The purpose of this paper is to consider the essential concept by which to formulate standardized information that supports effective disaster response. From the experiences of past disasters, we have learned that disaster response organizations could not work effectively without information sharing. In the context of disaster response, the purpose of “information sharing” is to ensure common recognition of the disaster situation being confronted. During the Kumamoto earthquake, we provided a set of disaster information products to disaster response organizations to support their relief activities. Based on the real disaster response experience, we extracted issues of information sharing between various organizations. To resolve these issues, we discuss the concept of information sharing first, and then consider the quality of information that supports disaster response activities by referring to the information needs of emergency support organizations such as the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). We also analyze the Basic Disaster Management Plan published by the Central Disaster Management Council and extract a common disaster-information set for governmental organizations. As a result, we define the “Standard Disaster-information Set” (SDS) that covers most disaster response information needs. Based on the SDS, we formulate intermediate information products for disaster response that provide consistent information of best-effort quality, named the “Standardized Disaster-information Products” (SDIP). By utilizing the SDIP, disaster response organizations are able to consolidate the common recognition of disaster situations without consideration of data availability, update timing, reliability, and so on.

1. [1] M. Kawasaki, “Study on “Information Vacuum” at 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake – Toward Improvement of Disaster Risk Management –,” Jounal of Institute of Social Safety Science, No.16, pp. 43-52, 2012.
2. [2] L. K. Comfort and N. Kapucu, “Inter-organizational coordination in extreme events: The World Trade Center attacks, September 11, 2001,” Natural Hazards, Vol.39, No.2, pp. 309-327, 2006.
3. [3] W. L. Waugh and G. Streib, “Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management,” Public administration review, Vol.66, No.s1, pp. 131-140, 2006.
4. [4] U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “National Incident Management System,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008.
5. [5] G. A. Bigley and K. H. Roberts, “The incident command system: High-reliability organizing for complex and volatile task environments,” Academy of Management Journal, Vol.44, No.6, pp. 1281-1299, 2001.
6. [6] NISC, “Strategic Plan 2013-2017,” National Information Sharing Consortium, http://nisconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/NISC_Strategic_Plan_2013-17_v1.pdf [accessed June 30, 2017]
7. [7] NISC, “Essential Elements of Information Publication Guidance,” National Information Sharing Consortium,Version 1.0, 2015, http://www.nisconsortium.org/portal/resources/bin/NISC_EEI_Publication_1426695387.pdf [accessed Apr. 1, 2017]
8. [8] CUSEC, “CAPSTONE-14 AFTER ACTION REPORT,” Central United States Earthquake Consortium, 2014, http://www.cusec.org/capstone14/documents/CAPSTONE-14_AAR.pdf [accessed June 30, 2017]
9. [9] Central Disaster Management Council, Basic Disaster Management Plan, http://www.bousai.go.jp/taisaku/keikaku/pdf/kihon_basic_plan.pdf [accessed Apr. 1, 2017]
10. [10] NIED, Tokyo Univ., BRI, AIST, NRIFD, Kogakuin Univ., et. al., “Report of the Research on Disaster Reduction using Crisis-adaptive Information Sharing Technologies 2007,” MEXT, 2007.
11. [11] G. Urakawa and H. Hayashi, “Common Operational Picture of Emergency Management Center, Niigata Prefecture as Niigata-ken Chuetsuoki Earthquake, 2007,” Annals od Disas, No.51, pp. 111-120, 2008.
12. [12] M. Inoguchi, K. Tamura, T. Furuya, R. Kimura, and H. Hayashi, “Proposal of Effective On-Demand MashUp among Spatial Information from the activity of Emergency Mapping Team – A Case Study of the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake –,” Jounal of Institute of Social Safety Science, No.15, pp. 219-229, 2011.
13. [13] MLIT & Joint research team of disaster prevention related academic assosiations, The Field Reconnaisance Report of Huricanne “Sandy,” MLIT, 2015.
14. [14] FEMA, FEMA Incident Management and Support Keystone, https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1833-25045-6351/fema_incident_management_and_support_keystone.pdf [accessed Apr. 1, 2017]
15. [15] T. Suzuki, “Report of the Project Research on Disaster Reduction using Disaster Mitigating Information Sharing Technology,” Jounal of Japan Association for Earthquake Engineering, Vol.9, No.2, pp. 171-184, 2009.
16. [16] U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Overview: FESF and Support Annexes Coordinating Federal Assistance In Support of the National Response Framework,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008.
17. [17] FEMA, Emergency Support Function Annexes: Introduction, https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1825-25045-8535/overview_esf___support_annexes_2008.pdf [accessed Apr. 1, 2017]
18. [18] S. Niinuma and H. Miyazawa, “Tsunami Damage on Medical Institutions by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and the Acceptance of Affected Patients by Inland Medical institutions: A Case Study of Minami-Sanriku Town and Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture,” Quarterly Journal of Geography, Vol.63, pp. 214-226, 2012.
19. [19] H. Taguchi, T. Yi, Y. Usuda, and T. Nagasaka, “A Proposal of Geographic Information System for Effective Natural Disaster Responses: Case in the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake,” Journal of Japan Association for Earthquake Enineering, Vol.15, No.1, 2015.