In order to prevent the elderly from being delayed in the event of a disaster, major telecommunications companies are making full use of digital technologies such as the use of location information on mobile phones.
Of these, SoftBank, in collaboration with consulting giant Accenture, has developed a system that allows local government officials to check the whereabouts of users registered in advance in the event of a disaster on a map.
In the system that is conducting a demonstration experiment in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, areas where there is a risk of inundation are also displayed on the map, and even elderly people and other people who are late to escape can be grasped in real time using the location information of their mobile phones. increase.
Mr. Takashi Magoshi of Softbank says, "It is important to know that you are in a dangerous place because the safety confirmation has not been answered, and the local government can guess the situation without going to the site."
In addition, NTT East has developed a system that utilizes landlines that elderly people are accustomed to using.
Specifically, the evacuation call recorded by the local autonomy chairman can be immediately sent to the landline of each household all at once.
The local government can also grasp who answered the phone, and can guide people who are late in evacuation.
Takumi Suzuki, chief of NTT East Japan, said, "There is still telephone communication in the area, so I want to digitize it well."
To mitigate the disaster, the national government is asking local governments nationwide to individually formulate evacuation plans for people in need of assistance, such as the elderly, and these efforts are likely to expand further.