Rainfall measuring system
Localized torrential rain has been occurring frequently in recent years, causing serious damage to human lives and urban functions. To reduce such damage, it is critical to correctly measure localized rainfall and distribute such rainfall information (for the prediction of floods) on a real-time basis to local inhabitants, sewage administrators, and the parties concerned with disaster prevention.
The “rainfall measuring system” has been developed jointly with WILLCOM, Inc. It is comprised of a rainfall meter and transmission system installed within the PHS base stations owned by WILLCOM and a server established in the local governments to supply rainfall information. The rainfall data collected with the rainfall meter are transmitted from a data transmitter in real time, via the PHS network, to an information server installed at the local government.
- There are 160,000 PHS base stations installed nationwide (in urban areas there is one station found every few hundred meters). From among this list of stations, users can select those which are suitably located for rainfall measurement.
- Since the power and network are available at the base stations, this system can be installed in a short period of time at a low cost.
- Data can be steadily transmitted on a real-time basis. The area can be covered by other base stations in any case where there is a disturbance at a PHS base station. This means that the system is characterized by its resilience to cope with earthquakes or any other disasters.
Pilot operation of this system began in September 2009 in Fukui (Fukui Prefecture).
For further development and deployment of this system nationwide, we are attempting to enhance the system so that we can deliver rainfall information and flood forecasts as part of our services.