Location information collection system

Abstract

This disclosure aims to provide a location information collection system that can avoid communication congestion caused by disasters and prioritize the rapid acquisition of users' location information immediately after a disaster occurs, before the communication network goes down. [Solution] The location information collection system according to this disclosure comprises a plurality of mobile terminals and a main device capable of communicating information with each mobile terminal. When a location acquisition request occurs, each mobile terminal transmits its own location information and identification information, which is information that can identify the mobile terminal or information that can identify the user of the mobile terminal, to the main device. When a disaster occurs, each mobile terminal determines that a location acquisition request has occurred.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a location information collection system that immediately collects location information when a disaster occurs.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the use of safety confirmation systems has been increasing to confirm the safety of relevant personnel when a disaster occurs. However, in general, relevant personnel have been required to actively transmit safety information. Under such circumstances, a disaster information sharing system is known in which a disaster information management server that has received disaster information transmits the disaster information to registered mobile terminals, and each mobile terminal that has received the disaster information determines its own safety and then transmits its own location information and safety information to other mobile terminals within the group (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Immediately after a disaster, communication congestion may occur in public communication networks such as mobile phone networks and public Wi-Fi. Power outages may also occur, rendering communication networks non-functional. With conventional disaster information sharing systems, each mobile device had to receive disaster information from a disaster information management server, and then calculate whether or not it was within the affected area to obtain its own safety status information. In other words, conventional disaster information sharing systems required time to receive disaster information from the disaster information management server and time for each mobile device to calculate its own safety status information. Consequently, because conventional disaster information sharing systems required this time, communication between the disaster information management server and each mobile device was caught up in communication congestion caused by the disaster, resulting in problems such as the inability to obtain the location information of each mobile device immediately after a disaster.

[0005] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to obtain a location information collection system that can avoid communication congestion that occurs when a disaster occurs and can prioritize and quickly acquire users' location information before the communication network goes down immediately after a disaster occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The location information collection system described herein comprises multiple mobile terminals that can connect to the internet, and a main unit that can communicate with each mobile terminal. When a location acquisition request is generated, each mobile terminal transmits its own location information and identifying information, which is information that can identify the mobile terminal or information that can identify the user of the mobile terminal, to the main unit. When a disaster occurs, each mobile terminal determines that a location acquisition request has been generated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to obtain a location information collection system that can avoid communication congestion caused by disasters and prioritize and quickly acquire users' location information before the communication network goes down immediately after a disaster. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a location information collection system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a location information collection system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing a location information collection system according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing a location information collection system according to Embodiment 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the location information collection system disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. The location information collection system described in this disclosure is characterized by its technical features, specifically its ability to immediately acquire location information from each user's mobile device in the event of a disaster.

[0010] Embodiment 1. Location information collection system 1 is used to acquire location information of each person in a group of a certain number of people, such as a company, for the purpose of confirming their safety. In other words, the people who make up a group that uses location information collection system 1 are users of location information collection system 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing location information collection system 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0011] The location information collection system 1 comprises a main unit 10 and a plurality of mobile terminals 20 that can connect to the internet 5. The main unit 10 is a server or a device with server functionality and is connected to the internet 5. The main unit 10 can communicate information with each mobile terminal 20 via the internet 5.

[0012] The multiple mobile devices 20 are mobile devices 20 that are managed and carried by each user who is a member of the group. Each mobile device 20 has a display screen 21.

[0013] Each mobile terminal 20 has a location information collection application 25 installed for using the location information collection system 1. Each mobile terminal 20 with the location information collection application 25 installed can communicate information with the main device 10 via the internet 5 and the mobile phone communication network, etc. Figure 1 shows the case where information is communicated via the internet 5.

[0014] Each mobile device 20 is equipped with the ability to determine its own location using GPS or a wireless LAN router and to obtain its location information. The location information is written to and stored in a specific memory area and is periodically updated with new location information. Each location information collection application 25 can use the location information of the installed mobile device 20. The location information can be latitude and longitude, or it can be an address on a map, etc. It can also be a location based on location-determining information (home, workplace, school, store, hospital, station, etc.) or a combination of these.

[0015] Users who manage and carry each mobile device 20 can use the location information collection system 1 by launching each location information collection application 25. In other words, it is preferable that each location information collection application 25 is always running. Therefore, when each mobile device 20 is running, for example, each location information collection application 25 may be launched and running in the background.

[0016] To use the location information collection system 1, users enter personal information into each location information collection application 25 and perform initial setup. This personal information includes the user's name, the mobile phone number of the corresponding mobile device 20, and emergency contact information. If the location information collection system 1 is used by a company, information such as the user's department may also be entered as personal information.

[0017] Note that the personal information input during initial setup can be changed or deleted at any time as necessary. Further, other information in addition to the information described above may be input as personal information, and can be set as appropriate.

[0018] The personal information described above is transmitted to and stored in the main device 10 together with a unique ID that can identify the user's own mobile terminal 20. The main device 10 stores each piece of transmitted personal information and the corresponding ID in association with each other. Note that either at least part of the personal information such as the user's name, or the ID is stored in the mobile terminal 20. When part of the personal information is stored in the mobile terminal 20, it is preferable that the information includes personally identifiable information such as the name and mobile phone number.

[0019] Each mobile terminal 20 with each location information collection application 25 installed is capable of detecting the occurrence of a disaster. The occurrence of a disaster is detected based on information indicating the occurrence of a disaster from a news site or the like receivable by each mobile terminal 20 via the Internet 5 or the like, emergency bulletins issued by public institutions such as earthquake early warnings, information indicating the occurrence of a disaster on SNS (Social Networking Service), and the like. Further, the occurrence of a disaster may be notified from the main device 10. In this case, the main device 10 is required to detect the occurrence of a disaster as described above, and notification from the main device 10 can also prevent detection omissions in each mobile terminal 20.

[0020] That is, when information indicating the occurrence of a disaster is posted on sites managed by public institutions or highly public institutions, and on reliable news sites, the information is acquired and grasped by the location information collection application 25 of each mobile terminal 20.

[0021] Thereby, each location information collection application 25 detects the occurrence of a disaster. Note that sites managed by public institutions or highly public institutions, and reliable news sites can be registered in advance in the location information collection application 25.

[0022] Further, for example, when each mobile terminal 20 receives and acquires an emergency early warning such as an Earthquake Early Warning in Japan, each location information collection application 25 detects the occurrence of a disaster.

[0023] Further, each location information collection application 25 may detect the occurrence of a disaster by acquiring and aggregating information indicating the occurrence of a disaster posted by an unspecified large number of users on SNS. AI technology or the like may be used when searching for and aggregating posts on SNS.

[0024] Further, each location information collection application 25 may acquire and recognize messages such as direct messages indicating the occurrence of a disaster issued by highly public institutions such as public institutions including government agencies and companies operating public transportation on SNS, to detect the occurrence of a disaster. The SNS service to be used and the information sender thereof can be registered in advance in the location information collection application 25.

[0025] Further, each location information collection application 25 may cooperate with a service that aggregates information transmitted from each site and information on SNS. That is, by acquiring a notification from said service, each location information collection application 25 may detect the occurrence of a disaster.

[0026] When each mobile terminal 20 detects the occurrence of a disaster, it determines that a location acquisition request has been generated, and transmits its own location information and specific information to the main device 10. That is, the location acquisition request is generated when each mobile terminal 20 detects the occurrence of a disaster. Here, the specific information is information that can identify the mobile terminal 20 or the user thereof.

[0027] For example, the specific information may be the user's name input at the time of initial setting and stored in the mobile terminal 20, or the unique ID of each mobile terminal 20. The main device 10 can use the specific information to identify who the user that transmitted the location information is.

[0028] In this disclosure, "disaster" includes all natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, rain-induced floods, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires. Furthermore, it may also include man-made disasters such as incidents, accidents, and house fires. Each mobile device 20 can pre-select which types of disasters it will detect.

[0029] Next, we will explain how location information is collected from each mobile device 20 in the location information collection system 1.

[0030] First, each mobile terminal 20 on which the location information collection application 25 is installed is always in a state where it can detect the occurrence of a disaster. In this state, each mobile terminal 20 determines that a location acquisition request has been made when it detects the occurrence of a disaster. Furthermore, each mobile terminal 20 determines that a location acquisition request has been made when it receives a notification of the occurrence of a disaster (or a location information request) from the main device 10.

[0031] When a location acquisition request is received, each mobile terminal 20 transmits only its current location information and specific information to the main device 10. At this time, the location information of each mobile terminal 20 is constantly updated and stored.

[0032] Therefore, each mobile terminal 20 can acquire location information without having to execute the logic for acquiring location information again. This enables rapid acquisition of location information by each mobile terminal 20. In addition, specific information is stored in each mobile terminal 20 and does not need to be entered again by the user. Therefore, each mobile terminal 20 can quickly transmit location information and specific information to the main device 10.

[0033] When the main device 10 receives location information and specific information from each mobile terminal 20, it uses the specific information to search for the relevant personal information among the stored personal information, associates it with the searched personal information, and stores the location information. At this time, if the location information is only information that identifies a location, the main device 10 may determine the address from the location information and store the address at the same time.

[0034] The main device 10 immediately transmits location information and personally identifiable information, which is at least one piece of personal information associated with the location information, to a specific mobile terminal 20. The personally identifiable information transmitted is information that can identify an individual on the specific mobile terminal 20 that receives the personally identifiable information. Personally identifiable information is, for example, a name. That is, the identifying information and the personally identifiable information are the same piece of information, and may be, for example, a name.

[0035] The specific mobile device 20 refers to at least one of the mobile devices 20 that has been pre-configured. The specific mobile device 20 can be configured by operating the installed location information collection application 25. In addition, the specific mobile device 20 can be configured on the main device 10 using an input device such as a keyboard as needed. For example, the specific mobile device 20 may be the mobile device 20 held by the person responsible for safety confirmation.

[0036] The personally identifiable information transmitted may include, in addition to the name, a mobile phone number, emergency contact information, and affiliation. Furthermore, if a specific mobile terminal 20 has its ID and corresponding personal information pre-associated and stored, the main device 10 may transmit the ID corresponding to the location information as personally identifiable information. In such cases, the identifying information and personally identifiable information may be the same information, such as an ID.

[0037] Furthermore, the main device 10 may store the time at which it received location information from each mobile terminal 20, associating it with the corresponding location information. It may also transmit this time, along with the location information, to a specific mobile terminal 20.

[0038] A specific mobile terminal 20 that receives location information and personal identification information from each mobile terminal 20 understands and stores the location information of each mobile terminal 20. The location information collection application 25 displays the location information of each mobile terminal 20 on the display screen 21 of the specific mobile terminal 20. At this time, the location information of each mobile terminal 20 may be plotted and displayed on a map.

[0039] As a result, location information from other mobile devices 20 is aggregated and acquired by a specific mobile device 20. That is, the specific mobile device 20 can acquire the location information of the user carrying each mobile device 20. When this confirmation is made on the specific mobile device 20, it is preferable that it is displayed in a way that shows who is where, and it is preferable that the location information and personal identification information are displayed as information that shows the location and information that shows the individual. The information may be received in this way from the main device 10, but the mobile device 20 may also display the location information and personal identification information as information that shows the location and information that shows the individual.

[0040] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1, the main device 10 transmits the received location information and corresponding personal identification information to a specific mobile terminal 20. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when the main device 10 transmits the received location information and personal identification information to a specific mobile terminal 20, it may also simultaneously transmit personal identification information corresponding to mobile terminals 20 that have not received location information. This makes it possible to identify users whose location information is not yet available on a specific mobile terminal 20.

[0041] Furthermore, in the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1, only one mobile terminal 20 is the specific mobile terminal 20, meaning there is only one specific mobile terminal 20. However, this is not the only option. For example, all mobile terminals 20 may be the specific mobile terminal 20. In this case, users of each mobile terminal 20 can see the location information of other users. This makes it possible to confirm each other's locations in the event of a disaster.

[0042] Embodiment 2. The location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 2 differs from the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that it further includes a management terminal 30. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the location information collection system 1 according to Embodiment 2. Figure 2 shows the case where information is communicated via the Internet 5.

[0043] The location information collection system 1 comprises a main unit 10, multiple mobile terminals 20, and a management terminal 30. The main unit 10 and the management terminal 30 can communicate with each other via wired or wireless connections.

[0044] The location information collection system 1 according to this second embodiment is, for example, used in a company. In this case, for example, a main device 10, which is a server or a device with server functionality, and a management terminal 30, which is a personal computer or tablet terminal, etc., managed by the person in charge of safety confirmation, are installed within the company.

[0045] Instead of transmitting location information and personal identification information to a specific mobile terminal 20, the main device 10 transmits location information and personal identification information to the management terminal 30. As a result, a person responsible for safety confirmation, using the management terminal 30 which has received the location information and corresponding personal identification information of each mobile terminal 20, can confirm the location information of each mobile terminal 20, i.e., the location information of each user.

[0046] The other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 2 are the same as the other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 1, so their description will be omitted.

[0047] Unlike the multiple mobile terminals 20, the management terminal 30 only needs to be able to display the collected location information transmitted from the main device 10, regardless of the location information collection operation. For this reason, for example, the main device 10 may create screen display information (in HTML format, etc.) based on the location information collected. This allows the management terminal 30 to display and confirm the screen display information using a standard browser.

[0048] Therefore, no special software is required, and the collected location information can be viewed. In this case, from the standpoint of protecting and managing personal information, strict access restrictions to the main device 10 may be implemented. For example, only the management terminal 30 may be allowed to access the main device 10 through pre-registration, and as a result, the location information may be viewable.

[0049] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 2, there is only one management terminal 30. However, it is not limited to this. For example, multiple management terminals 30 may be provided, and multiple safety confirmation officers may be appointed. In such cases, the location information and personal identification information of all mobile terminals 20 may be transmitted to each management terminal 30.

[0050] This allows multiple management terminals 30 to check the location information of all mobile devices 20. Therefore, for example, by installing management terminals 30 at the Tokyo head office, Hokkaido branch office, and Fukuoka branch office, the location information of all employees with mobile devices 20 can be obtained from each location. Consequently, employee safety checks can be carried out more reliably.

[0051] On the other hand, each management terminal 30 may pre-determine which mobile terminals 20 will manage location information. That is, the location information and personal identification information of some of the mobile terminals 20 out of all mobile terminals 20 may be transmitted to the pre-determined management terminal 30. For example, if there is one safety confirmation officer for every 15 employees, the location information and personal identification information of about 15 pre-determined mobile terminals 20 may be transmitted to one management terminal 30. This allows multiple management terminals 30 to share the management of the location information of each mobile terminal 20, thereby reducing the management burden on each safety confirmation officer.

[0052] Furthermore, according to the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 2, the main device 10 transmits location information and personal identification information to the management terminal 30. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the main device 10 may transmit location information and personal identification information to a specific mobile terminal 20, or to all mobile terminals 20, at the same time as the management terminal 30.

[0053] For example, a specific mobile device 20 could be designated as a mobile device 20 managed by the person responsible for safety confirmation. This allows the same information as that on the management device 30 to be viewed on the mobile device 20, resulting in greater convenience.

[0054] Embodiment 3. In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 3, the main device 10 is not a server, but rather one or more of the multiple mobile terminals 20 also serve as the main device 10, which is different from the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the location information collection system 1 according to Embodiment 3. Note that Figure 3 shows the case where information is communicated via the Internet 5. However, each mobile terminal 20 may also be capable of information communication via other information communication networks, such as a mobile phone communication network.

[0055] The location information collection system 1 comprises a main unit 10 and multiple mobile terminals 20, with one mobile terminal 20 also serving as the main unit 10. In other words, in this embodiment 3 of the location information collection system 1, there is no server, and it consists only of multiple mobile terminals 20.

[0056] The location information collection system 1 of this embodiment 3 may be applied to a small group. For example, in a family of four consisting of a father, mother, and two children, each person may manage a mobile terminal 20 on which the location information collection application 25 is installed. In this case, the mobile terminal 20 managed by the father can be configured to also serve as the main device 10. This setting can be configured in the location information collection application 25.

[0057] In this configuration, when a disaster occurs, the location information and personal identification information of the mother and her two children will be transmitted to the father's mobile terminal 20. Furthermore, in the case of this family, four main devices 10 and four mobile terminals 20 may be provided. That is, each of the four mobile terminals 20 may also serve as a main device 10.

[0058] Since each of the four mobile terminals 20 also functions as the main device 10, the location information and personal identification information of all mobile terminals 20 are transmitted to each mobile terminal 20. This allows all family members to know the location information of other family members. In such cases, each mobile terminal 20 transmits its location information to the other three mobile terminals 20 that are the main device 10 when it determines that a location acquisition request has occurred.

[0059] Therefore, in order to transmit information immediately after a disaster occurs, each mobile terminal 20 can grasp the location information of other mobile terminals 20, thereby avoiding communication congestion. The other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 3 are the same as the other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 1, so their description is omitted.

[0060] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiments 1 to 3, a location acquisition request is generated when each mobile terminal 20 detects the occurrence of a disaster. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a location acquisition request may also be generated when location information notification requests are received from the main device 10 and other mobile terminals 20.

[0061] For example, an earthquake early warning is issued only to the affected area. In this case, if the user is outside the affected area due to travel or other reasons, the user's mobile device 20 will not receive a location acquisition request. However, it is naturally necessary to confirm the user's safety, and therefore it is necessary to obtain the user's location information.

[0062] To this end, when the main unit 10 and each mobile terminal 20 detect the occurrence of a disaster, a location information notification request may be sent to all mobile terminals 20. This allows for more reliable collection of location information from all mobile terminals 20. Note that the method for detecting the occurrence of a disaster by the main unit 10 is the same as for each mobile terminal 20, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0063] Embodiment 4. The location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 4 differs from the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1 in that information indicating the occurrence of a disaster is transmitted from an alarm 50 inside the building. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the location information collection system 1 according to Embodiment 4.

[0064] The location information collection system 1 comprises a main unit 10, multiple mobile terminals 20 that can connect to the internet 5, and one or more alarm devices 50. Each alarm device 50 is, for example, placed inside a building and automatically or manually detects the occurrence of flames and smoke inside the building, thereby detecting the occurrence of a disaster.

[0065] Each alarm device 50 is connected to the internet 5 and can communicate with the main unit 10 and each mobile terminal 20. When each alarm device 50 detects a disaster, it transmits this information to the main unit 10 and each mobile terminal 20 via the internet 5. Figure 4 shows the case where information is communicated via the internet 5. However, each alarm device 50, the main unit 10, and each mobile terminal 20 may also communicate via other information communication networks, such as mobile phone networks.

[0066] When each mobile terminal 20 receives information from each alarm 50 that a disaster has occurred, it detects the occurrence of a disaster, determines that a location acquisition request has been made, and transmits its respective location information to the main unit 10. The information from each alarm 50 that a disaster has occurred can also be received by the main unit 10.

[0067] Therefore, the main unit 10, upon receiving information from each alarm device 50 that a disaster has occurred, may send a notification request, which is a request for location information, to each mobile terminal 20. Each mobile terminal 20, upon receiving the notification request, determines that a location acquisition request has occurred and sends its current location to the main unit 10. In this case, each alarm device 50 may only be able to communicate with the main unit 10.

[0068] The other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 4 are the same as the other configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 1, so their description will be omitted.

[0069] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 4, notification requests for location information, etc., can be transmitted from the main device 10. However, it is not limited to this. When a location acquisition request occurs in any of the mobile terminals 20 other than the main device 10, they may simultaneously send notification requests to other mobile terminals 20, similar to Embodiments 1 to 3. In this case as well, each mobile terminal 20 that receives a notification request transmits its own location information and specific information to the main device 10.

[0070] Furthermore, in Embodiments 1 to 4, notification requests may be transmitted based on human requests to the main unit 10, the management terminal 30, or each mobile terminal 20. For example, a notification request may be generated by an administrator operating an input device such as a keyboard connected to the main unit 10, which is a server or a personal computer equipped with server functions, and the management terminal 30. In addition, a notification request may be generated by operating the location information collection application 25 on each mobile terminal 20.

[0071] For example, if each alarm device 50 installed in each room of an apartment building is managed centrally by the management system of the apartment building, the management system may be designated as the main unit 10 or the management terminal 30. That is, in the management system of the apartment building, the person managing the management system may issue a notification request from the main unit 10 or the management terminal 30 based on the output of each alarm device 50.

[0072] Furthermore, the configurations of the location information collection system 1 in Embodiments 1 to 4 can be applied to each other as appropriate.

[0073] The location information collection system 1 in Embodiment 1 comprises a plurality of mobile terminals 20 that can connect to the Internet 5, and a main unit 10 that can communicate with each mobile terminal 20. When a location acquisition request occurs, each mobile terminal 20 transmits its own location information and identification information, which is information that can identify the mobile terminal 20 or information that can identify the user of the mobile terminal 20, to the main unit 10. Furthermore, when a disaster occurs, each mobile terminal 20 determines that a location acquisition request has occurred.

[0074] As a result, each mobile terminal 20 can immediately transmit its already identified location information and identification information to the main device 10 almost simultaneously with the occurrence of a location acquisition request, without needing to acquire safety information through user input or calculation. Therefore, location information can be prioritized and transmitted quickly to the main device 10 before communication congestion occurs due to a disaster. Thus, communication congestion that occurs due to a disaster can be avoided, and the user's location information can be reliably prioritized and acquired quickly before the communication network goes down immediately after a disaster.

[0075] Furthermore, this eliminates the need for each mobile terminal 20 to request location acquisition based on information from the main device 10. Therefore, each mobile terminal 20 can transmit its own location information and specific information to the main device 10 without obtaining any information from the main device 10. Consequently, it can quickly transmit its own location information and specific information to the main device 10 before communication congestion occurs due to a disaster. Thus, it is possible to reliably acquire the user's location information while avoiding communication congestion that occurs due to a disaster.

[0076] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1, when the main device 10 receives location information, it transmits the received location information and corresponding personal identification information to at least one of the mobile terminals 20. The personal identification information is information that can identify the mobile terminal 20 that transmitted the corresponding location information or the user of that mobile terminal 20. As a result, a specific mobile terminal 20 can grasp the location information of the other mobile terminals 20. Therefore, a specific mobile terminal 20 can prioritize acquiring location information before communication congestion occurs due to a disaster, acquire aggregated location information, and reliably acquire the location information of each user immediately.

[0077] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 2, the system further includes one or more management terminals 30 capable of communicating with the main device 10. When the main device 10 receives each location information, it transmits each location information and corresponding personal identification information to at least one management terminal 30. The personal identification information is information that can identify the mobile terminal 20 that transmitted the corresponding location information or the user of that mobile terminal 20. As a result, the management terminal 30 can grasp each location information. Therefore, the management terminal 30 can prioritize acquiring location information before communication congestion occurs due to a disaster, acquire aggregated location information, and reliably acquire the location information of each user immediately.

[0078] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 2, the main device 10 transmits to a specific management terminal 30 each location information transmitted from one or more predetermined mobile terminals 20, along with the corresponding personal identification information. This allows location information to be collected in a distributed manner for each management terminal 30. Therefore, when managing a large amount of location information, the management burden can be shared.

[0079] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 3, at least one of the mobile terminals 20 is also used as a single main device 10. This means that the location information collection system 1 can be configured using only multiple mobile terminals 20. Therefore, even in a small group of people with mobile terminals 20, such as a family, at least one mobile terminal 20 can prioritize acquiring location information before communication congestion occurs due to a disaster, and acquire aggregated location information, ensuring that the location information of each user is acquired immediately.

[0080] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiments 1 to 4, each mobile terminal 20 can detect the occurrence of a disaster when it acquires any of the following: information about a disaster occurring on a site managed by a public or highly public institution, news site, or SNS; messages on SNS; emergency alerts issued by public institutions; or information about a disaster occurring from one or more alarm devices 50. Furthermore, when each mobile terminal 20 acquires information about a disaster occurring from one or more alarm devices 50, each alarm device 50 can communicate with each mobile terminal 20.

[0081] As a result, each mobile terminal 20 will generate a location acquisition request when it obtains information about a disaster from a website or news site managed by a public or highly public institution, without going through the main device 10. Therefore, since the location acquisition request is generated based on highly reliable information obtained by the mobile terminal 20 itself, each mobile terminal 20 can transmit its own location information and specific information to the main device 10 more quickly. Thus, the main device 10 can acquire the aggregated location information before communication congestion occurs due to the occurrence of a disaster, and can reliably acquire the location information of each user. Furthermore, this allows the main device 10 to acquire the location information of each user not only based on natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires, but also based on disasters such as incidents, accidents, and man-made fires. Therefore, the safety of users can be confirmed.

[0082] Furthermore, this allows each mobile device 20 to initiate a location acquisition request when it receives information about a disaster occurring or a message on social media, without going through the main device 10. Consequently, in some cases, a location acquisition request may be initiated based on information obtained by the mobile device itself, even before news sites or public institutions become aware of the disaster. This allows each mobile device 20 to transmit its own location information and specific information to the main device 10 more quickly. Therefore, the main device 10 can acquire the aggregated location information before communication congestion occurs due to the disaster, and can reliably acquire the location information of each user. In addition, this allows for the detection of relatively small-scale disasters, such as highly localized disasters. Consequently, it can respond to a wide range of disasters.

[0083] Furthermore, this allows each mobile terminal 20 to receive an emergency alert issued by a public institution without going through the main device 10, thereby generating a location acquisition request. For example, in the case of an emergency alert such as an earthquake early warning, the alert is issued before the disaster occurs. Therefore, since a location acquisition request is generated based on the information obtained by the mobile terminal itself, each mobile terminal 20 can transmit its own location information and specific information to the main device 10 more quickly. As a result, the main device 10 can acquire the aggregated location information before communication congestion occurs due to the occurrence of a disaster, and can reliably acquire the location information of each user.

[0084] Furthermore, this allows each mobile terminal 20 to generate a location acquisition request when it receives information from an alarm 50 installed in a building indicating that a disaster has occurred, without going through the main unit 10. Therefore, for example, even in the case of a fire in a detached house or apartment building that is not covered by news sites, each mobile terminal 20 can generate a location acquisition request. Thus, even in the case of smaller-scale disasters, it is possible to transmit its own location information and identification information to the main unit 10.

[0085] In the location information collection system 1 of Embodiment 1, each mobile terminal 20 determines that a location acquisition request has occurred when it receives a location information notification request from the main device 10 or another mobile terminal 20. As a result, a location acquisition request is generated in each mobile terminal 20 when it receives a location information notification request from the main device 10 or another mobile terminal 20.

[0086] Therefore, in the case of regionally specific warnings such as earthquake early warnings, a location acquisition request is generated when the main device 10 or other mobile terminals 20 send a location information notification request. Thus, since location acquisition requests are generated based on requests from multiple devices, the chances of missing location acquisition requests are reduced at each mobile terminal 20, and the location information collection system 1 can acquire the user's location information more reliably. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0087] 1 Location information collection system, 5 Internet, 10 Main unit, 20 Mobile terminal, 21 Display screen, 25 Location information collection application, 30 Management terminal, 50 Alarm.

Claims

1. Multiple mobile devices with internet connectivity, Each of the aforementioned mobile terminals and a main device capable of information communication, Equipped with, When a location acquisition request occurs, each mobile terminal transmits its own location information and identifying information, which is information that can identify the mobile terminal or information that can identify the user of the mobile terminal, to the main unit. Each of the aforementioned mobile terminals determines that a location acquisition request has occurred when it detects the occurrence of a disaster. Location information collection system.

2. When the main device receives each of the location information, it transmits the received location information and the corresponding personal identification information to at least one of the mobile terminals. The aforementioned personally identifiable information is information that can identify the mobile terminal that transmitted the corresponding location information or the user of that mobile terminal. The location information collection system according to claim 1.

3. The system further comprises one or more management terminals capable of communicating information with the aforementioned main unit, When the main device receives each of the location information, it transmits each of the received location information and the corresponding personal identification information to at least one of the management terminals. The aforementioned personally identifiable information is information that can identify the mobile terminal that transmitted the corresponding location information or the user of that mobile terminal. The location information collection system according to claim 1.

4. The main device transmits to a specific management terminal the location information transmitted from one or more predetermined mobile terminals and the corresponding personal identification information. The location information collection system according to claim 3.

5. At least one of the aforementioned mobile terminals is also used as one of the aforementioned main devices. The location information collection system according to claim 2.

6. Each of the aforementioned mobile terminals can detect the occurrence of a disaster when it obtains any of the following: information about a disaster occurring on a site managed by a public or highly public institution, news site, or social networking service (SNS), messages on SNS, emergency alerts issued by public institutions, or information about a disaster occurring from one or more alarm devices. When each of the aforementioned mobile terminals obtains information from one or more of the aforementioned alarm devices that a disaster has occurred, each of the aforementioned alarm devices is capable of communicating with each of the aforementioned mobile terminals. A location information collection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Each of the aforementioned mobile terminals determines that a location acquisition request has occurred when it receives a location information notification request from the main device or another of the aforementioned mobile terminals. A location information collection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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