OKI Launches "TweetLine™@saigai" to Provide Timely, User-Friendly Information on Disasters and Evacuations
Leveraging smartphone GPS functions and Twitter
TOKYO, July 9, 2010 -- OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (TSE:6703) today announced the launch by OKI Consulting Solutions of "TweetLine™@saigai", an application and service for the Japanese market intended for use during disasters. OKI Consulting Solutions is an OKI Group company that specializes in providing consulting services and solutions. The readily-accessible application will provide timely disaster and evacuation information to residents and disaster victims, based on smartphone(*1) GPS(*2) functions and the Twitter(*3) service.
When a disaster strikes, obtaining information on evacuations and the status of the area affected by the disaster is critical for both residents and disaster task force teams. Devices that monitor disaster status such as fixed-point monitoring cameras, seismic monitors, or rain gauges are inadequate, since they can neither predict nor readily provide real-time current status information on their own. Another major goal is to bring as many rescue personnel as possible to a disaster area, in the shortest possible time. This requires gathering sufficient information to call for rescue personnel, as well as status information on any shortages, the specific medical assistance needed, and personnel deployment plans for the disaster area. It also requires securing a means for transmitting this information.
"For all these reasons," says Hideyuki Matsubara, President of OKI Consulting Solutions,"OKI has developed TweetLine@saigai, an application and service that helps make disaster countermeasures more effective, based on smartphone GPS functions and Twitter, to quickly gather information on a disaster area and organize it into a timeline.(*4) The application will also help guide those affected by the disaster to move to a safe and secure evacuation area as quickly as possible, using hazard maps(*5) provided by local governments."
To use the service, residents download the TweetLine@saigai application from the application stores for compatible smartphones. They can then confirm disaster information on their smartphones using the timeline and take various other actions, including sending images of the area affected by the disaster.
TweetLine@saigai runs on the cloud-based TweetLine platform, a disaster information management database that stores information on hazards provided by local governments, including evacuation areas and geographical information. Compatible with TweetLine, OKI's USB Safario®(*6) allows local government staff to operate the disaster information management database from remote areas. Moreover, OKI's FSE (Face Sensing Engine)(*7) makes it possible to acquire information on disaster victims, including gender and age group, to make aid requirements as specific as possible.
TweetLine@saigai will run on certain smartphones capable of accessing GPS and Twitter. The mobile operating systems currently supported are Google's Android and Apple's iPhone. The application will be sold to Japanese local governments as an ASP service. Moving forward, OKI will work to expand compatibility with smartphones from other manufactures.
Saigai used in TweetLine@saigai means "disaster" in Japanese.
Glossary
- *1 :Smartphone
A hand-held terminal offering both mobile phone and personal digital assistant (PDA) functions. In addition to their various communication functions, smartphones can access data networks to manage scheduling and personal information. Smartphones also provide access to various applications, such as Twitter. Smartphones were selected as the platform of choice for TweetLine@saigai in part for their ability to access Twitter.
- *2 :GPS (global positioning system)
A satellite-based system providing information on geographical locations.
- *3 :Twitter
Communication service, often classified as a microblog service, available over data and mobile phone networks free of charge to anyone wishing to receive Twitter messages (known as tweets). Users can transmit tweets, which are limited to 140 characters, from their own Twitter accounts. The service allows bi-directional and multicast communications and can be accessed from PCs, mobile phones, and smartphones.
- *4 :Timeline
Twitter sites show user tweets and the tweets of those following a certain blogger in temporal sequence. TweetLine@saigai uses this format.
- *5 :Hazard map
Mapped information on the location and scope of a disaster, including evacuation routes and affected areas, based on forecasts of natural disasters; allows prompt evacuation of residents in the event of a disaster to mitigate the impact of the disaster.
- *6 :Safario
Safario a USB thin client, was developed by OKI Consulting Solutions. Plugging a Safario token into a USB port allows the device in question to serve as a teleworking system in a secure and easy-to-use thin client environment.
- *7 :FSE (Face Sensing Engine)
Embedded middleware IP capable of detecting human faces within video information. Among other functions, the product provides highly accurate face image identification, a compact footprint, and multi-platform support, in addition to class-leading processing performance. FSE supports a wide range of applications that take advantage of the cameras integrated into cell phones and other terminals. Applications incorporating FSE can run on various terminals and process various streams of visual data, including data sent by e-mail or captured by phones with video capture capabilities.
About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's leading telecommunications manufacturer. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, OKI provides top-quality products, technologies, and solutions to customers through its info-telecom systems and printer operations. Its various business division function synergistically to bring to market exciting new products and technologies that meet a wide range of customer needs in various sectors . Visit OKI's global website at http://www.oki.com/.
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- * Information in the press releases is current on the date of the press announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice.