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Disaster Information Sharing System Using Pictograms Only

Authors:
Kakeru Kusano
Tomoko Izumi
Yoshio Nakatani

Keywords: Pictogram; Disaster Mitigation; Social Media; Information Sharing

Abstract:
In the case of disasters, people’s comprehension of the situation of the surrounding area is an important factor in deciding corresponding actions. In an area overflowing with people and rubble, it is dangerous to act recklessly. In this paper, we propose an information sharing method to ascertain present status and support decision of corresponding actions when a disaster occurs. Users of the system can decide a course of conduct and avoid risks such as injuries by ascertaining the situation of the surrounding area ahead of time. The disaster information collection system currently in operation in Japan is difficult to use for users unfamiliar with machine operation and is not intended for use by non-Japanese. This work aims to support such people during a disaster. This system uses pictograms that express meaning using shape and color instead of language. It expresses information visually and aims to provide easy operation by using mainly maps and pictograms. Moreover, this system adopts a social media model, which was recognized to be effective in the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. We promote use of the system when a disaster occurs via a means for using the system in non-disaster situations. In this paper, we describe the system’s effectiveness and prospects for the future with an evaluation experiment targeting experts on disaster prevention, non-Japanese and general users.

Pages: 67 to 72

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2013

Publication date: October 27, 2013

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-3492

ISBN: 978-1-61208-306-3

Location: Venice, Italy

Dates: from October 27, 2013 to October 31, 2013