Tokyo Turns to AI to Enable Rapid Response to Disasters

Earlier this week, the metropolitan government in Tokyo rolled out an artificial intelligence (AI) system that uses cameras to detect building collapses and fires. The government’s aim is to enhance disaster response during earthquakes in real-time.

This recent development comes just a week after the country’s weather agency warned of a heightened risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough, a 700-kilometer-long subduction zone. Serious earthquakes have been recorded every one to two centuries along this trough that runs between southwestern and central Japan, with the last occurring quakes taking place in 1944 and 1946. Both earthquakes measured 8.1 in magnitude.

This latest warning was issued after tremors shook the ground in various parts of western Japan last week, causing a house in Kagoshima prefecture to collapse.

A 2022 damage assessment carried out by the metropolitan government determined that a megaquake in this region could cause a tsunami 2–2.6 meters high along the Tokyo Bay area. Additionally, there’s a 70%–80% likelihood of a massive earthquake occurring underneath Tokyo in the next three decades. The Japanese government expects the magnitude of the earthquake to be between 8 and 9.

A powerful earthquake focused on the southern region of Tokyo could cause damage to about 194,000 buildings and cause an estimated 6,100 deaths.

This artificial intelligence system works by analyzing footage obtained from high-altitude cameras. It focuses on identifying structural damage or smoke then presenting the data onscreen with maps and reports. Once it has automatically identified structural collapses and fires, it then conveys this information to relevant agencies such as the country’s Self-Defense Forces, the fire department or the police.

The system can also pick out areas with a lot of wooden houses, which allows authorities to prioritize areas with a heightened risk of serious damage.

The metropolitan government has installed two cameras at its government building, one of which is located in the western part of the metropolitan area and another at a bridge near Tokyo Bay. Prior to this advancement, cameras were manually operated, which made it hard to acquire accurate data following a disaster.

The metropolitan government plans to activate two more cameras at Tokyo Skytree by the end of the fiscal year through March 2025. This will help increase coverage in almost all of the capital’s wards as well as regions in the west. One official in the metropolitan government stated that the government’s objective is to utilize advanced technology to rapidly evaluate the full extent of damage.

The AI solutions being commercialized by other companies such as Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) are proving their utility in diverse applications in business and other sectors. Disaster response isn’t the only use to which these technologies can be applied.

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