Mihoko Sakurai

Sustaining life during the early stages of disaster relief with a frugal information system: learning from the great east Japan earthquake

Important lessons for responding to a largescale disaster can be gleaned from the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The failure of the electrical power system and the resultant loss of information communication and processing capability severely constrained the recovery work of many municipalities. It was difficult for supporting organizations to collect and share information. A frugal information system designed around the four u-constructs is suggested as a solution for handling the very early stages of disaster relief, typically within the first 72 hours and even upon the realization of an impending disaster. This article focuses on basing communications on the most frequently available device, the cellular phone, as the foundation for a frugal IS for disaster relief. Familiar and available tools place minimal stress on an already strained communication system, and enable effective connection between those impacted by a disaster and those involved in disaster relief.

Towards a Framework for Cross-Sector Collaboration: Implementing a Resilience Information Portal

Municipalities play an integral part in the strive for resilient societies. A resilient municipality is not only prepared for short-term shocks such as natural disasters but also more successful in mastering long-term stresses such as profound in-creases or decreases of population. Backed by a large-scale research project we have developed a Resilience Information Portal (RIP). It serves as an artefact to support cross-sector collaboration within a municipality. The core challenges in implementing such a portal reside not in the technological work, though. Rather, it needs to be implemented in the communication and IT strategy of a municipality and be tailored to the processes. In this article, we present key elements for cross-sector collaboration, which were extracted from the implementation process. These insights will prove helpful for municipalities in supporting their journey towards more resilience with technological means.

Exploring Effective Ecosystems in Disaster Management: Case studies of Japan and Nepal

Existing literature argues that taking a holistic approach to disaster management is important for organizations in achieving resilience. However, theoretical underpinnings are lacking to achieve a holistic understanding. This paper applies the notion of an ecosystem as a holistic lens to understand complex disaster management. We report two case studies from Japan and Nepal to illustrate how an ecosystem works during a disaster. The Japan case is a government initiative, whereas the Nepal case is a non-governmental initiative. The theoretical framework of information ecology is used in analyzing the cases. Based on the findings, we formulate three propositions that show important elements of ecosystems to approach resilience. The study suggests that coevolution is a key to respond to constantly changing situations during a disaster. To accomplish ecosystem coevolution, creating a collaboration system with governments and local communities and embedding local knowledge into the system are essential. Furthermore, digital tools can play a critical role in the coevolution process. 1. An ecosystem as a means to achieve

Building Resilience Through Effective Disaster Management: An Information Ecology Perspective

Existing literature argues that taking a holistic approach to disaster management is important for organizations in building resilience. Theoretical underpinnings to achieve a holistic understanding, however, is lacking. This article applies the notion of an ecosystem as a holistic lens to understand complex disaster management. The paper reports two case studies from Japan and Nepal to illustrate how an ecosystem works during a disaster. The theoretical framework of information ecology is used in analyzing the cases. Based on the findings, the study shows three interconnected mechanisms that can build resilience of an ecosystem in a disaster management context, namely (1) coevolution, (2) collaboration, and (3) embeddedness of local knowledge. The authors argue that coevolution is a key to respond to constantly changing situations during a disaster. To accomplish ecosystem coevolution, creating a collaboration system with governments and local communities and embedding local knowledge into the system are essential. Furthermore, digital tools can play a critical role in the coevolution process.

Preparing for creative responses to “beyond assumed level” disasters: Lessons from the ict management in the 2011 great East Japan Earthquake crisis

A survey of the municipal government ICT divisions during and after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami crisis reveals the need for creative responses for “beyond assumed level” disasters. Complexity and diversity of the damage were simply too great for any plans to assume. Resident needs toward the municipal governments were also diverse and changed quickly as the time went by. The research also indicates that there would be ways to strengthen the capabilities to execute such spontaneous responses. Creative solutions executed during the 3.11 crisis were supported by the existence of open source software available on the net and skilled engineers that were capable of exploiting them. Frugal information system will be useful to improve preparedness for creative responses.

Fujisawa sustainable smart town: Panasonic’s challenge in building a sustainable society

Urban utility equipment and electronic goods manufacturers are experiencing profound challenges in this age of rapid technological change. Panasonic, Japan’s leading electronics company, has also recognized the limits of its traditional product manufacturing orientation and decided to enter IT-intensive town management in view of these challenges. It has advanced a new strategy for creating sustainable communities to encourage both stakeholders and local residents to get involved. Stressing sustainability, the strategy has adopted a long-term perspective (i.e., a 100-year timeframe). Significantly, it must provide values that foster community-based sustainability and adopt a business model that ensures the economic viability of both constructing the town and managing its ongoing services. As information systems play a big part in the provision of services in the new town, the strategy requires the linking of information with technology and social aspects, quite unlike traditional manufacturing, which is solely based on technology concerns. As part of its new strategy, Panasonic defined five prominent service areas (i.e., energy, security, mobility, wellness, and community). The company thought these areas would expand and generate new value and services throughout the strategy’s timeframe.

Data Backup Dilemma: Case Studies from the Great East Japan Earthquake

When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011, several municipalities lost their residential data including backup. Since none of them had ever considered the total loss of data, data backup policy had been paid little attention. In many cases, the backup tapes were simply stored inside the server room, just beside the server rack. Following the calamity, the Japanese national government tried to introduce a data backup system to municipalities using the cloud. The purpose was to secure the safekeeping of backup data. However, municipalities were reluctant to go along with this since overcoming the loss of network connectivity during an earthquake remained foremost in their minds. They prioritize accessibility to data, including that held on tapes, in the event of a future disaster. To overcome this conflict, this paper proposes a hybrid approach for a future data backup policy. Conceptually, a frugal backup system relying on minimal resources should kick in immediately following a disaster while the system as a whole strives to recover the level of robustness necessary for keeping backup data safe.

How do Organizational Processes Recover Following a Disaster? A Capital Resiliency Model for Disaster Preparedness

This paper explores how organizational processes are recreated following their destruction in unexpected disasters. It applies the notion of an organization as a capital conversion and capital creation system. It also focuses on systems resilience, the measure of a systems persistence and ability to absorb disturbances while reconstructing relationships between system entities. Based on the analysis of empirical evidence collected from the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster in 2011, we propose a resiliency model incorporating a broader interpretation of the notion of capital. The model consists of five dimensions of capital: economic, social, symbolic, human, and organizational. Once a given capital is destroyed together with its creative organizational processes, communities will attempt to regain resilience by compensating with other dimensions of capital. Analyses demonstrate the importance of recreating organizational capital that coordinates capital conversion and recreation processes to meet the vital need of the residents. Examining this process of capital conversion and creation enables us to extend the notion of resilience.

Communication Platform for Disaster Response

The present research proposes an information platform for enhanced communication and information sharing in municipalities struck by disasters. Once a disaster happens, collecting and sharing information with and among citizens is the most important tasks for municipalities. However, empirical research of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 revealed a marked lack of tools supporting municipal communication and data sharing activities at the initial stage. A smartphone and tablet based application was subsequently developed and evaluated in the field as a means of first response in future disasters. The application is based on the notion of frugality, which proved to be very useful in the field drill. Frugality is shown to be a requirement of the system as well as an evaluation indicator.