Fujitsu Limited and NPO SEEDS Asia will conduct a field trial in India that utilizes a smartphone application, including augmented reality (AR) technology, to counter flooding and to raise citizens' disaster awareness. The field trial seeks to measure flood water levels and to map out and visualize conditions of urban flooding. The trial will be conducted in India's Varanasi, an urban area prone to flooding damage, between July and September 2018 when localized and torrential rains are frequent. In India, flood damage in cities due to sudden rain storms has become increasingly serious, demanding measures to accurately grasp the state of urban flooding and quickly deliver evacuation instructions. This field trial will use a smartphone app and the support of the staff and students of seven local schools , students from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi city residents from whom the District Disaster Management Authority has gained cooperation, and others, to measure the water level at 12 locations at regular intervals when it is raining. Furthermore, in addition to immediately displaying the measurement data on a map so that evacuation instructions can be quickly issued to residents, the system will be evaluated for its effectiveness in collecting disaster prevention information that can be used as a map indicating flooding danger zones.
Background
Varanasi has seen average rainfalls in excess of 300 mm in the July, when rainfall volumes are heaviest, and as the city's terrain hinders drainage, damage done by frequent flooding has become a serious problem in the rainy season. In order to resolve these issues, Fujitsu and SEEDS Asia are jointly conducting a field trial which will leverage a smartphone app, including AR technology, to measure flood water levels in and Indian city and visualize urban flooding. The system will be evaluated for its effectiveness in collecting information that would be useful in disaster prevention, such as in issuing evacuation directions to residents.
