IoT Rainfall Observation System (IoT Rain Gauge / Cloud Monitoring, Disaster Prevention IoT)

On October 1, 2019, we began the operation of a demonstration experiment aimed at observing river water levels and rainfall using IoT, which was concluded with the city of Miyoshi. River level sensors have been installed in the Shirokawa Valley, the Shin Kakutani River, the Onishi River, and the Hiura River, which flow through Yamashiro Town. Additionally, a rain gauge has been installed on the rooftop of the former Norouchi Elementary School in Ikeda Town. Both areas have experienced incidents that threaten the safety of local residents due to concentrated heavy rainfall in recent years. We hope that the data uploaded to the cloud will serve as a means of disaster prevention and reduction, such as alert notifications to city staff when dangerous data is detected. Furthermore, we aspire to utilize the accumulated data to predict and foresee future incidents, aiming to avoid situations such as road flooding due to rising water levels, which could hinder evacuation efforts. We will continue to engage in discussions with all parties related to the city of Miyoshi and strive to contribute to local disaster prevention and reduction efforts.

The "Tokushima ICT Bazaar Vol. 5" was held over two days from January 24 (Friday) to January 25 (Saturday), 2020, at the Asty Tokushima 2nd floor and Tokiwa Plaza in Tokushima City. This year marks the fifth edition of the event, and our company is participating for the second time following last year. At our booth, we showcased ultrasonic river monitoring sensors, drinking water reservoir sensors, and a harmful wildlife capture sensor as a reference exhibit, all utilizing the Tokushima IoT platform. We also displayed a dashboard that allows for remote confirmation and analysis of data from each sensor. Additionally, we held a seminar titled "Effects and Possibilities of Water Level and Rainfall Observation and Monitoring Utilizing the Tokushima IoT Platform," which was attended by many participants, for which we are very grateful. We will continue to do our utmost to solve regional issues with the help of IoT solutions, and we kindly ask for your guidance and encouragement moving forward.

In November 2019, we installed and began operating an IoT-based rainfall observation system in Miyoshi City, Ikeda Town, and the former Norouchi Elementary School. About three months have passed, and the rainfall data is being smoothly uploaded to the Tokushima IoT platform. We have adopted SoftBank's dedicated IoT wireless communication technologies "NB-IoT" and "Cat.M1" as the access network to the Tokushima IoT platform, contributing to a reduction in communication costs compared to conventional methods. Additionally, we have achieved energy-saving and autonomous operation through solar battery power supply. The area, including the former Norouchi Elementary School, was reportedly severely affected by landslides due to heavy rainfall in 2014. The rainfall data can be checked on a dashboard via PC or smartphone through the Tokushima IoT platform, and alerts are sent when rainfall amounts reach abnormal levels, enabling remote monitoring, analysis, and decision-making. We are confident that this will allow for pre-analysis and countermeasures before physically visiting the site. Through this system, we aim to further contribute to the efforts of Miyoshi City in ensuring the safety and security of residents through disaster prevention and mitigation initiatives.

Starting from November 2020, the Tokushima Prefecture Department of Land Development's Disaster Prevention Division has launched the "2020 Fiscal Year IoT Rain Gauge Installation Project." This project is positioned as a detailed rain information provision initiative, which includes: 1) Installing IoT rain gauges in facilities used by vulnerable populations within sediment disaster warning areas to provide rain information to facilities, residents, and municipalities, thereby promoting appropriate evacuations; 2) Utilizing IoT rain gauges allows for the use of LPWA and installation in existing facilities, significantly reducing communication and installation costs (communication costs reduced by over 1/100, installation costs reduced by over 1/10); 3) Strongly supporting the formulation of evacuation plans and conducting evacuation drills for facilities used by vulnerable populations. This groundbreaking project aims to protect the lives of residents from sediment disasters through the integration of "area designation," "rain information provision," and "drill implementation." We are extremely honored that our IoT rain observation system has been adopted for this project, and we are committed to tackling this responsibility with renewed determination. We will sequentially install the system on the rooftops or grounds of 60 facilities, including schools, care houses, community centers, and hospitals throughout the prefecture.