The role of Internet-based services & conventional media

for disaster reliefIGF, BakuNov. 2012

Izumi Aizu

Co-Director, Information Support pro bono Platform (iSPP)

Senior Research Fellow and Professor, Institute for InfoSocionomics, Tama University

<iza@anr.org>

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After 20 months• Things are not getting better, some parts worse• Natural Disaster becoming Social Disaster

• Many people are still suffering - even those who moved from shelters to “temporal houses”

• Few reconstruction plan ready for implementation

• According to previous experiences of Kobe, many more problems will surface

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I lost my voice -couldn’t say anything

April 4, 2011City of Kesennuma

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You can still see this ship – from Google Earth

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This was a 3-story building

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from where I stayed

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After three weeks, no rescue team came here yet

What can ICT/Internet do for them?

• There were little Emergency Preparedness among Internet/ICT community

• Informational gap was the source of wider problem – ineffective logistics, relief and support works

• Started “pro bono” platform for information support based on individual capacity – another trials & errors

Devices that worked: Radio, Mobile, TV, Internet… all but Radio dropped at Day 1

Fixed phones much popular after one month

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Info sources NOT useful

A few hours

1 week 1 month 3 months

Mobile Mobile TV TV

Radio TV Mobile Radio

Email Radio Email Mobile

TV Email Radio Internet

Softbank Internet Mobile NHK

Internet EmailNewspape

r

One-seg

• Mobile was most mentioned• Gasoline, close to your daily life• TV and Radio was frustrating for Nuclear Power problem

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Big difference by AreaRight after: Iwate Coast, only Radio （ 68% ） and WoM (46%)

above 10%Miyagi Coast: Radio (64%), One-seg (23%), Mobile talk (14%)

(%) N=186

Iwate Inland

Iwate Coast

Miyagi Coast

Fukushima Coast

Fukushima Inland

Miyagi Inland

Radio

TV

NewsPaper

FixedPhones

MobileVoice

EmailSMS

Internet

Wordof Mouth

Nothing

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Reliable information sources on Nuclear station accident

• There was info on the accident, but for evacuation very confusing

• Only heard the Siren. First, get outside 10 km away, then got to Futaba or Kawamata, just WoM

• From people working for the power plant. They got first.• Mobile One-seg broadcast. Car Radio, WoM,but not reliable …

Internet, searched the municipal website, but not serious information was found. We have to make own judgments.

• People in the neighborhood, word of mouth.• TV, news• My relative was working in the local government told me at

midnight, Mar 12.

Multi-stakeholder came, naturally

• Traditional government structure does not work sufficiently for such emergency

• Industry and Civil Society must work together with Central and Local governments

• But how? - complementarily• No official recognition made (yet)

Thank you For your help and support

This could happen to youLet’s learn the lessons and be prepared

We shall build new and better society together

Izumi Aizuiza@anr.org

iSPP