Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

An information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image and position information relating to a position at which the image was captured; and a specification means for specifying, from among a plurality of notification destinations, one or more event notification destinations relating to an event indicated by the image information by using the image information and the position information.

Description

Information Processing System, Information Processing Method, and Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] Techniques have been developed for detecting an accident or disaster in which some damage occurs to a person or any tangible object, or an incident that is assumed to occur in the near future, and reporting it.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a road obstacle notification system including a wireless communication terminal device, a road obstacle information collection and distribution server, a road information providing server, and a countermeasure organization server. When a user of the wireless communication terminal device discovers a road obstacle on the road, the user operates the wireless communication terminal device to execute a reporting process. The user inputs the type and details of the discovered road obstacle as reporting information on a screen related to the report. The road obstacle information collection and distribution server outputs road obstacle information based on the reporting information to the road information providing server and outputs countermeasure request information to the countermeasure organization server.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-193475

[0005] The notification system according to Patent Document 1 can notify information regarding road obstacles to a countermeasure organization. However, when reporting, the user had to input information first.

[0006] One of the objects to be achieved by the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that enable reporting to an appropriate notification destination when an event occurs. It should be noted that this object is only one of the multiple objects to be achieved by the multiple embodiments disclosed herein. Other objects or problems and novel features will be clarified from the description of this specification or the accompanying drawings.

[0007] An information processing system according to one embodiment includes an acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and an identification means for using the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations regarding the event indicated by the image information.

[0008] An information processing method according to one embodiment involves a computer acquiring image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and using the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification recipients from among a plurality of notification recipients regarding the event indicated by the image information.

[0009] One embodiment of the program involves acquiring image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and then using the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification recipients from among a plurality of notification recipients regarding the event indicated by the image information, thereby causing the computer to perform these actions.

[0010] This disclosure provides an information processing system, information processing method, and program that enable notification to the appropriate recipient when an event occurs.

[0011] This is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing system related to this disclosure. This is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of the information processing system. This is a block diagram showing an example of a notification system related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of a terminal related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of a receiving server related to this disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of inquiry information received by the receiving server. This is a diagram showing an example of inquiry information received by the receiving server. This is a diagram showing an example of inquiry information received by the receiving server. This is a diagram showing an example of inquiry information received by the receiving server. This is a diagram showing an example of a location indicated by location information in the inquiry information. This is a flowchart showing an example of a typical process of the receiving server. This is a block diagram showing an example of a notification system related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of a camera related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of a receiving server related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of an in-vehicle terminal related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of a management server related to this disclosure. This is a diagram showing an example of the application of the notification system. This is a block diagram showing another example of an in-vehicle terminal related to this disclosure. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device on which the processes related to this disclosure are executed.

[0012] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following descriptions and drawings in the embodiments have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, in this disclosure, when "at least one of the multiple items" is defined for multiple items, that definition may mean any single item, or it may mean any multiple items including all of the items.

[0013] Each drawing referenced in an embodiment is merely illustrative to illustrate one or more embodiments. Each drawing may be associated with one or more other embodiments rather than with only one specific embodiment. As those skilled in the art will understand, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings, for example, to create embodiments not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing to illustrate an exemplary embodiment are necessarily required, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any of the drawings may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] The term "Event" as defined in this disclosure includes, but is not limited to, an accident or disaster that results in some form of damage to a person or any tangible object, or an incident that is expected to occur in the near future.

[0015] The term "notification recipient" as defined in this disclosure refers to an individual or any organization. For example, a notification recipient is an individual or any organization expected to take some action in response to an accident or incident. Examples of notification recipients will be described later in the embodiments section.

[0016] Embodiment 1 [Description of Configuration] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing system according to the present disclosure. The information processing system 10 includes an acquisition unit 12 and a specification unit 14.

[0017] The acquisition unit 12 acquires image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken. The acquisition unit 12 may acquire image information by using a camera or other shooting unit of the information processing system 10. The acquisition unit 12 may acquire location information by using a positioning function (for example, satellite positioning function or indoor positioning function) of the information processing system 10. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 12 may acquire location information entered by a user from an input unit of the information processing system 10. As yet another example, the acquisition unit 12 may acquire at least one of the image information and location information from a terminal connected to the information processing system 10 by wireless or wired communication. Location information is information that can identify the location where the image was taken. For example, if the device that takes the image information and the device that acquires the location information are located in substantially the same place, the location information may be information that indicates the location where the image was taken. Location information is presented in an information format of any coordinate system, such as a geographic coordinate system or a projected coordinate system. For example, location information may include latitude and longitude. As another example, location information may include latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0018] The identification unit 14 uses the image information and location information acquired by the acquisition unit 12 to identify one or more event notification recipients from among a plurality of notification recipients regarding the event indicated by the image information. The plurality of notification recipients may be stored in advance in an internal or external storage unit of the information processing system 10, or they may be acquired by the information processing system 10 from a network such as the Internet. The type of information indicating the notification recipient may be, for example, at least one of a telephone number, email address, HP (Homepage), or SNS (Social Network Service) account, but is not limited to these.

[0019] The identification unit 14 can identify event notification destinations by, for example, using an arbitrary algorithm or a pre-trained AI (Artificial Intelligence) model. During the AI ​​model training phase, training data including sample information and correct labels indicating one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the sample information is input to the AI ​​model, thereby enabling training. The sample information includes image information and location information indicating the sample event. During the inference phase, the identification unit 14 inputs the image information and location information acquired by the acquisition unit 12 to the AI ​​model trained using the training data. Based on the input information, the AI ​​model outputs one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the input information.

[0020] Alternatively, the identification unit 14 may first identify the event itself indicated by the image information and location information, and then identify one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the event.

[0021] The identification unit 14 may identify the event itself indicated by the image information and location information by, for example, using an arbitrary algorithm or a first AI model that has been trained in advance. During the training phase of the first AI model, training is performed by inputting training data, which includes the above-mentioned sample information and correct labels indicating one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the first sample information, into the first AI model. During the inference phase, the identification unit 14 inputs the image information and location information acquired by the acquisition unit 12 into the first AI model that has been trained using the training data. Based on the input information, the first AI model outputs the event corresponding to the input information.

[0022] The identification unit 14 may identify one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the identified event by, for example, using an arbitrary algorithm or a second AI model that has been trained in advance. During the training phase of the second AI model, training is performed by inputting training data, which includes sample information containing the event and correct labels indicating one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the sample information, into the second AI model. During the inference phase, the identification unit 14 inputs the event acquired by the acquisition unit 12 into the second AI model that has been trained using the training data. Based on the input information, the second AI model outputs one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the input information.

[0023] The AI ​​model used by the identification unit 14 can be trained using any technique, such as logistic regression or a neural network. Furthermore, the identification unit 14 may use the image information and position information at the same time during the identification process. Alternatively, the identification unit 14 may use either the image information or the position information at an earlier time and the other at a later time during the identification process.

[0024] Furthermore, the information processing system 10 may output information indicating one or more identified event notification destinations to another device. For example, when the acquisition unit 12 acquires at least one of image information and location information from a terminal, the information processing system 10 may transmit information indicating one or more event notification destinations to that terminal. The terminal user can then report the event to the appropriate organization by referring to the transmitted event notification destinations. As another example, the information processing system 10 may report the event by transmitting information containing at least one of image information and location information to one or more identified event notification destinations.

[0025] [Flowchart Description] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a typical example of the information processing system 10, and this flowchart explains the overview of the information processing system 10's processes. Details of each process are as described above, so explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0026] First, the acquisition unit 12 acquires image information of the image and location information regarding the location where the image was taken (step S12). The identification unit 14 uses the acquired image information and location information to identify one or more event notification destinations related to the event from among a plurality of notification destinations (step S14).

[0027] [Explanation of Effects] As described above, when an event occurs, the information processing system 10 uses image information and location information related to the event to identify an event notification recipient from among multiple notification recipients. Therefore, the user or the information processing system 10 can notify the identified event notification recipient. Thus, by using the information processing system 10, it becomes possible to notify the appropriate recipient regarding the event.

[0028] The information processing system 10 may be configured as a single computer device (information processing device) or as a distributed system having multiple computer devices. In a distributed system, the processing performed by the information processing system 10 can be divided and executed by multiple computer devices. In other words, the information processing system 10 may be realized by distributing each part of the information processing system 10 across two or more computer devices, and enabling communication between the two or more computer devices.

[0029] The information processing system 10 may have some or all of its components installed on a cloud server built on the cloud, or on other types of virtualized servers generated using virtualization technology, etc. Functions other than those installed on servers such as cloud servers or virtualized servers are located at the edge.

[0030] Each of the embodiments described below discloses specific examples of the information processing system 10 described in Embodiment 1. However, the specific examples of the information processing system 10 shown in Embodiment 1 are not limited to those described below. Furthermore, the configurations and processes described below are illustrative and not limited thereto.

[0031] Embodiment 2 (2A) [Description of Configuration] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the notification system according to this disclosure. The notification system S1 comprises a terminal 100, a reception server 200, and a map database. The reception server 200 is also connected to the internet. Based on the event inquiry information obtained from the terminal 100, the reception server 200 identifies candidate notification destinations and then identifies the event notification destination.

[0032] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a terminal according to this disclosure. The terminal 100 comprises a shooting unit 102, a location information acquisition unit 104, a transmitting / receiving unit (transceiver) 106, a display unit 108, and an input unit 110. The terminal 100 is any device having the functions shown below. In this example, the terminal 100 is described as a smartphone owned by the user. However, the terminal 100 is not limited to this and may be a tablet or the like.

[0033] The imaging unit 102 captures images of the area around the terminal 100 and acquires image information. The imaging unit 102 has a hardware configuration that includes a lens, an image sensor, etc., and captures one or more still images or videos as image information. The imaging unit 102 may have a function to control one or more of the following: shooting magnification, resolution, frame rate, quantization bit depth, bitrate, and camera angle. The video data may also include time information at the time of shooting. The imaging unit 102 can capture one or more types of images from visible light images and invisible light images (e.g., infrared images, thermal images).

[0034] The location information acquisition unit 104 acquires the location information of the terminal 100. In this example, the location information acquisition unit 104 has a satellite positioning function. The location information acquisition unit 104 uses radio waves from positioning satellites received by the transmitting / receiving unit 106 to determine the location information of the terminal 100 using the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) method. However, as an alternative example, the location information acquisition unit 104 may perform positioning by using an indoor positioning function. By having such a positioning function, the user of the terminal 100 can acquire location information even when the location where an event occurs cannot be determined. When the location where an event occurs cannot be determined, for example, it means that there are no buildings or terrain features around the user that can serve as landmarks for location determination. However, the location information acquisition unit 104 may also acquire location information by receiving location information input from the user, for example, via the input unit 110. In this example, the location information includes latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0035] The transmitting / receiving unit 106 transmits the image information acquired by the imaging unit 102 and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 104 to the receiving server 200 as inquiry information, in response to the user's operation of the input unit 110. The transmitting / receiving unit 106 also receives information about the event notification destination transmitted by the receiving server 200. The transmitting / receiving unit 106 may also receive information about keywords indicating the event from the receiving server 200. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 106 may transmit to the receiving server 200 whether the keywords indicating the event are correct or incorrect, or information about keywords indicating the correct event. At this time, the transmitting / receiving unit 106 can transmit identification information of the image information corresponding to the keywords that was previously transmitted from the receiving server 200.

[0036] The display unit 108 is an interface such as a display. The display unit 108 displays image information acquired by the imaging unit 102 and location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 104. The display unit 108 also displays information about the recipient of the event notification sent by the reception server 200. Furthermore, the display unit 108 may display keywords indicating the event.

[0037] The input unit 110 is an interface such as a button and accepts input from the user. The user may input instructions to send inquiry information to the reception server 200 by operating the input unit 110. The user may also notify the event notification destination displayed on the display unit 108 by operating the input unit 110. The user may also input whether the keyword indicating the event displayed on the display unit 108 is correct or incorrect by operating the input unit 110. If the keyword indicating the event is incorrect, the user may input the keyword that they believe to accurately represent the event by operating the input unit 110. The information entered in this manner is transmitted to the reception server 200 via the transmission / reception unit 106. The display unit 108 and the input unit 110 may be physically integrated, such as a touch panel.

[0038] Alternatively, the above-mentioned functions of terminal 100 may be realized by downloading a notification application to terminal 100 and activating this application through operation of the input unit 110.

[0039] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a reception server according to this disclosure. The reception server 200 includes a transmitting / receiving unit (transceiver) 202, a candidate identification unit 204, a notification destination identification unit 206, and a storage unit 208. The transmitting / receiving unit 202 corresponds to the acquisition unit 12 of the information processing system 10, and the candidate identification unit 204 and the notification destination identification unit 206 correspond to the identification unit 14 of the information processing system 10.

[0040] The transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives inquiry information transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 106 of the terminal 100. The transmitting / receiving unit 202 also transmits information about the event notification destination identified based on the inquiry information to the terminal 100. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 202 may transmit to the terminal 100 information about a keyword indicating the event, which is identified by the candidate identification unit 204 described later. At this time, the transmitting / receiving unit 202 can transmit identification information of image information corresponding to the keyword to the terminal 100.

[0041] Further, the transmission / reception unit 202 acquires map information used for the processing of the notification destination specifying unit 206 described later from the map DB. The map DB stores map information in which position information on the map is associated with information on the jurisdiction target that has jurisdiction over the position. The information on the jurisdiction target indicates, for example, whether the country, local government, corporation, or private individual that has jurisdiction over the position indicated by the position information. Further, as the information on the jurisdiction target, what exists at the position indicated by the position information may be further indicated. For example, the information on the jurisdiction target may indicate the following existence. - Structures such as roads, bridges, dams, sluice gates, and levees - Public buildings such as schools, hospitals, and government offices - Infrastructure facilities such as electricity, gas, water supply, and communication - Private buildings such as houses and commercial facilities - Natural environments such as forests managed by countries, local governments, corporations, etc.

[0042] The candidate specifying unit 204 specifies an event reflected in the image by analyzing the image information included in the inquiry information. For example, the candidate specifying unit 204 may specify one or more keywords indicating the event. Then, the candidate specifying unit 204 specifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the specified event from among a plurality of notification destinations. The plurality of notification destinations are notification destinations indicating public institutions and corporations stored in the storage unit 208 in advance.

[0043] The notification destination specifying unit 206 selects one or more event notification destinations from among the one or more notification destination candidates specified by the candidate specifying unit 204 using the position information and the map information stored in the map DB. That is, the notification destination specifying unit 206 narrows down the appropriate notification destination by using the position information and the map information. Thereby, the notification destination specifying unit 206 can specify an appropriate institution as the notification destination.

[0044] At least one of the candidate specifying unit 204 and the notification destination specifying unit 206 can specify an event notification destination by using, for example, an arbitrary algorithm or an AI model that has been learned in advance.

[0045] When the candidate identification unit 204 uses an AI model to identify an event, training is performed during the AI ​​model's learning phase by inputting training data, which includes sample image information and correct labels indicating one or more keywords that represent the event corresponding to the sample information. The candidate identification unit 204 inputs the image information acquired by the transmission / reception unit 202 to the AI ​​model that has been trained using the training data. Based on the input information, the AI ​​model outputs one or more keywords that represent the event corresponding to the input information.

[0046] The candidate identification unit 204 may identify one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to one or more keywords output based on an algorithm. Alternatively, the candidate identification unit 204 may identify one or more notification destination candidates using an AI model. In this case, during the training phase of the AI ​​model, training is performed by inputting training data, which includes one or more keywords that are sample information and one or more correct labels indicating the one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the sample information, into the AI ​​model. The candidate identification unit 204 inputs the one or more keywords output into the AI ​​model trained using the training data. The AI ​​model outputs one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the input information based on the input information.

[0047] As another example, the storage unit 208 may store keywords and one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to those keywords in an associated manner. The candidate identification unit 204 may identify one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to one or more keywords output by referring to the storage unit 208.

[0048] When the notification destination specifying unit 206 uses an AI model, in the learning stage of the AI model, learning is performed by inputting teacher data including sample information and a correct label indicating one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the sample information into the AI model. The sample information includes position information serving as a sample and notification destination candidates. In the inference stage, the notification destination specifying unit 206 inputs the position information acquired by the transmission / reception unit 202 and one or more notification destination candidates specified by the candidate specifying unit 204 to the AI model learned using the teacher data. The AI model outputs one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the input information based on the input information.

[0049] Note that the AI model used by at least any one of the candidate specifying unit 204 and the notification destination specifying unit 206 may be re-learned by inputting new teacher data to the AI model even after the inference process is executed. For example, the new teacher data may include information on the correctness of keywords transmitted by the terminal 100 and image information corresponding to the keywords. Further, the new teacher data may include information on keywords indicating accurate events transmitted by the terminal 100 and image information corresponding to the keywords. Note that the reception server 200 can specify the image information corresponding to the keyword using the identification information of the image information corresponding to the keyword transmitted by the terminal 100. For example, new teacher data can be input to the AI model used by the candidate specifying unit 204 for specifying an event. By updating the AI model in this way, the accuracy of the AI model is improved.

[0050] The transmission / reception unit 202 transmits the information of the event notification destination specified by the notification destination specifying unit 206 to the terminal 100. Note that the transmission / reception unit 202 may automatically execute a report by transmitting, to one or more notification destinations specified by the notification destination specifying unit 206, at least any one of the inquiry information and the event specified by the candidate specifying unit 204.

[0051] The memory unit 208 stores multiple notification destinations representing public institutions and corporations. For public institutions, the memory unit 208 stores notification destinations for various agencies of the national government and local governments (e.g., prefectures and municipalities). These agency notification destinations include single or local notification destinations for national or local government departments related to infrastructure or disasters, police, fire departments, coast guard organizations, customs, the Self-Defense Forces, or the military. Infrastructure refers to transportation, electricity, gas, water, communications, etc. Transportation includes railways, roads, airports, etc. For corporations, the memory unit 208 stores notification destinations for companies managing infrastructure. The memory unit 208 may also store notification destinations for company offices established in each region. Furthermore, the memory unit 208 may store notification destinations for companies managing buildings. The notification destination information stored in the memory unit 208 may be updated as needed.

[0052] However, the functions of the memory unit 208 described above may be implemented as a dedicated database located outside the reception server 200, rather than inside the reception server 200. This dedicated database may be operated, for example, by a public institution such as the government or a highly reliable corporation.

[0053] Furthermore, the storage unit 208 may store the inquiry information transmitted from the terminal 100. In addition, the storage unit 208 may store, in association with the transmitted inquiry information, at least one of the events identified by the candidate identification unit 204 regarding the inquiry information, and one or more event notification destinations identified by the notification destination identification unit 206 regarding the inquiry information.

[0054] (Application Example 1) Figures 6A to 6D show examples of inquiry information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 202. Below, we will explain an example in which the receiving server 200 identifies the event notification destination using the inquiry information shown in Figures 6A to 6D.

[0055] Figure 6A shows that the inquiry information includes image information PA showing a water pipe bursting on a road and water gushing out, and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the location where the image was taken is City A in Prefecture A. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PA and identifies that an event indicating a water pipe bursting on a road is captured in the image PA. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "water pipe burst" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the keyword "water pipe burst" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of waterworks bureaus of local governments stored in the storage unit 208 as notification destination candidates corresponding to the water pipe burst event.

[0056] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to identify that the image PA was taken in City A. More specifically, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the location of the image PA by obtaining map information of the location indicated by the location information from the map DB. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the Water Bureau of City A as the notification recipient for the event from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0057] Figure 6B shows that the inquiry information includes image information PB showing scattered garbage on the ground and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the shooting location is City B. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PB and identifies that an event showing scattered garbage on the ground is captured in the image PB. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "scattered garbage" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the keyword "scattered garbage" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of the environmental departments of each local government stored in the storage unit 208 as notification destination candidates corresponding to the event of a burst water pipe.

[0058] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to identify that the location where image PB was taken is City B. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the Environmental Department of City B as the notification recipient for the event from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0059] Figure 6C shows that the inquiry information includes image information PC indicating that a bear has been sighted, and location information such as latitude and longitude indicating that the location where the image was taken is town C. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PC and identifies that an event indicating a bear sighting is captured in the image PC. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "bear sighting" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the keyword "bear sighting" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the memory unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of the police and agricultural policy departments of each local government, which are stored in the memory unit 208, as notification destination candidates corresponding to the bear sighting event.

[0060] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to determine that the location where the image PC was taken is Town C. Based on this determination, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the police and agricultural policy division of Town C as the notification recipients for the incident from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0061] Figure 6D shows that the inquiry information includes image information PD showing a tree that has fallen onto the road, and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the location where the image was taken is on National Highway J in City D, Prefecture D. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PD and identifies that an event indicating a fallen tree on the road is captured in the image PD. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "fallen tree on the road" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more candidate notification destinations corresponding to the keyword "fallen tree on the road" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208, including the relevant offices of the national government and local governments, as well as the local offices of the road management company, as candidate notification destinations corresponding to the event of a fallen tree on the road. The relevant offices of the national government and local governments are, for example, the national highway office and the civil engineering offices of the local governments.

[0062] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to determine that the location where the image PC was taken is on National Highway J in City D. Based on this determination, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the National Highway Office notification recipient as the event notification recipient from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204. In addition, if the notification recipient identification unit 206 has multiple National Highway Office notification recipients in Prefecture D stored in the storage unit 208, it may identify the National Highway Office notification recipient that has jurisdiction over City D as the event notification recipient from among the multiple notification recipients.

[0063] In the examples shown above, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may perform location identification of the shooting location using map information not limited to the municipal level, but also to more subdivided units. For example, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may perform location identification of the shooting location at the level of administrative district, street address, or building name within a municipality.

[0064] In the case of Figure 6A, the candidate identification unit 204 identified "burst water pipe" as a keyword indicating the event and identified the notification destinations for the waterworks bureaus of each local government. However, the candidate identification unit 204 may further determine whether the water eruption is large-scale or not in the analysis of the image information PA. "Large-scale water eruption" means that the amount of water erupting per unit of time is estimated to be greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. For example, if the image PC is a video, the candidate identification unit 204 can determine whether the water eruption is large-scale or not by analyzing the content of the video.

[0065] If the candidate identification unit 204 determines that the water eruption is not large-scale, it simply identifies "burst water pipe" as the keyword to describe the event and identifies the notification recipient for the waterworks bureau of each local government. Subsequently, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the notification recipient for the waterworks bureau of City A. Details of this identification process are as described above.

[0066] On the other hand, if the candidate identification unit 204 determines that the water eruption is large-scale, it identifies not only "burst water pipe" but also "flooded roads" as keywords indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more candidate notification destinations corresponding to each of the keywords "burst water pipe" and "flooded roads" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the memory unit 208. For the event of a burst water pipe, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of the waterworks bureaus of each local government. For the event of flooded roads, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of the national government and the relevant offices of each local government.

[0067] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to identify that the location where the image PA was taken is in City A. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the notification recipient for City A's waterworks bureau from among the notification recipients of the waterworks bureaus of each local government regarding the water pipe burst incident. The notification recipient identification unit 206 also uses location information to identify that the location where the image PA was taken is on a designated prefectural road in City A. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the notification recipient for the civil engineering office of Prefecture A from among the notification recipients of the national government and the relevant offices of each local government regarding the road flooding incident. Note that if multiple notification recipients for the civil engineering office of Prefecture A are stored in the storage unit 208, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may identify the notification recipient for the civil engineering office that has jurisdiction over City A from among the multiple notification recipients. If the water eruption is large-scale, not only will water pipe repairs be necessary, but road restoration work on the flooded roads will also be required. In such cases, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can also identify the notification recipients for all organizations necessary for infrastructure restoration.

[0068] As another example, in the case of Figure 6A, the candidate identification unit 204 may analyze the image information PA and identify not only the event indicating a burst water pipe on the road, but also that there is a hole in the road. In this case, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies not only "burst water pipe" but also "road collapse" as keywords indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to each of the keywords "burst water pipe" and "road collapse" from among the multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the waterworks bureaus of each local government as notification destination candidates corresponding to the event of a burst water pipe. The candidate identification unit 204 also identifies the relevant offices of the national government and each local government as notification destination candidates corresponding to the event of a road collapse. After this, the notification destination identification unit 206 performs the same processing as above to identify the waterworks bureau of City A and the civil engineering office of Prefecture A as notification destinations.

[0069] If, in the case of Figure 6A, water is not gushing out, the candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PA and identifies "road collapse" as the keyword indicating the event. In that case, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies the relevant offices of the national government and each local government as potential notification recipients. Accordingly, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the civil engineering office of Prefecture A as the notification recipient.

[0070] Furthermore, even if the candidate identification unit 204 simply identifies "road collapse" as a keyword indicating the event, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may identify multiple notification recipients as necessary. Specifically, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information to identify that the location where the image PA was taken is in City A. At this time, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information to determine whether the location where the image PA was taken is near the boundary between a predetermined prefectural road and a national road in City A. For example, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may determine whether the distance between the location indicated by the location information and the location indicating the boundary between the prefectural road and the national road is within a predetermined threshold on the map information. If the distance is within the predetermined threshold, the notification recipient identification unit 206 determines that the shooting location is near the boundary between a predetermined prefectural road and a national road in City A. On the other hand, if the distance is greater than the predetermined threshold, the notification recipient identification unit 206 determines that the shooting location is not near the boundary between a predetermined prefectural road and a national road in City A. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, a value based on the error that occurs in the positioning function of the location information acquisition unit 104 of the terminal 100.

[0071] If the location where the image PA was taken is not near the boundary between a designated prefectural road and a national highway in City A, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the civil engineering office of Prefecture A as the notification recipient from among the notification recipients of the national government and the relevant offices of each local government. In this case, the location where the image PA was taken is, for example, on a designated prefectural road in City A. On the other hand, if the location where the image PA was taken is near the boundary between a designated prefectural road and a national highway in City A, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the civil engineering office and the national highway office of Prefecture A as the notification recipients from among the notification recipients of the national government and the relevant offices of each local government. In addition, as a detailed notification recipient identification process, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may identify the notification recipient of the civil engineering office of Prefecture A that has jurisdiction over City A and the notification recipient of the national highway office that has jurisdiction over City A. This explanation is as described above. Thus, even if the location where the event occurred is near the boundary of an area under the jurisdiction of multiple organizations, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can identify multiple organizations as notification recipients.

[0072] (Application Example 2) In the above example, the receiving server 200 used latitude and longitude as location information to identify the notification recipient. However, the receiving server 200 may also use latitude, longitude, and altitude as location information to identify the notification recipient, as shown below.

[0073] Figure 7A shows an example of query information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 202. Figure 7A shows that the query information includes image information PE indicating that there is an object on the road, and latitude and longitude location information indicating that the shooting location is on Expressway K Line or Prefectural Road L Line in City E, Prefecture E.

[0074] Figure 7B shows an example of the location indicated by the location information in Figure 7A. Figure 7B shows that Expressway K Line and Prefectural Road L Line form an overpass, with Expressway K Line on the upper side of the overpass (K1 in Figure 7B) and Prefectural Road L Line on the lower side of the overpass (L1 in Figure 7B). The map database stores altitude information for Expressway K Line and Prefectural Road L Line at the location of the overpass shown in Figure 7B. If the location information only includes two-dimensional information of latitude and longitude, the reception server 200 cannot determine which road the fallen object is on in the situation shown in Figure 7B. However, by further including altitude information in the location information, the reception server 200 can determine which road the fallen object is on.

[0075] The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PE to identify that an event indicating the presence of an object on the road is captured in the image PE. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "object on the road" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the keyword "object on the road" from among the multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208, including the relevant offices of the national and local governments, as well as the local offices of the road management company, as notification destination candidates corresponding to the event of an object on the road.

[0076] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses the latitude and longitude information included in the location information and the map information to determine that the location where the image PE was taken is on either Expressway K or Prefectural Road L in City E. Furthermore, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses the altitude information included in the location information and the map information to determine whether the location where the image PE was taken is on Expressway K or Prefectural Road L in City E.

[0077] For example, if the altitude included in the location information is "15m", the notification recipient identification unit 206 obtains map information for the location indicated by the altitude "15m" in the location information from the map DB. Based on this, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies that the location where the image PE was taken is on Expressway K. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the notification recipient of the company that manages Expressway K in City E from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0078] On the other hand, if the altitude included in the location information is "1 m", the notification recipient identification unit 206 obtains map information of the location indicated by the altitude "1 m" in the location information from the map DB. This allows the notification recipient identification unit 206 to determine that the location where the image PE was taken is on Prefectural Road L. Based on this determination, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the road office managing Prefectural Road L in E Prefecture from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204. This enables the notification recipient identification unit 206 to identify an appropriate organization as the notification recipient.

[0079] [Flowchart Description] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a typical example of the processing performed by the reception server 200. This flowchart provides an overview of the processing performed by the reception server 200. Details of each process are as described above, so explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0080] First, the transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives inquiry information from the terminal 100, including image information and location information (step S22). The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the event depicted in the image by analyzing the image information included in the inquiry information. Then, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the identified event (step S24). The notification destination identification unit 206 uses the location information and map information stored in the map DB to identify one or more event notification destinations from among the one or more notification destination candidates (step S26).

[0081] [Explanation of Effects] As described above, when an event occurs, the reception server 200 can identify an appropriate event notification recipient depending on the situation. Therefore, the user or the reception server 200 can notify the appropriate organization. When the reception server 200 is applied to administrative services, it can lead to an improvement in the quality of administrative services. In addition, since users do not need to input text or engage in conversation when making inquiries, the effort required of the user can also be reduced.

[0082] Furthermore, since the reception server 200 can automate the process leading up to notification, it can provide technology that is particularly suitable in an era of population decline. Also, when terminal 100 takes an image of any infrastructure equipment and sends it to the reception server 200 as inquiry information, the reception server 200 identifies the recipient of the event notification regarding the event that occurred at the infrastructure equipment. Therefore, the reception server 200 can also be applied to the automated management of infrastructure.

[0083] Furthermore, when the reception server 200 executes a notification to the event notification recipient, the display unit 108 and input unit 110 are not required in the terminal 100. In this case, the terminal 100 may be, for example, a camera, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), etc. The camera may be a fixed-point camera that continuously photographs a predetermined position, or a camera whose target location moves (for example, an in-vehicle camera).

[0084] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 can identify one or more notification destination candidates from among multiple notification destinations using image information, and the notification destination identification unit 206 can identify one or more event notification destinations from among one or more notification destination candidates using location information. Therefore, compared to the case where one or more event notification destinations are identified in one step from among multiple notification destinations, the processing required to identify event notification destinations can be reduced. However, the receiving server 200 may first identify one or more notification destination candidates using location information, and then identify one or more event notification destinations from among the one or more notification destination candidates using image information. This process will be described later.

[0085] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 may identify multiple candidate notification destinations, each responsible for a different target, from among multiple notification destinations. As a result, the notification destination identification unit 206 can identify multiple notification destinations, each responsible for a different target, as event notification destinations. By enabling notifications to each notification destination, the reception server 200 can respond quickly to the event.

[0086] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 may use the image information to identify the event indicated by the image information and identify one or more notification destination candidates according to the identified event. This allows the receiving server 200 to accurately identify event notification destinations that are considered to match the event that actually occurs. Therefore, the user or the receiving server 200 can notify the appropriate organization.

[0087] Furthermore, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may use not only location information but also map information to identify one or more jurisdictional entities related to the location information. The notification recipient identification unit 206 then identifies one or more event notification recipients corresponding to the one or more jurisdictional entities identified. This makes it possible to notify the appropriate agency in the location where the event occurred, and it is expected that the event will be dealt with appropriately.

[0088] Here, the location information includes information about the altitude at which the image was taken, and the map information may associate information about the jurisdiction with the location on the map, including the altitude. The notification destination identification unit 206 identifies one or more jurisdictional entities related to the location information according to the altitude of the location information, thereby identifying one or more event notification destinations. As a result, even in cases such as those shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the receiving server 200 can select an appropriate event notification destination. Therefore, it is expected that an appropriate response will be taken to the event.

[0089] Furthermore, if the notification recipient identification unit 206 determines, by referring to map information, that the location indicated by the location information is located at the boundary of an area under the jurisdiction of multiple jurisdictions, it may identify multiple event notification recipients corresponding to multiple jurisdictions. This allows the user or the receiving server 200 to notify multiple event notification recipients. Therefore, it is expected that the event will be resolved quickly.

[0090] The following describes examples of variations of the reception server 200 or notification system S1 shown in (2A). In the following description, explanations of points already explained in (2A) will be omitted as appropriate, and the focus will be on the configuration or processing specific to each variation.

[0091] (2B) The information of the notification recipients used by the notification recipient identification unit 206 does not have to be stored in the storage unit 208 or the dedicated DB. The case shown in Figure 6A of (Application Example 1) will be explained below. As shown in (2A), the candidate identification unit 204 identifies "burst water pipe" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies that one or more notification recipient candidates corresponding to the keyword "burst water pipe" are notification recipients of the waterworks bureaus of each local government.

[0092] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to identify that the image PA was taken in City A. Based on this identification, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies City A's waterworks bureau as the appropriate recipient from among the waterworks bureaus of each local government. The notification recipient identification unit 206 uses the internet to search for City A's waterworks bureau and obtains information on City A's waterworks bureau as the recipient.

[0093] In an internet search, multiple websites may be returned as results. In this case, the notification destination identification unit 206 may determine the degree of trustworthiness for each of the returned websites. The notification destination identification unit 206 can determine whether each website is trustworthy or not by using, for example, an arbitrary algorithm or a pre-trained AI model. For example, the notification destination identification unit 206 can determine whether each website is trustworthy or not by determining at least one of the following: whether the website has a server certificate, or whether the website is a fake site stored in the memory unit 208. As another example, when an AI model is used for the determination, during the training phase of the AI ​​model, training data including website information that serves as sample information and correct labels indicating whether the sample information is trustworthy or not is input to the AI ​​model, and training is performed. During the inference phase, the notification destination identification unit 206 inputs the information of each returned website to the AI ​​model trained using the training data. Based on the input information, the AI ​​model outputs information indicating whether the input information is trustworthy or not.

[0094] The internet may contain unreliable websites, such as fake sites. Therefore, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can suppress the acquisition of content from unreliable websites as notification recipients by performing the above judgment on each hit website. The receiving server 200 can provide the user of terminal 100 with information on notification recipients listed on highly reliable websites (for example, highly public websites). As a result, the user can report the incident to the appropriate organization. The receiving server 200 may also automatically send notifications to the acquired notification recipients.

[0095] Furthermore, the processing described above may be performed even if the notification destination information used by the notification destination identification unit 206 is stored in the storage unit 208 or the dedicated database. In this case, the administrator of the reception server 200 can choose whether the notification destination information used by the notification destination identification unit 206 is the information stored in the storage unit 208 or the dedicated database, or the information of a website found through an internet search. This allows the administrator to switch the processing of the reception server 200.

[0096] (2C) In (2A), map information was stored in the map DB, and notification destination information was stored in the storage unit 208 or a dedicated DB. However, the map information and notification destination information do not have to be stored in different locations. For example, each location in the map information may be associated with one or more notification destinations corresponding to the location. In this case, when the transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives query information, the candidate identification unit 204 and the notification destination identification unit 206 perform the following processing.

[0097] The candidate identification unit 204 obtains one or more notification destinations associated with the location information included in the query information by referring to the map DB. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the obtained one or more notification destinations as notification destination candidates.

[0098] The notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the event depicted in the image by analyzing the image information included in the inquiry information. For example, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may identify one or more keywords that indicate the event. Then, the notification recipient identification unit 206 selects one or more notification recipient candidates corresponding to the identified event from among the one or more notification recipient candidates identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0099] The following explanation will refer to the example in Figure 6A. The candidate identification unit 204 obtains one or more notification destinations associated with City A, the location where the image PA was taken, by referring to the map DB. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the obtained one or more notification destinations as candidate notification destinations. The one or more notification destinations include, for example, notification destinations for various departments of City A's city hall, or notification destinations for the national government, prefecture, or corporation that manages infrastructure facilities located in City A.

[0100] The notification recipient identification unit 206 analyzes the image information PA and identifies that an event indicating a burst water pipe on the road is captured in the image PA. The notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies "burst water pipe" as a keyword indicating the event. The notification recipient identification unit 206 then identifies one or more candidate notification recipients corresponding to the keyword "burst water pipe" from the candidate notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204. The notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the waterworks bureau of City A as a candidate notification recipient corresponding to the event of a burst water pipe.

[0101] (2D) In ​​(2A), it was shown that when an event occurs, the receiving server 200 identifies the notification recipient for the target that has jurisdiction over the location where the event occurred, thereby enabling the user or the receiving server 200 to notify the target. However, the receiving server 200 may identify notification recipients for targets other than those that have jurisdiction over the location where the event occurred.

[0102] As an example, let's assume that the inquiry information sent from terminal 100 includes image information PF indicating that a river is overflowing, and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the shooting location is F city in F prefecture. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PF and identifies that an event indicating a river overflowing is captured in the image PF. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies "river overflowing" as a keyword indicating the event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the keyword "river overflowing" from among multiple notification destinations stored in the storage unit 208. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of each local government's civil engineering office stored in the storage unit 208 as notification destination candidates corresponding to the river overflowing event.

[0103] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 sets a predetermined area that includes the location indicated by the location information. The predetermined area may be, for example, an area within a predetermined distance from the location indicated by the location information. Alternatively, the predetermined area may be an area within a predetermined distance from the river where the flood occurred. Furthermore, the predetermined area may be an area within a predetermined distance Th1 upstream of the location indicated by the location information and within a predetermined distance Th2 (Th2 > Th1) downstream of the location indicated by the location information. The predetermined area described above is an area that is expected to be affected by the event of river flooding.

[0104] The candidate identification unit 204 sets whether or not to set a predetermined area based on the type of event identified. For example, the candidate identification unit 204 may determine whether or not a keyword indicating an event means a disaster or a major accident. Examples of keywords include, but are not limited to, flood, fire, collapse, landslide, and collision. The candidate identification unit 204 may perform this determination by determining whether or not a predetermined phrase meaning a disaster or a major accident is included in the keyword. If the predetermined phrase is included in the keyword, the candidate identification unit 204 refers to a predetermined area stored in the storage unit 208 that is associated with the predetermined phrase. As a result, the candidate identification unit 204 sets a predetermined area corresponding to the predetermined phrase included in the keyword. The predetermined area stored in the storage unit 208 may change depending on the phrase.

[0105] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 may also identify the extent of river flooding when analyzing the image information PF. The extent of river flooding can be identified based on the amount of water flowing out of the river per unit time, the size of the river, etc., as shown in the image information PF. The candidate identification unit 204 can change the size of a predetermined area (for example, the radius of a predetermined area) according to the extent of river flooding.

[0106] Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 may change the warning level of the notification between a first area closer to the filming location and a second area (i.e., the area further from the filming location) within a predetermined area, depending on the degree of river flooding. In other words, the candidate identification unit 204 may set a higher warning level for the first area and a lower warning level for the second area. The warning level indicates the urgency of the situation. For example, when the reception server 200 transmits information indicating the identified event notification destination to the terminal 100, the display unit of the terminal 100 will display event notification destinations with high warning levels in a different manner than event notification destinations with low warning levels. For example, event notification destinations with high warning levels may be displayed in a conspicuous color such as yellow or red. Also, when the reception server 200 executes a notification to a notification destination, it is possible to change the manner in which the notification destination terminal notifies the notification according to the warning level of the notification destination. The higher the warning level, the more conspicuous the notification content may be displayed on the screen of the notification destination terminal, such as yellow or red. Alternatively, the higher the warning level, the louder the notification volume on the receiving device may be.

[0107] The candidate identification unit 204 may divide the predetermined area into three or more parts. The candidate identification unit 204 can set the warning level for the divided areas to be higher the closer they are to the shooting location. In addition, even if an event such as flooding, fire, collapse, or landslide occurs, not limited to flooding, the candidate identification unit 204 can identify the severity of the event and perform the above processing according to its severity.

[0108] When the candidate identification unit 204 uses an AI model to identify an event, the AI ​​model may output information indicating the severity of the event. For training the AI ​​model, training data is used that includes image information, which is sample information, one or more keywords indicating the event corresponding to the sample information, and correct labels indicating the severity of the event. As a result, the AI ​​model can output information indicating the severity of the event, in addition to keywords indicating the event, during the inference stage.

[0109] Next, the notification recipient identification unit 206 uses location information and map information to determine that the location where the image PF was taken is in City F. Based on this determination, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the civil engineering office of City F as the notification recipient from among the notification recipients identified by the candidate identification unit 204.

[0110] Furthermore, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies one or more jurisdictional entities included within a predetermined area related to the location information by referring to map information. As shown in (2A), these one or more jurisdictional entities are the national government, local governments, corporations, or private individuals. These jurisdictional entities manage at least one of the structures, public buildings, infrastructure facilities, buildings, and natural environment included within the predetermined area. Based on the information of the identified jurisdictional entities, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies notification recipients other than the civil engineering office of City F.

[0111] For example, let's assume that the designated area includes a prefectural road in F Prefecture, a dam managed by the national government, an elementary school in F City, an electric power plant, commercial facilities, and a national forest. In this case, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the notification recipients for each jurisdictional object, including the road office in F Prefecture, the national government department that manages the dam, the school education division of F City, the electric power company that manages the power plant, the corporation that owns the commercial facilities, and the national government department that manages the national forest.

[0112] Furthermore, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may determine, by referring to map information, whether or not other local governments are included in the predetermined area in addition to City F. For example, if the predetermined area includes City G, which is adjacent to City F in Prefecture F, and Town H, which is located in Prefecture H, which is adjacent to Prefecture F, the notification recipient identification unit 206 will identify the respective civil engineering offices of City G and Town H as the notification recipients.

[0113] When a disaster such as a river flood occurs, it is expected that it will have a wide-ranging impact. In such cases, as described above, the reception server 200 can identify not only the organization that manages the location where the event occurred, but also the surrounding municipalities and the organizations that manage nearby facilities. Therefore, the user or the reception server 200 can notify all organizations that may be affected by the event. Consequently, early response to or recovery from the event becomes possible. Furthermore, the reception server 200 can also change the range of organizations that are identified for notification depending on the type of event. Therefore, the reception server 200 can suppress notifications to organizations that are unlikely to be affected by the event.

[0114] (2E) The receiving server 200 may also use information other than the inquiry information to identify the notification recipient for reporting. Several examples are described below.

[0115] (i) For example, in (2D), the notification recipient identification unit 206, having identified that the location where the image PF was taken is City F, obtains weather information for City F via the Internet. The notification recipient identification unit 206 can also obtain weather information for locations other than City F. For example, if the event is a river flood, the nature of the flood may also change depending on the weather around the flood point (for example, the weather upstream from the flood point). Therefore, based on the fact that the event is a river flood, the notification recipient identification unit 206 may further obtain weather information for locations other than City F (for example, weather information for one or more local governments upstream of City F). Even if the event indicates another disaster or major accident, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can obtain weather information not only for the location where the image was taken but also for the surrounding area for the same reasons.

[0116] The notification recipient identification unit 206 can obtain at least one of the following as weather information: • Current precipitation (i.e., at the time of notification recipient identification) • Past precipitation within a predetermined period • Forecast precipitation from the present until a predetermined period has elapsed • Presence or absence of typhoons or linear rainbands in or within a predetermined distance from City F

[0117] The notification recipient identification unit 206 can change the size of a predetermined area set by the candidate identification unit 204 based on the acquired weather information. Furthermore, if the candidate identification unit 204 divides the predetermined area into two or more areas and sets different warning levels for each divided area, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can also change at least one of the sizes of each divided area and the warning levels set for each area. In this way, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can consider whether or not the extent of flooding will change according to the weather information and change whether or not to notify and the manner of notification. For example, if the extent of flooding is expected to worsen further based on the weather information, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can make it possible to notify a wider range of local governments, etc., than the area initially set by the candidate identification unit 204. Therefore, it becomes possible to respond to or recover from the event earlier.

[0118] The processing shown in (ii)(i) can also be performed for other events. For example, suppose that the inquiry information sent from terminal 100 includes image information PG indicating that a fire has occurred, and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the location where the image was taken is City F in Prefecture F. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PG and identifies that an event indicating that a fire has occurred is captured in the image PG. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of fire departments of each local government stored in the storage unit 208 as candidate notification destinations corresponding to the event of a fire occurring. Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 sets a predetermined area including the location indicated by the location information. The details of this are the same as those shown in (2D).

[0119] The notification recipient identification unit 206, upon determining that the location where the image PG was taken is City F, obtains weather information for City F via the Internet. Here, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can obtain at least one of the following as weather information: - At least one of the current weather or wind speed (i.e., at the time of notification recipient identification) - At least one of the expected weather or wind speed from the present until a predetermined period has elapsed The notification recipient identification unit 206 can change the size of the predetermined area set by the candidate identification unit 204 based on the acquired weather information. Furthermore, if the candidate identification unit 204 divides the predetermined area into two or more areas and sets different warning levels for each divided area, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can also change at least one of the sizes of each divided area and the warning level set for each area.

[0120] (iii) As another example, let us assume that the inquiry information transmitted from terminal 100 includes image information PH indicating that a landslide has occurred, and location information of latitude and longitude indicating that the location where the image was taken is City F in Prefecture F. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information PH and identifies that an event indicating a landslide has occurred is captured in the image PH. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies the notification destinations of the civil engineering offices of each local government stored in the storage unit 208 as candidate notification destinations corresponding to the landslide event. Furthermore, the candidate identification unit 204 sets a predetermined area including the location indicated by the location information. The details of this are the same as those shown in (2D).

[0121] The notification recipient identification unit 206, upon determining that the location where image PH was taken is F City, obtains weather information for F City via the Internet. Here, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can obtain at least one of the following as weather information: - Current precipitation (i.e., at the time of notification recipient identification) - Past precipitation within a predetermined period - Forecast precipitation from the present until a predetermined period has elapsed - Presence or absence of typhoons or linear rainbands in F City or within a predetermined distance from F City. Based on the acquired weather information, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can change the size of a predetermined area set by the candidate identification unit 204. Furthermore, if the candidate identification unit 204 divides the predetermined area into two or more areas and sets different warning levels for each divided area, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can also change at least one of the sizes of each divided area and the warning level set for each area. Through the above processing, for example, if a landslide occurs when it is not raining, the notification recipient identification unit 206 will identify only the civil engineering office of F City as the notification recipient. On the other hand, if a landslide occurs due to heavy rainfall, the notification recipient identification unit 206 can identify not only the civil engineering office of City F as a notification recipient, but also the civil engineering offices of surrounding municipalities of City F. Furthermore, the reception server 200 can raise the warning level according to the weather conditions, making it possible to control the type of notification according to the situation.

[0122] Furthermore, the map information may include a hazard map showing the presence and degree of risk of one or more types of disasters. In case (iii), when the notification recipient identification unit 206 refers to the map information, it identifies the location where the landslide occurred as indicated by the location information as a location on the hazard map related to sediment-related disasters. The notification recipient identification unit 206 then identifies locations where landslides are likely to occur in a chain reaction with the location where the landslide occurred by analyzing the hazard map. The notification recipient identification unit 206 can identify not only the civil engineering office of City F, but also the civil engineering office of the local government that has jurisdiction over the identified locations where landslides are likely to occur as notification recipients. The notification recipient identification unit 206 may also change the warning level for the identified location according to the degree of risk indicated by that location. The reception server 200 can perform similar processing even if other events such as floods occur.

[0123] As described above, the notification destination identification unit 206 may further use environmental information indicating the environment around the location indicated by the location information, such as weather information and hazard maps, to identify the event notification destination. This allows the receiving server 200 to further improve the accuracy of the notification destination selected for an event.

[0124] Embodiment 3 This embodiment describes an example of applying the information processing system 10 to the suppression of accidents on roadways.

[0125] (3A) [Description of Configuration] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the notification system described in this disclosure. The notification system S2 includes a camera 300, a reception server 400, in-vehicle terminals 500A to 500E, a management server 600, and a map database. The reception server 400 is also connected to the internet. Based on the event inquiry information acquired from the camera 300, the reception server 400 identifies candidate notification destinations and then identifies the event notification destination.

[0126] Furthermore, by providing multiple cameras 300 and having the receiving server 400 acquire event inquiry information from each camera, the accuracy of event location and event identification, as described later, can be improved. Multiple management servers 600 can also be provided.

[0127] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a camera according to this disclosure. The camera 300 comprises a shooting unit 302, a transmitting / receiving unit (transceiver) 304, and a storage unit 306. In this example, the camera 300 is a fixed-point camera installed on a traffic light. However, the camera 300 may be installed on other equipment around the roadway. Alternatively, a terminal or the like owned by the user may perform the role of the camera 300.

[0128] The imaging unit 302 captures images of the area around the camera 300 and acquires video as image information. However, the imaging unit 302 may also intermittently capture still images of the area around the camera 300 and acquire them as image information. A detailed explanation of the imaging unit 302 is the same as that of the imaging unit 102 described above, so the explanation is omitted. The transmitting and receiving unit 304 transmits the image information acquired by the imaging unit 302 and the location information of the camera 300 stored in the storage unit 306 to the receiving server 400 as inquiry information.

[0129] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a reception server according to this disclosure. The reception server 400 differs from the reception server 200 in that it further includes a notification content determination unit 210. The following describes each part. Note that the processing of the reception server, which has already been explained in (2A), etc., will be omitted from the explanation as appropriate.

[0130] The transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives inquiry information transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 304 of the camera 300. The transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives the location of each terminal intermittently transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 500. The transmitting / receiving unit 202 also transmits information about the event notification destination identified based on the inquiry information to one or more in-vehicle terminals 500 and the management server 600.

[0131] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 202 obtains map information from the map database to be used in the processing of the notification content determination unit 210, which will be described later. The map database stores map information in which location information on a map is associated with detailed road information. The detailed road information includes the number of lanes on the road, the direction of travel of vehicles in each lane, and road markings on the road surface.

[0132] The candidate identification unit 204 identifies events depicted in an image by analyzing the image information included in the inquiry information. Examples of events that can be identified include, but are not limited to, vehicle accidents, the presence of a vehicle driving in the wrong direction, accidents at railroad crossings, and road blockages. Road blockage means, for example, that vehicles cannot pass on the road or that passage is hindered due to events such as fallen trees, landslides, or the collapse of buildings around the road. For example, the candidate identification unit 204 may identify one or more keywords that indicate an event. The candidate identification unit 204 then identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the identified event from among a plurality of notification destinations. The plurality of notification destinations are notification destinations that indicate an in-vehicle terminal 500 and a management server 600, which are stored in advance in the storage unit 208.

[0133] The notification recipient identification unit 206 uses the location information included in the inquiry information and the location information of the in-vehicle terminal 500 stored in the storage unit 208 to select one or more event notification recipients from the one or more notification recipient candidates identified by the candidate identification unit 204. This allows the notification recipient identification unit 206 to identify an appropriate individual or organization as a notification recipient.

[0134] The memory unit 208 stores multiple pre-registered in-vehicle terminals 500 and the management server 600 as notification destinations. The management server 600 is, for example, a server owned by an organization such as the police, a road management company, or an accident response company. The memory unit 208 also stores the location information of each in-vehicle terminal 500. When location information is transmitted from each in-vehicle terminal 500, the receiving server 400 updates the location information of each in-vehicle terminal 500 stored in the memory unit 208.

[0135] The notification content determination unit 210 determines the notification content for one or more event notification recipients identified by the notification recipient identification unit 206. For example, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the notification content for each in-vehicle terminal 500 based on the location of each of the multiple event notification recipients and the content of the event. Alternatively, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the notification content for each in-vehicle terminal 500 based on the location information of the in-vehicle terminal 500 identified by the notification recipient identification unit 206 and the map information stored in the map DB. Details of this will be described later.

[0136] The transmitting / receiving unit 202 transmits a notification containing the notification content determined by the notification content determination unit 210 to one or more notification recipients identified by the notification recipient identification unit 206.

[0137] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example of an in-vehicle terminal according to this disclosure. The in-vehicle terminal 500 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 502, a location information acquisition unit 504, a notification unit 506, and an input unit 508. The in-vehicle terminal 500 is, for example, a car navigation system or a tablet, but is not limited thereto.

[0138] The transmitting / receiving unit 502 intermittently transmits the location information of its own terminal, acquired by the location information acquisition unit 504, to the receiving server 400. The transmitting / receiving unit 502 also receives notifications from the receiving server 400.

[0139] The location information acquisition unit 504 acquires the location information of the in-vehicle terminal 500. In this example, the in-vehicle terminal 500 determines the location information of terminal 100 using GNSS. In this example, the location information includes latitude, longitude, and altitude.

[0140] The notification unit 506 includes an interface such as a display that shows the notification content of the notification transmitted by the reception server 400. The notification unit 506 may also include a speaker or the like that outputs the notification content of the notification transmitted by the reception server 400 as sound. The input unit 508 is an interface such as a button that accepts input from the user. The notification unit 506 and the input unit 508 may be physically integrated into a single unit, such as a touch panel.

[0141] Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a management server according to this disclosure. The management server 600 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 602 and a display unit 604. The transmitting / receiving unit 602 receives notifications from the receiving server 400. The display unit 604 is an interface such as a display and shows the notification content of the notification transmitted by the receiving server 400. Staff of the organization under the management server 600 can decide on the dispatch of necessary personnel to the site by referring to the displayed notification content.

[0142] Figure 14 shows an example of the application of the notification system S2. Figure 14 shows a road R and vehicles VA to VE, which are automobiles traveling on road R. Road R has a lane LH, which is defined as a lane where vehicles travel from right to left in Figure 14, and a lane RH, which is defined as a lane where vehicles travel from left to right. Lane LH and lane RH are separated by a median strip ST. Lane LH has lane LH1 on the median strip ST side and lane LH2 on the sidewalk side. Lane RH has lane RH1 on the median strip ST side and lane RH2 on the sidewalk side. Vehicles VA to VD travel in lane LH, and vehicle VE travels in lane RH. In detail, vehicles VA and VD travel in lane LH1, and vehicles VB and VC travel in lane LH2. Vehicle VE also travels in lane RH1. Vehicles VA through VE are equipped with on-board terminals 500A through 500E, respectively.

[0143] In Figure 14, vehicles VA through VC are traveling in lane LH from right to left, while vehicle VD is traveling in lane LH from left to right. In other words, vehicles VA through VC are traveling in lane LH without any problems, while vehicle VD is traveling in the wrong direction in lane LH. Also, vehicle VE is traveling in lane RH from left to right in Figure 14. In other words, vehicle VE is traveling in lane RH without any problems.

[0144] The camera 300, installed at a traffic light near road R, has an imaging unit 302 that captures image information showing the driving status of each vehicle as described above. The transmitting / receiving unit 304 transmits this image information and the location information of the camera 300 to the receiving server 400 as inquiry information.

[0145] The receiving server 400's transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives the inquiry information. The candidate identification unit 204 analyzes the image information included in the inquiry information and identifies that vehicle VD is traveling in the wrong direction in lane LH on road R, and that vehicles VA to VC and vehicle VE are located around vehicle VD (for example, within a predetermined distance from vehicle VD). Based on this analysis result, the candidate identification unit 204 identifies the in-vehicle terminals 500 and the management server 600 mounted on vehicles VA to VE as candidate notification destinations. However, at this stage, the specific notification destinations of the in-vehicle terminals 500 mounted on vehicles VA to VE have not yet been identified.

[0146] The notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the latitude, longitude, and altitude location information of vehicles VA to VE based on the location information of camera 300 in the inquiry information and the locations of vehicles VA to VE within the image of camera 300. The notification recipient identification unit 206 compares the identified location information of vehicles VA to VE with the location information of each in-vehicle terminal 500 stored in the storage unit 208. Through this comparison, the notification recipient identification unit 206 determines that in-vehicle terminal 500A, located at the location information of vehicle VA, is mounted on vehicle VA. The notification recipient identification unit 206 performs the same process for in-vehicle terminals 500B to 500E, determining that these terminals are mounted on vehicles VB to VE, respectively. As described above, the notification recipient identification unit 206 identifies the in-vehicle terminals 500 mounted on the identified vehicles VA to VE. The notification destination identification unit 206 identifies the notification destinations of the identified in-vehicle terminals 500A to 500E and the notification destination of the management server 600 as event notification destinations.

[0147] The notification content determination unit 210 determines the notification content for each event recipient based on the location of the multiple in-vehicle terminals 500 that receive event notifications and the content of the event.

[0148] (1) First, the notification content determination unit 210 identifies the in-vehicle terminal 500D of vehicle VD that is driving in the wrong direction from among vehicles VA to VE that are equipped with the in-vehicle terminal 500 which is the recipient of the event notification. Then, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification content to instruct the in-vehicle terminal 500D to stop driving in the wrong direction. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500D the message, "You are currently driving in the wrong direction. Please move to the shoulder of the road immediately and stop the vehicle."

[0149] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminal 500D and the in-vehicle terminal 500D on the road R, based on the location information of the in-vehicle terminal 500D (i.e., the location information of the vehicle VD) and the map information stored in the map DB. However, the notification content determination unit 210 may also recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the vehicle VD and the vehicle VD on the road R, using the results of the candidate identification unit 204's analysis of the image information. The notification content determination unit 210 recognizes that the vehicle VD is traveling in lane LH1 on the median strip ST side. As a result, the notification content determination unit 210 determines that the travel time for the vehicle VD to move to the shoulder on the median strip ST side is shorter than the travel time for the vehicle VD to move beyond lane LH2 to the shoulder on the sidewalk side. Therefore, in order to quickly avoid contact between the vehicle VD and other vehicles, the notification content determination unit 210 determines that it is preferable for the vehicle VD to move to the shoulder on the median strip ST side. Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine that the shoulder on the median strip ST side is to the left of the vehicle VD, based on the configuration of the road R and the positional relationship between the road R and the in-vehicle terminal 500D on the road R.

[0150] Based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500D instructing it to move vehicle VD to the shoulder on the median strip ST side and stop driving in the wrong direction. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500D the message, "You are currently driving in the wrong direction. Quickly move to the shoulder on the median strip side and stop the vehicle." Alternatively, based on the positional relationship between vehicle VD and the shoulder on the median strip ST side, the notification content determination unit 210 may set the notification content to, "You are currently driving in the wrong direction. Quickly move to the shoulder on the median strip side on the left side of the vehicle and stop the vehicle."

[0151] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may calculate the time until vehicle VA and vehicle VD make contact based on the speed of vehicle VA and vehicle VD, and the distance between vehicle VA and vehicle VD. The notification content determination unit 210 can acquire the speed of vehicle VA and vehicle VD, and the distance between vehicle VA and vehicle VD, in accordance with the positions of vehicle VA and vehicle VD shown in the image information, or the changes in the position information of the in-vehicle terminals 500A and 500D within a predetermined period. The notification content determination unit 210 may further indicate the calculated time in the notification content.

[0152] The notification content determination unit 210 may, upon determining that the vehicle VD has stopped, either stop sending notifications to the in-vehicle terminal 500D or switch the notification content to something else. The notification content determination unit 210 determines that the vehicle VD has stopped based on the image of the vehicle VD reflected in the image information. Alternatively, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine that the vehicle VD has stopped based on the fact that the location information of the in-vehicle terminal 500D has not changed within a predetermined period.

[0153] For example, when the vehicle VD stops, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification indicating whether to switch the driving lane to lane RH, or to reverse the direction of the vehicle VD and then continue driving in the current lane LH. In this case, the notification content will be, "Please switch the driving lane to the opposite lane," or "Reverse the direction of the vehicle and continue driving in the lane you are currently in."

[0154] As another example, the notification content determination unit 210 may instruct the vehicle VD to remain stopped once it has stopped, and to wait for the arrival of a police officer or traffic controller dispatched to the vehicle VD's location in response to a notification to the management server 600. In this case, the notification content would be, "Keep the vehicle stopped and follow the instructions of the arriving police officer."

[0155] (2) The notification content determination unit 210 also identifies the in-vehicle terminals 500A to C and E of vehicles other than vehicle VD from among the vehicles VA to VE that are equipped with the in-vehicle terminals 500 that are the recipients of event notifications. The notification content determination unit 210 then generates notification content to the in-vehicle terminals 500 other than in-vehicle terminal 500D that are the recipients of event notifications, instructing them to be careful of the vehicle driving in the wrong direction. For example, the notification content may be such that the display of the notification unit 506 of in-vehicle terminal 500A displays the message, "There is a vehicle driving in the wrong direction nearby. Please be careful."

[0156] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between in-vehicle terminals 500A and 500D on road R, based on the location information of in-vehicle terminal 500A (i.e., the location information of vehicle VA) and the map information stored in the map DB. The notification content determination unit 210 may also recognize the positional relationship including not only in-vehicle terminals 500A and 500D on road R, but also other in-vehicle terminals 500. However, the notification content determination unit 210 may also recognize the configuration of road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between vehicle VA and vehicle VD on road R using the results of the candidate identification unit 204's analysis of image information. Based on this recognition, the notification content determination unit 210 determines that vehicle VD, which is driving in the wrong direction, is traveling in the same lane LH1 as vehicle VA. Furthermore, based on this recognition, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VA.

[0157] Based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the in-vehicle terminal 500A that not only warns of the wrong-way vehicle but also indicates the location of the wrong-way vehicle as seen from vehicle VA. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500A the message, "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the same lane. Please be careful," or "There is a wrong-way vehicle Xm ahead in the same lane. Please be careful." The notification content determination unit 210 may also determine, based on the configuration of the road R and the positional relationship with vehicle VA, that it is preferable for vehicle VA to move to the left lane LH2 as seen from vehicle VA in order to avoid vehicle VD traveling in lane LH1. In this case, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500A the message, "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the same lane. To avoid it, please move to the adjacent left lane."

[0158] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may calculate the time until vehicle VA and vehicle VD make contact, and may further indicate the calculated time in the notification content. The details are the same as in (1).

[0159] The notification content determination unit 210 determines, for the in-vehicle terminal 500B, that vehicle VD, which is traveling in the wrong direction, is traveling in lane LH1 adjacent to lane LH2 of vehicle VB, based on the configuration of road R and the positional relationship between vehicle VB and vehicle VD on road R. Furthermore, based on this recognition, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VB.

[0160] Based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the in-vehicle terminal 500B that not only warns the wrong-way vehicle but also indicates the location of the wrong-way vehicle as seen from the vehicle VB. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500B the message, "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the adjacent right lane. Please be careful," or "There is a wrong-way vehicle Ym ahead in the adjacent right lane. Please be careful."

[0161] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine, based on the configuration of road R and its positional relationship with vehicle VB, that it is preferable for vehicle VB to move to the shoulder on the left sidewalk side relative to vehicle VB in order to further increase the possibility of avoiding vehicle VD. In this case, the notification content may be displayed on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500B with the message, "There is a vehicle driving in the wrong direction in the adjacent right lane. To ensure avoidance, please move to the shoulder on the left sidewalk side." As another example, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine, based on the configuration of road R and its positional relationship with vehicle VB, that it is preferable for vehicle VB to turn left at the nearest intersection relative to vehicle VB in order to further increase the possibility of avoiding vehicle VD. In this case, the notification content may be displayed on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500B with the message, "There is a vehicle driving in the wrong direction in the adjacent right lane. To ensure avoidance, please turn left at the nearest intersection."

[0162] The notification content determination unit 210 determines, for the in-vehicle terminal 500C, that vehicle VD, which is traveling in the wrong direction, is traveling in lane LH1 adjacent to lane LH2 of vehicle VC, based on the configuration of road R and the positional relationship between vehicle VC and vehicle VD on road R. Furthermore, based on this recognition, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VC.

[0163] Based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the in-vehicle terminal 500C that not only warns of the wrong-way vehicle but also indicates the location of the wrong-way vehicle as seen from the vehicle VC. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500C the message, "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the adjacent right lane. Please be careful," or "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the adjacent right lane, Zm behind you. Please be careful."

[0164] However, the notification content determination unit 210 does not need to generate the above notification content if the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VC is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, based on the fact that the vehicle VD and vehicle VC are traveling in opposite directions and that vehicle VC is located behind the vehicle VC when viewed from the direction of travel of vehicle VC. In this case, the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VC will only increase over time, and the possibility of contact between the two will decrease. Therefore, in this case, a notification does not need to be sent to the in-vehicle terminal 500C.

[0165] The notification content determination unit 210 determines, for the in-vehicle terminal 500E, that vehicle VD, which is traveling in the wrong direction, is traveling in lane LH1, which is opposite to lane RH1 of vehicle VE, based on the configuration of road R and the positional relationship between vehicle VD and vehicle VE on road R. Furthermore, based on this recognition, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VE.

[0166] Based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the in-vehicle terminal 500E that not only warns of the wrong-way vehicle but also indicates the location of the wrong-way vehicle as seen from the vehicle VE. For example, the notification content may display on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500E the message, "There is a wrong-way vehicle in the opposite lane. Please be careful," or "There is a wrong-way vehicle Xm behind you in the opposite lane. Please be careful."

[0167] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine, based on the configuration of the road R and its positional relationship with vehicle VE, that it is preferable for vehicle VE to move to lane RH2 to the left of vehicle VE in order to increase the possibility of avoiding vehicle VD. In this case, the notification content may be displayed on the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500E with the message, "There is a vehicle driving in the wrong direction in the opposite lane. To avoid it safely, please move to the adjacent left lane."

[0168] However, the notification content determination unit 210 may further determine, based on detailed road information in the map information, whether the median strip ST has an altitude above a predetermined threshold. If the median strip ST does not have an altitude above a predetermined threshold, the notification content determination unit 210 generates the above notification content. On the other hand, if the median strip ST has an altitude above a predetermined threshold, the notification content determination unit 210 does not need to generate the above notification content. In this case, the in-vehicle terminal 500E does not need to be notified. This is because vehicles VE and VD are traveling in different lanes, and because the median strip ST is high, it is considered unlikely that vehicle VD will move towards lane RH.

[0169] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may, at the moment the vehicle VD stops, stop notifying other in-vehicle terminals 500 other than the in-vehicle terminal 500D, or switch the notification content to something else. For example, when the vehicle VD stops, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification indicating that the vehicle driving in the wrong direction has stopped. In this case, the notification content would be, "The vehicle driving in the wrong direction has stopped. However, please continue to drive carefully." The notification content determination unit 210 may also indicate the position of the vehicle driving in the wrong direction as seen from each vehicle in the notification content, as in the example above.

[0170] The notification content determination unit 210 may generate voice notification content, causing the speaker of the notification unit 506 of each in-vehicle terminal 500 to output the above-mentioned notification content as voice. As another example, the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500 may show the vehicle's position and surrounding roads as a car navigation display. In this case, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the notification content so that the preferred direction of movement for the vehicle indicated in the notification content is displayed as an arrow or the like on the car navigation display. The notification content determination unit 210 may also determine the notification content so that information indicating the position of the wrong-way vehicle as seen from each vehicle receiving the notification is also displayed on the car navigation display.

[0171] The notification content determination unit 210 generates the notification content described above, and the transmission / reception unit 502 transmits the notification containing that content to each in-vehicle terminal 500, which is the recipient of the event notification. This allows the in-vehicle terminal 500 to inform the vehicle driver of the notification content. As a result, the driver can drive appropriately to avoid an accident.

[0172] (3) The notification content determination unit 210 also generates notification content for the management server 600, which is the recipient of the event notification, which includes the image information included in the inquiry information and the content of the event identified by the candidate identification unit 204 by analyzing the image information. The notification content determination unit 210 may further include the location information of the vehicle VA to VE identified by the notification recipient identification unit 206 and the notification content for the in-vehicle terminal 500 generated by the notification content determination unit 210. When a notification containing this notification content is transmitted, the organization with the management server 600 can dispatch appropriate personnel, such as police officers and traffic controllers, to the scene according to the situation.

[0173] Furthermore, the reception server 400 can generate notification content in the same way not only when a vehicle is driving in the wrong direction, but also when other events occur. For example, if vehicle VD in Figure 14 is a vehicle that has been in an accident and stopped, the notification content determination unit 210 will generate notification content for in-vehicle terminals 500 other than in-vehicle terminal 500D that are recipients of event notifications, instructing them about the existence of vehicle VD, the position of vehicle VD as seen from each vehicle, and actions to take to avoid vehicle VD. The details are as described above. In addition, if the notification content determination unit 210 detects that vehicle VD is on fire based on image information, it may also include information indicating that vehicle VD is on fire in the notification content.

[0174] [Explanation of Effects] As described above, the reception server 400 can use image information to estimate traffic-related events around the location indicated by the location information. The area around the location indicated by the location information refers, for example, to the range that the camera 300 can capture. Depending on the estimated events, the reception server 400 identifies one or more vehicle-related devices present around the location as one or more notification destination candidates and one or more event notification destinations. This allows the reception server 400 to support vehicle drivers in driving safely. Note that the vehicles are not limited to automobiles, but may also be motorcycles, bicycles, industrial vehicles, railway vehicles, etc.

[0175] Furthermore, the reception server 400 may estimate the occurrence of a problem related to a specific vehicle captured in the image information as an event. Examples of vehicle-related problems include driving in the wrong direction or the occurrence of an accident. The reception server 400 can identify at least one event notification destination, which may be either equipment related to a specific vehicle or equipment related to vehicles located around a specific vehicle. This allows the reception server 400 to assist the vehicle driver in driving safely.

[0176] Furthermore, the reception server 400 can provide detailed information about the incident to the vehicle driver by notifying the incident recipient. This can contribute to safer driving by the driver.

[0177] (3B) In (3A), the camera 300 may have the function of analyzing image information in the candidate identification unit 204. The camera 300 identifies that vehicle VD is driving in the wrong direction in lane LH on road R by analyzing the image information. Alternatively, the camera 300 may identify not only wrong-way driving, but also vehicle accidents, road blockages, etc. The camera 300 may identify one or more keywords indicating an event. If such an event is identified, the camera 300 sends the image information and inquiry information including the information of the identified event to the reception server 400. On the other hand, if no such event is identified, the camera 300 does not need to send the image information and the information of the identified event to the reception server 400.

[0178] The receiving server 400's transmitting / receiving unit 202 receives the inquiry information. The candidate identification unit 204 identifies one or more notification destination candidates corresponding to the identified event from among multiple notification destinations. The following processing performed by the receiving server 400 is the same as in (3A), so the explanation is omitted.

[0179] As described above, the camera 300 does not need to send image information, etc., to the receiving server 400 when no event occurs. Therefore, the amount of communication between the camera 300 and the receiving server 400 can be reduced.

[0180] (3C) Figure 15 shows a variation of the in-vehicle terminal 500 different from (3A). Compared to the in-vehicle terminal 500 in (3A), this in-vehicle terminal 500 is equipped with a driving control unit 510 instead of an input unit 508. The driving control unit 510 is a terminal that can control the operation of each vehicle (in detail, the speed and direction of the vehicles).

[0181] In (3C), the notification content determination unit 210 determines the notification content to control the driving of each vehicle that is the recipient of the event notification, based on the location of the multiple in-vehicle terminals 500 that are recipients of the event notification and the content of the event. The transmitting and receiving unit 202 transmits a control signal including the determined notification content to the multiple in-vehicle terminals 500 that are recipients of the event notification. The following describes the examples shown in (1) and (2) of (3A). Note that the explanation of matters that have already been explained in (1) and (2) will be omitted.

[0182] (1) First, the notification content determination unit 210 identifies the in-vehicle terminal 500D of vehicle VD that is driving in the wrong direction from among vehicles VA to VE that are equipped with in-vehicle terminals 500 to which the event notification will be sent. Then, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500D that will control driving to stop the wrong direction.

[0183] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the vehicle-mounted terminal 500D and the road R. Therefore, in order to quickly avoid contact between the vehicle VD and other vehicles, the notification content determination unit 210 determines that it is preferable for the vehicle VD to move to the shoulder on the median strip ST side. Accordingly, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the vehicle-mounted terminal 500D that instructs the vehicle VD to decelerate, move to the shoulder on the median strip ST side, and stop at the shoulder. The notification content determination unit 210 may also generate a route to stop the vehicle VD based on the configuration of the road R and the positional relationship between the vehicle-mounted terminal 500D and the road R, and include it in the notification content.

[0184] The notification content determination unit 210 may stop sending notifications to the in-vehicle terminal 500D when it determines that the vehicle VD has stopped.

[0185] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the display of the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500D, indicating that the vehicle VD is currently driving in the wrong direction and that automatic driving control will be initiated. For example, the notification content may be, "The vehicle is currently driving in the wrong direction. Automatic driving control will be initiated to move to the shoulder of the road immediately and stop the vehicle."

[0186] Furthermore, when the notification content determination unit 210 determines that the vehicle VD has stopped, it may either stop the notification content to be sent to the notification unit 506 of the in-vehicle terminal 500D, or switch the notification content to something else. The other notification content is as shown in (3A).

[0187] (2) The notification content determination unit 210 also identifies in-vehicle terminals 500A to C and E of vehicles other than vehicle VD from among vehicles VA to VE that are equipped with in-vehicle terminals 500 to which the event notification will be sent. The notification content determination unit 210 then generates notification content for the in-vehicle terminals 500 other than in-vehicle terminal 500D that are event notification recipients, which will perform driving control to avoid the vehicle driving in the wrong direction.

[0188] For example, the notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminals 500A and 500D on the road R. As a result, in order to quickly avoid contact between vehicle VA and vehicle VD, the notification content determination unit 210 determines that it is preferable for vehicle VA to move to the left lane LH2 as seen from vehicle VA. In this case, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500A instructing it to move vehicle VA to the adjacent lane LH2. The notification content determination unit 210 may also generate a movement path for vehicle VA based on the configuration of the road R and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminal 500A on the road R and include it in the notification content. Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the movement path and speed of vehicle VA based on the movement speed and distance between vehicle VA and vehicle VD so as to allow vehicle VD to be avoided.

[0189] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminals 500B and 500D on the road R. As a result, in order to quickly avoid contact between vehicle VB and vehicle VD, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine that it is preferable for vehicle VB to move to the shoulder of the road on the left sidewalk side as viewed from vehicle VB. In this case, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500A instructing vehicle VB to move to the shoulder of the road in lane LH2.

[0190] As another example, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine, based on the configuration of road R and its positional relationship with vehicle VB, that it is preferable for vehicle VB to turn left at the nearest intersection in order to further increase the possibility of avoiding vehicle VD. In this case, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500B instructing vehicle VB to turn left at the nearest intersection. The notification content determination unit 210 may also generate a travel path for vehicle VB based on the configuration of road R and its positional relationship with the in-vehicle terminal 500B on road R, and include it in the notification content. Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the travel path and speed of vehicle VB in order to avoid vehicle VD, based on the travel speeds and distances between vehicle VB and vehicle VD.

[0191] The notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminals 500C and 500D on the road R. In this case, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500C that instructs the vehicle VC to move further away from the vehicle VD.

[0192] However, the notification content determination unit 210 does not need to generate the above notification content if the distance between vehicle VD and vehicle VC is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, based on the fact that the directions of travel of vehicle VD and vehicle VC are opposite, and that vehicle VC is located behind the vehicle VC when viewed from the direction of travel of vehicle VC.

[0193] The notification content determination unit 210 may recognize the configuration of the road R shown in Figure 14 and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminals 500E and 500D on the road R. As a result, it may determine that it is preferable for vehicle VE to move to lane RH2 to the left of vehicle VE in order to more reliably avoid contact with vehicle VD. In this case, based on the above determination, the notification content determination unit 210 generates a notification to the in-vehicle terminal 500E instructing it to move to lane RH2. The notification content determination unit 210 may also generate a movement path for vehicle VE based on the configuration of the road R and the positional relationship between the in-vehicle terminal 500E on the road R and include it in the notification content. Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may determine the movement path and speed of vehicle VE based on the movement speed and distance between vehicle VE and vehicle VD in order to more reliably avoid vehicle VD.

[0194] However, the notification content determination unit 210 may further determine whether the median strip ST has an altitude of or above a predetermined threshold based on the detailed road information in the map information. If the median strip ST does not have an altitude of or above a predetermined threshold, the notification content determination unit 210 generates the above notification content. On the other hand, if the median strip ST has an altitude of or above a predetermined threshold, the notification content determination unit 210 does not need to generate the above notification content.

[0195] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may generate notification content for the display of the notification unit 506 of each in-vehicle terminal 500, indicating that a nearby vehicle VD is driving in the wrong direction and that automatic driving control will be initiated. For example, the notification content may be, "There is a vehicle driving in the wrong direction nearby, so automatic driving control to avoid it will be initiated." The notification content may also include the position of the vehicle VD as seen from each vehicle.

[0196] Furthermore, the notification content determination unit 210 may, when the vehicle VD stops, stop notifying the in-vehicle terminals 500 other than the in-vehicle terminal 500D, or switch the notification content to something else. This allows the drivers of vehicles other than the vehicle VD to resume their desired driving, either automatically or manually.

[0197] The notification content determination unit 210 can set the movement paths of each vehicle so that the vehicles performing automatic driving control do not come into contact with each other, based on the notification content sent to the in-vehicle terminals 500A to 500E.

[0198] As described above, the receiving server 400 may send a control signal to the event notification recipient to control the movement of the vehicle at the event notification recipient. This reduces the risk to the vehicle arising from the event by causing the vehicle to move automatically in response to the occurrence of the event.

[0199] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be made as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0200] The reception servers 200 or 400 according to Embodiments 2 to 3 may be configured as a single computer device, similar to the information processing system 10 according to Embodiment 1, or as a distributed system having multiple computer devices. Furthermore, some or all of these systems may be provided on a cloud server built on the cloud, or on other types of virtualized servers generated using virtualization technology, etc.

[0201] In the embodiments described above, this disclosure has been described as a hardware configuration, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. This disclosure can also be realized by having a processor in a computer execute a computer program to perform the processing of the devices constituting the system described in the embodiments described above.

[0202] Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device (in other words, a computer) on which the processing of the information processing system 10 according to Embodiment 1 or each of the devices according to Embodiments 2 to 3 is performed. Referring to Figure 16, the information processing device 90 includes a signal processing circuit 91, a processor 92, and a memory 93.

[0203] The signal processing circuit 91 is a circuit for processing signals in accordance with the control of the processor 92. The signal processing circuit 91 may also include a communication circuit for receiving signals from a transmitting device.

[0204] The processor 92 is connected to the memory 93 and performs the processing of the system described in the above embodiment by reading and executing a computer program from the memory 93. As an example of the processor 92, one of the following may be used: CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or multiple of these may be used in parallel.

[0205] The memory 93 is composed of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof. There is not limited to one memory 93, but multiple memory units may be provided. The volatile memory may be, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The non-volatile memory may be, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) such as PROM (Programmable Random Only Memory) or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, or SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0206] Memory 93 is used to store one or more instructions. Here, one or more instructions are stored in memory 93 as a program. The processor 92 can perform the processing described in the above embodiment by reading and executing these programs from memory 93.

[0207] The memory 93 may include not only memory located outside the processor 92, but also memory built into the processor 92. Furthermore, the memory 93 may include storage located separately from the processors that make up the processor 92. In this case, the processor 92 can access the memory 93 via an I / O (Input / Output) interface.

[0208] As described above, one or more processors in each system or device of the above embodiments execute one or more programs that include a set of instructions for causing a computer to perform the algorithm described with reference to the drawings. The information processing described in each embodiment can be realized by executing the programs.

[0209] The program, when loaded into a computer, includes a set of instructions or software code for causing the computer to perform one or more of the functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium or a physical storage medium. Examples, but not limited to, include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray® disc or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted over a temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium. Examples, but not limited to, include temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium that includes electrically, optically, acoustically or otherwise propagating signals. The temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium can supply the program to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0210] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following: (Note 1) An information processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken; and an identification means for identifying one or more event notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations, relating to the event indicated by the image information, using the image information and the location information. (Note 2) The information processing system according to Note 1, wherein the identification means identifies one or more notification destination candidates from among a plurality of notification destinations using the image information, and identifies one or more event notification destinations from among the one or more notification destination candidates using the location information. (Note 3) The information processing system according to Note 2, wherein the identification means identifies a plurality of notification destination candidates, each governing a different target, from among a plurality of notification destinations using the image information, and identifies a plurality of event notification destinations from among the plurality of notification destination candidates using the location information. (Note 4) The information processing system according to Note 2, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify an event indicated by the image information, and identifies one or more candidate notification recipients according to the identified event. (Note 5) The information processing system according to Note 4, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify an event relating to traffic around the location indicated by the location information, and identifies one or more devices relating to vehicles present around the location as one or more candidate notification recipients and one or more event notification recipients according to the identified event. (Note 6) The information processing system according to Note 5, wherein the identifying means identifies the occurrence of a problem relating to a specific vehicle captured in the image information as an event relating to traffic, and identifies at least one of the devices relating to the specific vehicle or devices relating to vehicles present around the specific vehicle as one or more event notification recipients. (Note 7) The information processing system according to Note 5 or 6, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting to one or more event notification recipients at least one of the following: notification regarding the event, or a control signal for controlling the movement of a vehicle of an event notification recipient.(Note 8) The information processing system according to any one of Notes 1 to 7, wherein the identification means identifies one or more jurisdictional targets related to the location information using the location information and map information on which jurisdictional targets are associated with the location on the map, thereby identifying one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the identified one or more jurisdictional targets. (Note 9) The information processing system according to Note 8, wherein the location information includes altitude information on which the image was taken, and the map information associates jurisdictional targets with the location on the map including altitude, and the identification means identifies one or more jurisdictional targets related to the location information according to the altitude of the location information, thereby identifying one or more event notification destinations. (Note 10) The information processing system according to Note 8, wherein the identification means, by referring to the map information, determines that the location indicated by the location information belongs to the boundary of an area under the jurisdiction of a plurality of jurisdictional targets, then identifies a plurality of event notification destinations corresponding to the identified plurality of jurisdictional targets. (Note 11) The information processing system according to any one of Notes 1 to 7, wherein the identifying means further uses environmental information indicating the environment around the location indicated by the location information to identify one or more event notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations. (Note 12) An information processing method executed by a computer, which acquires image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and uses the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification destinations relating to the event indicated by the image information from among a plurality of notification destinations. (Note 13) A program that causes a computer to acquire image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and uses the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification destinations relating to the event indicated by the image information from among a plurality of notification destinations.

[0211] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configuration and function) described in Appendices 2 to 11 that are dependent on Appendice 1 may also be dependent on Appendices 12 and 13 in the same manner as those described in Appendices 2 to 11. Some or all of the elements described in any appendice may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means, systems, and methods for recording software.

[0212] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-177827, filed on 10 October 2024, and incorporates all of its disclosures herein.

[0213] 10 Information Processing System 12 Acquisition Unit 14 Identification Unit S Notification System 100 Terminal 102 Shooting Unit 104 Location Information Acquisition Unit 106 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 108 Display Unit 110 Input Unit 200, 400 Reception Server 202 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 204 Candidate Identification Unit 206 Notification Destination Identification Unit 208 Storage Unit 210 Notification Content Determination Unit 300 Camera 302 Shooting Unit 304 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 306 Storage Unit 500 In-vehicle Terminal 502 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 504 Location Information Acquisition Unit 506 Notification Unit 508 Input Unit 510 Driving Control Unit 600 Management Server 602 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 604 Display Unit DB Map DB

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken; and an identification means for identifying one or more event notification recipients from among a plurality of notification recipients regarding the event indicated by the image information, using the image information and the location information.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify one or more candidate notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations, and uses the location information to identify one or more event notification destinations from among the one or more candidate notification destinations.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify a plurality of candidate notification destinations, each having jurisdiction over a different target, and uses the location information to identify a plurality of event notification destinations from the plurality of candidate notification destinations.

4. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify an event indicated by the image information, and identifies one or more candidate recipients according to the identified event.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the identifying means uses the image information to identify the traffic event around the location indicated by the location information, and, in accordance with the identified event, identifies one or more devices relating to vehicles present around the location as one or more candidate notification destinations and one or more event notification destinations.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein the identifying means identifies the occurrence of a problem relating to a specific vehicle captured in the image information as the traffic-related event, and identifies at least one of the devices relating to the specific vehicle or devices relating to vehicles located around the specific vehicle as one or more recipients of the event notification.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting to one or more event notification recipients at least one of the following: notification regarding the event, or a control signal for controlling the movement of a vehicle of one of the event notification recipients.

8. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the identifying means identifies one or more jurisdictional targets related to the location information using the location information and map information on which jurisdictional targets are associated with locations on a map, thereby identifying one or more event notification destinations corresponding to the identified one or more jurisdictional targets.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein the location information includes information on the altitude at which the image was taken, the map information associates information on the jurisdiction with a location on a map including altitude, and the identification means identifies one or more of the jurisdictions related to the location information according to the altitude of the location information, thereby identifying one or more recipients of the event notification.

10. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein the identifying means, by referring to the map information, determines that the location indicated by the location information belongs to the boundary of the area under the jurisdiction of the multiple jurisdictional objects, and then identifies a plurality of event notification destinations corresponding to the identified plurality of jurisdictional objects.

11. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the identifying means further uses environmental information indicating the environment around the location indicated by the location information to identify one or more event notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations.

12. A computer-based information processing method that acquires image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and uses the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification destinations from among a plurality of notification destinations regarding the event indicated by the image information.

13. A program that causes a computer to acquire image information of an image and location information relating to the location where the image was taken, and to use the image information and location information to identify one or more event notification recipients from among a plurality of notification recipients regarding the event indicated by the image information.

Images