, clinical epidemiology, and zoonosis. These groups have conducted 15 independent activities. To conduct projects on a higher level, cooperation has been established with three Vietnamese governmental research institutions and with JICA-supported national hospitals. The outcome of such activities is expected to contribute greatly to promoting public health and improving medical care.
Research Activities of Hokudai Center for Zoonosis Control in Zambia
Authors: Higashi Hideaki ,   Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita-20 Nishi-10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan, Kida Hiroshi
Published: April 2016

The Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control (CZC) established the Hokudai Center for Zoonosis Control in Zambia (HUCZCZ) at the School of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Zambia, in 2007 to control zoonotic diseases in the areas of South Africa, where various emerging infectious diseases have occurred. The CZC promotes epidemiological studies and basic researches of infectious diseases caused by viruses, protozoa, and bacteria by using the biosafety level 3 facility in the HUCZCZ. This article introduces research activities of the HUCZCZ in Zambia.
Research Activities and Responding to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): Tohoku-RITM Collaborating Research Center in the Philippines
Authors: Saito Mariko ,   Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan, Saito Mayuko , Imamura Tadatsugu , Kamigaki Taro , Lupisan Socorro P. , Oshitani Hitoshi ,   Tohoku-RITM Collaborating Research Center on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, 3,   floor, BMD Building, RITM compound, FCC, Alabang, Muntinlupa 1781, the Philippines,   Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, FCC, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, the Philippines
Published: April 2016

In the six years since the Tohoku-RITM Collaborating Research Center was established, the center has been working on major infectious diseases in the Philippines and conducting molecular and epidemiological studies from a public health perspective. Its target diseases include pneumonia, diarrhea, and rabies, which are a major public health problem in the Philippines. Some studies have also been conducted on emerging and re-emerging infections significantly impacting both on the Philippines and on other countries. In November 2013, typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the Visayas, where one of our research areas is located. The center responded immediately and helped assess and diagnose infectious diseases, based on our experience of Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
Indonesia-Kobe University Collaborative Research Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases (CRC-ERID) J-GRID (Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases)
Authors: Shirakawa Toshiro ,   Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 5-7-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan, Shimizu Kazufumi , Utsumi Takako , Kameoka Masanori , Hotta Hak , Hayashi Yoshitake
Published: April 2016

The Center for Infectious Diseases (CID), Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, has led an Asia-related medical research program for over 50 years. The Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID) established the Indonesia-Kobe University Collaborative Research Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases (CRC-FRID), which is staffed by Japanese researchers from the CID, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, and Indonesian researchers from the Institute of Tropical Disease (ITD) of Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia. There they focus on five disease types – influenza, infectious hepatitis, dengue fever, HIV/AIDS, and infectious diarrheal diseases – in collaborative research. This paper summarizes research results for these 5 diseases as published in previous papers.
Organizational Promoting Factors for SME BCP
Authors: Okabe Shinichi ,   Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-11-80 Aza-Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan, Nagahira Akio
Published: April 2016

The March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake seriously damaged industries in affected areas. Since then, the need to enhance corporate disaster resilience has risen to the top of management agendas. Business continuity plans (BCPs) are a high-priority task in establishing a company’s capabilities of quickly resuming key businesses within a preplanned time. Surveys indicate, however, that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are behind in attaining disaster preparedness. We surveyed 100 motivated SMEs that took part in BCP implementation workshops. This review found two different stages – the first for implementing BCPs and the second for embedding BCPs. This survey indicated that 97% of SMEs taking part had implemented BCPs but only 40% had actually embedded them, and 30% had not embedded them. BCPs were implemented at a president’s instruction, but BCP embedding actually required additional factors related to employees and the company’s organizational environment. This review also found that the benefits of BCPs were becoming increasingly clear among companies that had implemented BCPs. It should be noted that BCP advantages are perceived in boarder fields of normal business operations by the surveyed companies that embedded BCP than companies that are not successful in embedding. This indicates those BCP should be implemented and embedded in the way that such normal business operation advantages would be perceived by companies and their members.
A Quantitative Estimate of Vulnerable People and Evaluation of Flood Evacuation Policy
Authors: Vink Karina ,   National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Disaster Management Program (DMP), National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, 7-22-1 Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo 106-8677, Japan, Takeuchi Kuniyoshi , Kibler Kelly M. ,   International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8516, Japan
Published: April 2016

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) laws and policies ideally contain measures to reduce disaster risk to all exposed people equally, even the most vulnerable people. To investigate this, we estimate the number of potentially vulnerable people in areas exposed to flood hazard, and evaluate the laws and policies which aim to reduce vulnerability. We proposed a theoretical framework based on four recognized characteristics of vulnerability (less physically or mentally capable; fewer material and/or financial resources; less access to information, and restricted by commitments) and created indicators for six groups of potentially vulnerable people: children, older adults, minorities, people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and women. We applied the framework to the populations of Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States, and proposed a new DRM policy evaluation method; and found that measures in DRM laws and policies are not in proportion to the number of potentially vulnerable people. The most numerous indicators included children aged 0-14, women with no car, and people with pets. The top ten indicators account for 80% of all potentially vulnerable people. When addressing the needs of vulnerable people from a policy perspective, these top ten indicators may serve as a starting point in order to increase the resilience of the vulnerable population. Seven of these ten are identical across the three case study countries, meaning the countries can learn from each other’s measures and possibly apply them in their own area. Policy evaluation showed that while many laws and policies do recognize various groups of potentially vulnerable people, they lack detailed support measures. Much remains to be amended in policies on all scale levels if the policies are to realize an equal disaster risk for all exposed people.
Summary Report of the SATREPS Project on Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Technology in Peru
Authors: Yamazaki Fumio ,   Department of Urban Environment Systems, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan, Zavala Carlos , Nakai Shoichi , Koshimura Shunichi , Saito Taiki , Midorikawa Saburoh , Aguilar Zenon , Estrada Miguel , Bisbal Alberto ,   CISMID, Faculty of Civil Engineering, National University of Engineering, Lima, Peru,   International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan,   Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Japan,   Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan,   Secretary of the Disaster Risk Management, Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), Lima, Peru
Published: April 2016

One of the SATREPS projects on earthquake and tsunami disaster mitigation technology in Peru has been promoted since March 2010 for a five-year period. The project focuses on five research fields, i.e., seismic motion and geotechnical, tsunamis, buildings, damage assessment, and disaster mitigation planning. Collaborative research has been carried out through joint experiments, observations, field surveys, computer simulations, seminars and workshops. With the Lima metropolitan area and the city of Tacna set as case study sites, two mega-thrust earthquakes have been simulated and their effects and countermeasures investigated. The simulation results have been validated by observation data and have been implemented in government policy. Young Peruvian engineers and scientists have also received training and education. This paper summarizes the progress and outcomes of the SATREPS project for earthquake and tsunami disaster mitigation in Peru.
Scenarios of Earthquake and Tsunami Damage Probability in Callao Region, Peru Using Tsunami Fragility Functions
Authors: Adriano Bruno ,   Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 468-1-E301, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0845, Japan, Mas Erick , Koshimura Shunichi , Estrada Miguel , Jimenez Cesar ,   International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University, Japan,   Japan-Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Mitigation (CISMID), National University of Engineering, Lima, Perú,   Dirección de Hidrografía y Navegación, DHN, Callao, Perú,   Fenlab, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM), Lima, Perú
Published: April 2016

The implementation of adequate urban development and measures systems against tsunami impact in coastal communities is improved by understanding damage probability among building structures. Within the framework of the project Enhancement of Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Technology in Peru (JST-JICA SATREPS), the authors analyze the damage probability of building structures due to tsunami impact in the Callao region of Peru. Two different tsunami hazard scenarios are assumed in assessing building damage probability. The first tsunami scenario represents the worse-case scenario of tsunami inundation that calculates the envelop of maximum inundation depth and flow velocity values from 12 probabilistic megathrust earthquake scenarios for central Peru. The second tsunami scenario corresponds to a historical tsunami event in this region. We apply a methodology for evaluating different levels of building damage by combining tsunami numerical results and tsunami fragility functions. Damage probability was analyzed in detail on a single building scale in the La Punta district. For the rest of Callao region, analysis was performed on a block-unit scale. Our results suggest that approximately 30% of submerged building may be washed away by tsunami inundation in the probabilistic hazard scenario and approximately 60% in the historical hazard scenario.
Strength and Deformation of Confined Brick Masonry Walls Subjected to Lateral Forces – Review of Existing Test Data in Japan and Peru –
Authors: Sugano Shunsuke ,   Building Research Institute, 1 Tachihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0802, Japan, Saito Taiki , Zavala Carlos , Cardenas Lourdes ,   Toyohashi Institute of Technology, Toyohashi, Japan,   Centro Peruano Japonés de Investigaciones Sísmicas y Mitigación de Desastres (CISMID), Lima, Peru
Published: April 2016

The Japanese and Peruvian experimental databases on confined brick masonry walls are put together as one database, and the strength and deformation of the walls are reviewed. First, the applicability of existing equations for the ultimate strength of reinforced concrete or reinforced masonry walls to the estimation of the maximum strength of confined brick masonry walls which failed in shear, flexural-shear, or flexure when subjected to lateral forces, is discussed. Then, empirical equations for the maximum strength, displacement at maximum strength, and ultimate state of the walls are proposed based on multiple regression analysis, and the accuracy of the proposed equations is discussed. It is concluded that the maximum strength can be estimated using the existing equations or the proposed empirical equations with good accuracy. The deformations at maximum strength and the ultimate state can be estimated using the proposed empirical equations, although there is a large amount of scatter.
Implementation of Database of Masonry Walls Test – Review of Existing Test Data in Peru
Authors: Cardenas Lourdes ,   Japan Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation, Montero Rosas Street 1476, Santa Beatriz, Lima 01, Peru, Reyna Roy , Estacio Lucio , Zavala Carlos ,   Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan,   National University of Engineering, Lima, Peru
Published: April 2016

Confined masonry walls represent one of the most widely used construction systems for dwellings in Peru and other Latin countries. This study describes the procedure for implementing a database with a web interface of results collected from the experiments conducted over the years by the Japan Center for Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Mitigation. This paper attempts to contribute to the seismic design procedure of this type of structure, and parameters such as stiffness ratios and the deformation (drift) for the characteristic stages of confined masonry walls under different limit states or performance levels are proposed. Also, a semi-empirical equation for estimating the shear capacity using the database is proposed.
Implementation of Building Monitoring Network in Peru Under SATREPS Project
Authors: Diaz Miguel ,   Faculty of Civil Engineering, National University of Engineering, Av. Tupac Amaru 1150, Lima 25, Peru, Gibu Patricia , Estacio Lucio , Proano Ricardo ,   Japan Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Mitigation, Av. Tupac Amaru 1150, Lima 25, Peru
Published: April 2016

Under the Peru-Japan SATREPS Project, a building monitoring system has been implemented in Lima city, supported by JST and JICA. This network monitors three buildings (HERM, PC-UNI and FIC-UNI); each building has five sensors, which consist in a GMR accelerometers. These buildings have different characteristics, such as age, ground mechanic properties, structural systems, and structural status. Since the implementation of this network, some quakes have been recorded. This paper describes the implementation of the monitoring network, and presents the response of the target buildings and their dynamics characteristics during these quakes.
Assessment of Seismic Performance of High-Rise Thin RC Wall Buildings in Lima, Peru Using Fragility Functions
Authors: Quiroz Luis G. ,   Department of Urban Environment Systems, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 268-8522, Japan, Maruyama Yoshihisa
Published: April 2016

The actual behavior of thin RC wall high-rise buildings during an earthquake in Lima, Peru, and the associated seismic loss is unknown. This type of building was assessed done using analytical fragility functions. The numerical model was based on full-scale tests done in Lima, Peru. Nonlinear dynamic response analysis was performed using records simulated for Lima. The damage ratio was estimated for four damage states and fragility functions were obtained assuming that the damage ratio followed log-normal distributions. Seismic performance was evaluated by considering the probability of different damage states for three seismic hazard levels. It was found that highrise buildings present a low probability of collapse in severe earthquakes.
Development of Building Height Data in Peru from High-Resolution SAR Imagery
Authors: Liu Wen ,   Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inageku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan, Yamazaki Fumio , Adriano Bruno , Mas Erick , Koshimura Shunichi ,   Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan,   International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Published: April 2016

Building data, such as footprint and height, are important information for pre- and post-event damage assessments when natural disasters occur. However, these data are not easily available in many countries. Because of the remarkable improvements in radar sensors, high-resolution (HR) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images can provide detailed ground surface information. Thus, it is possible to observe a single building using HR SAR images. In this study, a new method is developed to detect building heights automatically from two-dimensional (2D) geographic information system (GIS) data and a single HR TerraSAR-X (TSX) intensity image. A building in a TSX image displays a layover from the actual position to the direction of the sensor, because of the side-looking nature of the SAR. Since the length of the layover on a ground-range SAR image is proportional to the building height, it can be used to estimate this height. We shift the building footprint obtained from 2D GIS data toward the sensor direction. The proposed method was applied to a TSX image of Lima, Peru in the HighSpot mode with a resolution of about 1 m. The results were compared with field survey photos and an optical satellite image, and a reasonable level of accuracy was achieved.
Performance of Broadband Seismic Network of the Philippines
Authors: Melosantos Arnaldo A. ,   Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), PHIVOLCS Bldg., C.P. Garcia Avenue, University of the Philippines Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, the Philippines, Soriano Karl Vincent C. , Alcones Ponzch Colleen M. , Pantig Jose U. , Bonita Jun D. , Narag Ishmael C. , Kumagai Hiroyuki , Inoue Hiroshi ,   Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan,   National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), 3-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0006, Japan
Published: April 2016

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology implements a program on seismic and tsunami network development. It also plans to expand the Philippine seismic network (PSN), commission new stations, rehabilitate and improve existing stations, and repair and maintain the PSN. The PSN consists of 70 stations, 12 of which use broadband seismometers. Stations are strategically located to maximize the use of data from stations. The broadband seismic network is being developed to monitor earthquakes in and around the Philippines and to provide more accurate data for calculating earthquake parameters. Using data obtain from broadband records, the systemwill immediately calculate earthquake parameters useful for making decisions that provide highly accurate, timely warnings and information. PSN performance is evaluated in this study to ensure this. We consider background noise by analyzing station locations and conditions and their data contribution to SWIFT CMT solutions. We also use power spectral density (PSD) to compare station noise levels to global standards and study data gaps and their causes. Based on the above parameters and using a scale of poor-goodbest, the broadband seismic network is currently performing well.
Regional Moment Tensor Analysis in the Philippines: CMT Solutions in 2012–2013
Authors: Bonita Jun D. ,   Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), PHIVOLCS Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue, U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, Kumagai Hiroyuki , Nakano Masaru ,   Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan,   R&D Center for Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokohama, Kanagawa 3173-25, Japan
Published: April 2016

Recently, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has upgraded its seismic network, equipping it with accelerometers and broadband seismometers for intensity and focal mechanism determinations. As part of this upgrade, PHIVOLCS adapted the use of a source analysis system called SWIFT to determine the centroid moment tensor (SWIFT CMT). SWIFT CMT solutions were estimated for medium to large size earthquakes (4.1 ≤Mw≤ 7.6) in the Philippines for the period of January 2012 to November 2013 and were statistically evaluated with respect to the CMT solutions of the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) Project. The seismic moments, moment magnitudes, centroid locations, depths and focal mechanisms of most of the SWIFT CMT solutions are found to be consistent to those of the GCMT solutions for earthquakes withMw≥ 4.6. The SWIFT system with the new broadband seismographic network provides more CMT solutions for moderate size earthquakes (Mw≥ 4.1) than GCMT. SWIFT proves to be useful in the development of the Philippines CMT catalogue that will lead to a better understanding of seismotectonics in the Philippines.