Development of Natural Desaster Information Network with Distributed Database and Virtual Information Centers

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In this study, we, International Center for Disaster-Mitigation Engineering (INCEDE) developed a new network systemof world-wide natural disaster information, called "GLO-DISNET", in cooperation with the Stanford University of USA and the United Nations University of Japan. GLO-DISNET,a gateway to disaster information databases of the world, is designed using Internet communication system and installed in the world wide server of the Stanford University making it accessible to public from any corner of the globe through Internet with a web browser. Due to the quick accessibility to global data-base on disaster information in a systematic manner, GLO-DISNET has been used by many people around the world. In addition to GLO-DISNET,we have made further effort to provide the links to the newly developed sites of useful and recent disaster information through INCEDE home page. INCEDE home page, a fabulous web server containing various disaster related information and research activities of I … More NCEDE,provides on-line information such as INCEDE newsletters and reports that can be accessed from anywhere through network freely. Since there is no good database of human resources, which is very important for disaster mitigation, we developed an rare database composed of disaster related people and organizations which is called INCEDE Network. More than 1,600 members of this network are distributed over 140 coutries in the world. When a disaster occurs, through the search engine associated with the database, we search the network member located near the disaster site and ask him/her to provide the information of disaster. A disaster depends heavily on the regional characteristics, such as, culture, history, economic and political conditions, religion, life style as well as geographic conditions and it is very hard for outsiders to guess what really happens in the damaged site even if they can get the physical characteristics of the hazard. On the INCEDE disaster information network system, every member of the INCEDE Network can be the node of distributed disaster database. This approach of gathering disaster information and strengthening desaster network is very unique in nature and it makes the network more useful.Through the INCEDE home page, more than 4,000 books and reports on the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster collected by the KOBEnet and its newsletters can be reached. KOBEnet, established right after the Kobe earthquake, is an effort of a volunteer group of earthquake engineering researchers in the Institute Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, with the purpose of supporting reconstruction activities of the earthquake.In the second year, we reinforced the above system and pointed out the issues which are experienced through the operation of the system and discuss its proper direction in the future. Efficient way of using databases distributed widely in the world was studied and new ideas of Internet use for disaster mitigation by local govemments, lifeline utilities and news paper companies, etc. were discussed. We also proposed a new way for developing countries, which don't have good computers or communication facilities, to utilize the network and to get useful information based on the simulation results carried out using the advanced computer environment of developed countries through the network. Less