Documentary on research in the aftermath of Japan’s March 11 disasters

I was watching a programme on the Japanese international channel NHK yesterday which featured research work being done by various Japanese professors in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquakes. The project is called Big Data, and it leverages on the collective information of users of smart devices and GPS navigation devices to draw a picture on movement activities during the period of the March 11 earthquakes. The professors ingeniously retrieved data that showed the location of users of these devices and their movements during the period, which is simulated in the computer with brightly coloured dots representing the individual users of these location-tracking devices.

What the data revealed was that in the hardest hit prefectures by the tsunami where the death tolls were high, the residents of the prefectures were evacuating after the earthquake. However, a period after that, the data showed people from outside moving to the prefectures. This was because of concerned family members rushing back to rescue their family members. This actually led to a drastic increase in the population count of these prefectures at the moment when the tsunami hit, killing more people.

The data also revealed in one prefecture that people were evacuating to designated evacuation buildings which were decimated by the tsunami, and that if they had retreated further hinterland instead, more lives would have been saved.

Another piece of information that surfaced from the research was that traffics on roads were gridlocked after the earthquake, leading to congestion of cars which were swept away by the tsunami.

Using these information gathered, the professors are now trying to find solutions to minimize the death toll from future earthquakes and tsunamis. They are also trying to find ways this information can be disseminated to other government institutions, such as the rescue force, quickly during the disaster so that they can respond more effectively and efficiently in their rescue missions.

I thought it rather brilliant how information technology has allowed for such innovative methods for finding solution. Location data tracking seems to be a potential medium for governments to identify migration movements of the population and to develop measures to deal with problems. But while I do see much good that can come out of such use of technologies, I am also apprehensive of what seems like a 1984 Orweillian dystopia of Big Brother watching, especially if the government becomes totalitarian and oppressive and use this data to weed out opposition. The Japanese seem to have thought of that, and in the documentary, they were talking about how access to such information would have to be unlocked by certain executive mechanisms.

Yesterday, I went to the Tokyo Auto Salon show. I was attracted to going for this event because I am a fan of the Japanese music girl group, AKB48. But I did enjoy looking at the really posh and funky looking cars there, and there were lots of beautiful car showgirls there as well. Anyway, the AKB48 girls sang their final song commemorating the tragedy of the March 11 disaster, and talked about their efforts to aid reconstruction efforts in Japan. I am an avid Japanese culture lover, and I feel sad for the AKB48 girls that their homeland had to undergo such grave disaster of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.