—Why did you choose to pursue platform studies?
In disaster prevention, handling vast amounts of meteorological and geospatial data is necessary. Given this, I thought I could use my extensive knowledge in informatics when considering how to process and store such data. Also, in disaster prevention, it is becoming increasingly essential to collaborate with other fields to learn about disaster conditions quickly and concretely through satellite information. I aim to gain a comprehensive perspective of such fields of knowledge.
—What research themes are you currently working on?
My current focus is on erosion control engineering. The objective is to ensure the safety of slopes in mountains and other areas. In this context, the purpose of my research is to establish indicators to determine what types of rainfall are dangerous. While warnings are issued when there is heavy rainfall, simply indicating the danger is not enough to tell the extent of how dangerous the situation is, meaning that the warning will not lead to effective actions. Besides such accuracy issues, it is also difficult to convey what kinds of danger the situation poses. I am working to develop indicators that will be able to determine these two aspects—the extent and type of danger.
—What have you gained through the School of Platforms program?
This may stray a bit from the main point, but communication is necessary whether we receive or transmit information. “So, why was the new 5G standard necessary?” “What are its benefits?” This sort of background was explained. While we might not be able to apply this information immediately, I think it is essential to have the basic knowledge to make the most of it in our future research. In the Seminar Series, the one on forestry, which is also related to my own work, was very interesting. In addition, some lectures explained numerical calculations and how to calculate fluid flow. With new calculation methods that can solve problems that could not be solved before, we are gradually getting closer to resolving these issues. These kinds of explanations are also very stimulating.
—What is the platform to you (ideal situations, desirable future, etc.)?
Well. It is a place where information is gathered, and the methods of using it are integrated. Various things happen simultaneously on the sites hit by landslides and windstorms. The challenge is how to bring that information together and store it in a form that can be used later. The question is what is valuable information and how much of that information can be collected. I hope to build a mechanism to enable persons who are not familiar with the handling of information to convey or gather necessary information by following a defined procedure, so that the information can be analyzed and utilized for countermeasures.
—If the goal is to improve the world just a little from where it stands today, what do you think is needed, or what would you like to do?
Related to my research, I often feel that no single great method will solve an entire problem. It is essential to accurately grasp the advantages and disadvantages of the information obtained and the tools available and adequately integrate them to create a greater mechanism. I would like to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the information I have obtained and the methods I have created and hopefully disseminate this information.
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