Internet at the destroyed shelter of the communication infrastructure

In the Great East Japan Earthquake, both mobile phones and fixed telephones were congested, but the Internet was alive, so the Internet was used for the first time in the event of a disaster, such as confirming the safety of each other on Twitter, mixi, Facebook, etc.It was done.

However, on the coastal of the Tohoku Pacific Ocean, which was damaged by the tsunami, the city was devastated enough to disappear, communication infrastructure was lost, and there were many areas where information was interrupted.

The Earthquake Reconstruction Internet is a project for network engineers to visit the affected areas and build an Internet environment by traveling around evacuation centers in areas where communication infrastructure has been destroyed.

In addition to installing a satellite communication parabolic antenna and a 3G mobile router, the Internet connection is secured, and a PC is installed in a school that has been a shelter.The goal is to build LANs so that as many people as possible can use the Internet, such as schools, government offices, disaster countermeasures, and volunteers, and have a wide Internet usage environment and take root in the community.

We talked to Keisuke Uehara, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Environmental Information, Faculty of Environmental and Information, who still travels around the stricken area every week due to the Internet of the earthquake disaster, and talked to Masafumi Oe, an assistant professor at the National Astronomical Observatory (here).The title is omitted in the text).

――Please tell us how the project started.

Uehara: Born from Jun Murai (a professor of Keio University, known for its establishment of Wide Project), Internet engineers such as companies and universities gathered and told me that they could do something in the earthquake.I did it.It is not a well -organized project, and it is not always Wide Project.

――How for local activities

Uehara: In fact, after the Miyagi inland earthquake three years ago, I was studying the early recovery system in the event of a disaster in collaboration with people in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture.I was planning to bring the equipment on March 25, but just before that, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred.

Two or three days after the earthquake, Kurihara City was informed that they would bring them to be brought.The damage was small because it was inland, but I was told that I wanted to create a base for support activities.At the same time, I had a meeting I just said, so I went to the affected area in the same framework.

―― The first thing I entered the site

Uehara: I left the Tokyo metropolitan area early in the morning on the 25th and entered Kurihara City in the evening.Based on that, we went back and forth on the road of 2 hours to Kesennuma, one and a half hours to Minamisanriku, and Rikuzentakata every day.Two people returned to the Tokyo metropolitan area on the 28th and were replaced on the 31st on the 28th.Until then, we provided support activities only with the equipment brought in.

Oe: At first, I used the equipment from Keio University and Kurihara City, and the equipment was exhausted and I stopped my activities.After that, equipment from project members Cisco and IPSTAR began to be prepared.Next, I went north along Rikuzentakata City and Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture.

―― How many places have you installed?

Oe: Currently, it is currently being deployed in 38 locations in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, and 15 satellite Earth Bureau is operating (as of May 27).

―― How many members are active?

Oe: At the site, we have a team of about 3-4 volunteers from Cisco engineers, universities, research institutes, etc.We are working on installing FI access points and personal computers.

――Is the equipment you have?

Uehara: It is a case -by -case.Some of them have bought.

At first, about 10 PCs were provided to companies.Also, if you already have a PC in the shelter, you may use it.After that, there are several organizations that support PCs if you apply, such as the JEITA (Electronic Information Technology Industry Association), such as the ICT industry association (East Japan Earthquake ICT Support Corps, "established and operated by ICT industry groups.

Oe: 3G compatible routers and Wi-Fi access points were provided by Cisco, a project member, but there was no 3G line contract.So Cisco negotiated with NTT DOCOMO, but it was difficult to handle specially from many organizations.Therefore, the 3G line contract was provided by another project member.

If you are waiting for all the equipment to be available, it is impossible to install the equipment in 2-3 weeks and go to the next place.So you can leave something more and more and improve it.At first it is 3G, and if you can prepare satellite communication equipment, go and replace it again.I don't think it would be until then.

Uehara: There are also replacements such as switching to satellites because the band is insufficient in 3G.Conversely, satellite communication is over spec, so there are places where 3G can be used and switched to 3G.

―― The procurement of the satellite line is

Oe: We are using the satellite line of SKY PerfecTV JSAT and IPSTAR, each of which is provided for six months, free for 3 months.Therefore, at the end of June, it is necessary to think about what to do with the earthquake reconstruction Internet project itself.

IPSTAR is easier to install than JSAT.The installation time was 3 hours, and if I didn't have it, I think it would have been a hard time this time.When installing a parabolic antenna, the antenna is adjusted, but in the case of JSAT, the equipment for checking levels is required, and the antenna has a habit and has a hard time adjusting.In terms of operation, JSAT feels advantageous because there is less restriction on the bandwidth.

Adjustment of parabola antennas is difficult, reception is easy, but it is difficult to send.You have to hit a small satellite 36,000 km away.If it comes off, the performance will decrease.In the case of IPSTAR, if you connect your PC and use a dedicated software, it will be displayed whether you are correctly grasping the satellite.IPSTAR's satellite is about 220 degrees from Iwate Prefecture, but when I install it, I always get a different satellite (laughs).And always around the lower right.

Uehara: JSAT has an automatic capture system.I feel that it is better to have automatic captures in order to get local people to deal with such troubles, such as the turn of electricity for several hours a day.

――How do you connect to the Internet from the satellite line?

Oe: (pointing in the photo of the parabola antenna) The coaxial cable is extending from this parabola antenna.This is the same as a TV line.You can convert this line to an Ethernet, connect this line to an Ethernet, and get a global IP address.I put the global IP address in the Cisco router, assemble a LAN with NAT and connect it everywhere.

―― It looks easier than I thought

Oe: Yes, it's easier recently.

Ask the shelter to see how far the network is drawn, and when outdoors, use an outdoor LAN cable, go through the building to avoid lightning, or if the fire prevention shutter does not come off in the building.We do it outdoors and do such details to ensure convenience and safety.At the hospital I went to, I was told that it would be difficult to lock because there were pharmaceuticals and precious things, so I passed the cable through the ventilation fan hole.There was a groove of the ground under the floor, so I passed the coaxial cable there.If that is not possible, make a hole in the wall with permission.

In this elementary school (while looking at the photos of elementary schools), the LAN cable is drawn into the room from the gap in the window.There is a gap cable with a flat cable reinforced with aluminum.You don't have to make a hole in a beautiful elementary school.

Uehara: It's civil engineering work.

Oe: When I first entered Kesennuma, I was thinking about the purpose of helping my life or receiving support supplies by connecting to the Internet.Actually, people from governments and medical organizations will also receive requests.

However, I've been working for a week, and I've come to feel uncomfortable.Of course, Internet infrastructure is important for medical and administrative, but it is meaningless if it does not reach the victims.So, after that, I talked about having a shelter list, like a car sales, and deducting the Internet.

In the affected area, it is great that information cannot be obtained on demand.A PC is a very useful tool for those who can use it, and I think it can be used if someone can help even if you can not use it.

This is a recent story, but even if there was a high -speed line that the prefecture drew for disaster countermeasures, the city could not use it.It is because the prefecture was laid to use disaster countermeasures, but it is natural that people with priority will use it in a period of 1-2 weeks after the earthquake, but even after time, the prefecture and city.I felt that it was a problem that there was a wall and the line could not be used effectively.The Internet is technically there is no wall, so I think the Internet is that both victims and medical people can use precious lines together.

In Ofunato City, we have drawn a network of the city with a satellite line with local companies.Regarding the DNS registration, the server configuration is re -assembled so that the email can be received.When the city's network was connected, we made a network with Wi-Fi at a shelter at a visual distance of about 300m so that it could be used at the PC corner in the hall.By sharing valuable satellite lines, both administrative, evacuees, volunteers can use together.For example, I think that administrative networks want to take more bandwidth, but that kind of thing is listening individually and responding.

In Ishinomaki City, we operate the network we have installed at the evacuation centers school until the school network recovers.

In one evacuation center, there was a PC connected to the Internet on the telephone corner, it was up to 10 minutes per person, and at night it was locked due to responsible issues.But if you put a LAN in the evacuation center, you can use it together.We heard the request at the evacuation center headquarters so that we could use it in the entertainment corner, in the school staff room, or in the Red Cross Relief Center.The Internet is useful for the first time after doing so.

At first, I wondered if I should do it so far, or that I can do it so far, but now I think it's worth it unless I do that.

――A basically, is the communication infrastructure something you can do?

Oe: mobile phones can be used now.However, it is painful to use a mobile line together, so we are moving in the form of placing a satellite line.

On the other hand, for example, when you enter Ishinomaki city, there are some places where optical fiber is passing through.

Uehara: If you go because you can't use the Internet, you may find ADSL properly.A little old information is transmitted.

Oe: There are various types of communication methods, for example, if you use an Inmarrosat satellite Internet BGAN, if you use an antenna like a laptop to a satellite, it will connect to the Internet at a speed of about 384 to 492 kbps.The price is high.

If you use such a technology right after a disaster, you can send and receive an email by connecting one PC.After that, when the truck starts to move, you can bring a satellite antenna or a generator so that everyone can use the line.Furthermore, when the optical fiber returns, high -speed communication can be made.

A few weeks after the earthquake, when the administrative PC returns, tasks such as a certificate of disaster will begin.At that time, even if the inmaltat is distributed, the bandwidth is not enough and there is not enough.What I need now is a line of 3-4Mbps or more.It is hard to operate a web server, but it is only necessary to put it out by cloud or hosting.

As time goes on from the disaster, the necessary information scale will increase.You have to put more and more appropriate infrastructure in accordance with that.Unfortunately, it was unlikely that it was good.

――It's that you don't draw the Internet or ask for a shelter, but will the story go smoothly?

Oe: I visit the shelter and first meet the leader who summarizes the area, but there are about 6 out of 10 reply saying "I don't need the Internet".Local celebrities are often pulled in the area, and it is determined by their leadership for or worse.People who have contributed to such areas for a long time and gain trust are often older, so they are often not used by personal computers.

In that sense, unlike the beginning of the disaster, young people are now working in the daytime and are not in the evacuation centers.In the daytime, only the elderly and the small children are only for the time, so in the evening with young people, the story often goes on.

The point is that it is often determined by the voice of the crane and the leaders' opinion, so the point is how to get the trust of the leader who summarizes the district.The leader is more aggressive, and if you don't know it, you may be left to a volunteer person.

Conversely, it is sometimes said that a computer or the Internet is not needed because it has been operated enough with paper and pen so far, and it is sometimes disagued that children with children do not want their children to use them.

In some districts, all evacuation centers in the district have been refused.I will go to the place where it was useless once again.It's a salesman (laughs).

―― However, some parents may be worried about their children.

Oe: For example, in evacuation shelters in Iwate Prefecture, generations of young parents manage their PCs themselves.It also serves as an elementary school, and children can use the Internet.It's not a problem for children to say that they don't see the homepages that they can't see.It is important to be able to do such IT autonomy, and just putting a PC is useless.

――Is teaching from here

Oe: No, he knew it.

For example, in another shelter, children are supposed to use a PC from 5:00 to 8:00, and it is an adult time from 8:00.That's a good thing if parents and users can control.We can leave it to us too.It is important to have them do it yourself, including the problem of PC theft.

If a young person is using a PC, parents and the elderly know that it is convenient to understand the information of evacuees and information on real estate.If you can share that experience with evacuation shelters, you will be able to say your own opinions as you are recovering.I think that is important.

Also, as we were, we became an Internet engineer, as a child who used the Internet to go to college using the Internet in an evacuation life.I would be happy if a person with aspirations came out in it.I think the advantage is that the news was obtained or the TV program was watched on YouTube, but I think it would be nice to have such an experience and raise the next generation.increase.

――Is the local people participating in the network settings?

Oe: If we do everything, nothing will remain when we return.There is no skill and no experience.For this reason, we ask if you can cooperate with local people as much as possible.The victims cooperate, recruit at university, and have companies help.

We are usually in Tokyo, so it's unrealistic to drive from Tokyo when you get sick.You have to have the people do it as much as possible.We are in a position to prepare the infrastructure, hand over the PC, and do our best to maintain it.

After using it at the shelter, as many people as possible think that the Internet is convenient, and use the Internet in the form of using the Internet even after leaving the shelter.I hope that the use of the Internet will take root.For that, I want more people to use it.I go every week, but this week I will go to replace the equipment again.