Disaster information management apparatus, disaster information system, disaster information management method, disaster information management program, portable terminal, control method of portable terminal, and control program of controlling operation of portable terminal

• US 10,154,390 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sivji, Nizar N
• Application Number:
  US14/434,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,898 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G16Y 10/75 Information technology; Communication
• CPC Class Codes: G16Y 20/10 relating to the environment, e.g. temperature; relating to location
• CPC Class Codes: G16Y 40/50 Safety; Security of things, users, data or systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

To attempt to extend a providing service by allowing collection of various kinds of information and early restoration of a defective function in a disaster response infrastructure network, in a disaster information system, a disaster information management apparatus for collecting disaster information via a network includes a terminal information acquirer that acquires terminal information including the current position and identification information of a portable terminal, a need information generator that generates, from received disaster information, need information including information about a need which can be satisfied by the operation of an apparatus, and a request information generator that generates, based on the terminal information and the need information, request information for requesting the portable terminal existing within a range of a predetermined distance from the occurrence location of the need to operate the apparatus necessary for satisfying the need, and transmits the request information.

Claims

1. A disaster information management apparatus connected to a network, comprising:

a terminal information acquirer that acquires terminal information including current positions and identification information of portable terminals connected to the network;

a need information generator that generates, from disaster information received from the network, need information including a need which can be added by an operation of a new apparatus and information about an occurrence location of the need;

a request information generator that generates, based on the terminal information and the need information, request information for requesting at least one of the portable terminals, existing within a range of a predetermined distance from the occurrence location of the need, to connect and operate the new apparatus, and transmits the request information; and

a receiver that receives information obtained by the new apparatus which was connected to the portable terminal and operated by the portable terminal based on the request information.

2. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the need information is generated based on information which has been extracted from the disaster information using a predetermined keyword.

3. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined keyword is extracted by performing semantic analysis for text information included in the disaster information.

4. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a knowledge database that stores an evaluation result about a satisfaction status of the need by the apparatus which has been connected to the portable terminal and operated based on the request information,

wherein said need information generator and said request information generator generate the need information and the request information, respectively, based on the need obtained from the evaluation result by referring to the evaluation result stored in said knowledge database at the time of generation of the need information and the request information.

5. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a knowledge manager that evaluates the satisfaction status of the need by the apparatus which has been connected to the portable terminal and operated based on the request information, and stores an evaluation result in said knowledge database.

6. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said knowledge database stores disaster-stricken scene information including region-specific disaster-stricken information about a complex disaster of a combination of different kinds of disasters, and

said need information generator and said request information generator generate the need information and the request information, respectively, based on the need obtained from the disaster-stricken information included in the disaster-stricken scene information by referring to the disaster-stricken scene information stored in said knowledge database at the time of generation of the need information and the request information.

7. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information provider that generates an evacuation route information based on the disaster information,

wherein said request information generator generates request information for requesting to arrange a display device as the apparatus to connect to the portable terminal on an evacuation route indicated by the evacuation route information generated by said information provider, and sends the request information.

8. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the evacuation route information is generated in accordance with an address of each elderly person obtained from an elderly person database connected onto the network.

9. The disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus necessary for adding the need includes at least one of a wireless communication device, a display monitor, a camera, a signage panel, a radioactivity sensor, a rainfall sensor, a lightning sensor, a vibration sensor, a volcanic ash accumulation sensor, a carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor, an acidity sensor, and a water level sensor.

10. A disaster information system comprising:

a disaster information management apparatus defined in claim 1;

a portable terminal that is connected to a network and has a function of connecting and operating an apparatus; and

a program server that is connected to the network and transmits, to said portable terminal, a software program necessary for operating the apparatus connected to said portable terminal in response to a request from said portable terminal,

said portable terminal including

a downloader that receives request information transmitted by said disaster information management apparatus, and downloads, in response to connection of an apparatus requested to operate by the request information, a software program necessary for operating the connected apparatus from said program server via the network, and

a responder that operates the connected apparatus using the downloaded software program, and transmits, to the disaster information management apparatus, information about the apparatus which was connected and operated.

11. The portable terminal communicably connected, via the network, to the disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a connection interface with the apparatus;

a downloader that receives the request information transmitted by the disaster information management apparatus, and downloads, in response to connection of the apparatus requested to operate by the request information to said connection interface, a software program necessary for operating the apparatus from a server via the network; and

a responder that operates the apparatus connected to said connection interface by executing the downloaded software program, and transmits, to the disaster information management apparatus, response information which includes information about an operation status of the apparatus and indicates a response status to the request, as information about the apparatus.

12. A control method of the portable terminal communicably connected, via the network, to the disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving the request information transmitted by the disaster information management apparatus;

downloading, in response to connection of the apparatus requested to operate by the request information to a connection interface of a local apparatus, a software program necessary for operating the apparatus from a server via the network;

operating the apparatus connected to the connection interface by executing the downloaded software program; and

transmitting, to the disaster information management apparatus, response information which includes information about an operation status of the apparatus and indicates a response status to the request, as information about the apparatus.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a control program, of controlling the portable terminal communicably connected, via the network, to the disaster information management apparatus according to claim 1, for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

receiving the request information transmitted by the disaster information management apparatus;

downloading, in response to connection of the apparatus requested to operate by the request information to a connection interface of a local apparatus, a software program necessary for operating the apparatus from a server via the network;

operating the apparatus connected to the connection interface by starting execution of the downloaded software program; and

transmitting, to the disaster information management apparatus, response information which includes information about an operation status of the apparatus and indicates a response status to the request, as information about the apparatus.

14. A disaster information management method of a disaster information management apparatus connected to a network, comprising:

acquiring terminal information including current positions and identification information of portable terminals connected to the network;

generating, from disaster information received from the network, need information including a need which can be added by an operation of a new apparatus and information about an occurrence location of the need;

generating, based on the terminal information and the need information, request information for requesting at least one of the portable terminals existing within a range of a predetermined distance from the occurrence location of the need, to connect and operate the new apparatus and transmitting the request information; and

receiving information obtained by the new apparatus which was connected to the portable terminal and operated by the portable terminal based on the request information.

15. A disaster information management method comprising:

causing a disaster information management apparatus connected to a network to acquire terminal information including current positions and identification information of portable terminals connected to the network;

causing the disaster information management apparatus to generate, from disaster information received from the network, need information including need which can be added by an operation of a new apparatus and information about an occurrence location of the need;

causing the disaster information management apparatus to generate, based on the terminal information and the need information, request information for requesting at least one of the portable terminals existing within a range of a predetermined distance from the occurrence location of the need, to connect and operate the new apparatus and transmit the request information;

causing the portable terminal to receive and display the request information;

causing the portable terminal to download, in response to connection of the apparatus requested to operate by the request information, a software program necessary for operating the connected apparatus from a program server via the network;

causing the portable terminal to operate the connected apparatus using the downloaded software program, and transmits, to the disaster information management apparatus, information about the new apparatus which was connected and operated; and

receiving information obtained by the new apparatus which was connected to the portable terminal and operated by the portable terminal based on the request information.

16. A disaster information management program for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

acquiring terminal information including current positions and identification information of portable terminals connected to a network;

generating, from disaster information received from the network, need information including need which can be added by an operation of a new apparatus and information about an occurrence location of the need;

generating and the need information, request information for requesting at least one of the portable terminals existing within a range of a predetermined distance from the occurrence location of the need, to operate the new apparatus and transmitting the request information;

receiving information obtained by the apparatus which was connected to the at least one portable terminal and operated by the at least one portable terminal.