Fujitsu and NPO SEEDS Asia in AR-Enabled Mobile App Trial to Measure Indian Flood Waters, Visualize Urban Flooding

Fujitsu Limited and NPO SEEDS Asia⁽¹⁾ today announced that they will conduct a field trial in India that utilizes a smartphone application, including augmented reality (AR) technology⁽²⁾ , 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⁽³⁾ , students from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi city residents from whom the District Disaster Management Authority⁽⁴⁾ has gained cooperation, and others, to measure the water level at 12 locations⁽⁵⁾ 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.

Details of the Field Trial

1. Objective

To improve India's flood countermeasures and raise citizens' disaster prevention awareness by collecting and visualizing information useful in disaster prevention.

2. Period and Location

Trial Period: July 23, 2018 - September 30, 2018
Trial Location: 12 locations within Varanasi, Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India

3. Roles

1. Fujitsu: Management of the field trial, development of the application, construction of the system, and visualization of measurement data.

2. SEEDS Asia: Support for flood water level measurement using smartphones by high school staff and students, among others.

4. Trial Summary

1. Water Level Measurement
The staff and students of seven local schools, employees of Varanasi's District Disaster Management Authority, and Banaras Hindu University students will use smartphones to measure water levels at 12 locations within Varanasi at regular intervals when it rains, using one of the following three methods depending on measurement location.

1. Visually check the water level against the tires of cars parked on streets, select one of three preset options based on the water level, and upload the data along with a picture, information on the location where the picture was taken, as well as comments.

   

2. Visually check the water level against scales installed at schools, input the value shown on smartphones, and upload the data along with a picture.

   

3. Use AR markers installed on locations such as school fences to overlay a scale onto the camera image on the smartphone, and digitize the water level by tapping on the surface of the water in the camera display, then upload the data along with a picture.

   

2. Visualization of City Flooding
The system will display measurement results and three damage levels on a map.

3. Evaluation of the System's Effectiveness as Information on Disaster Prevention
The trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the map visualizing the measurement data and the state of flooding in the city as a hazard map, for use in tasks such as issuing evacuation instructions to residents.