Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

An information processing device (10) comprises: an acquiring unit (11) that acquires information relating to a communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by using a predetermined method to divide a disaster-affected region in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, and image data before and after the occurrence of the disaster, obtained by imaging the disaster-affected region from the sky; a difference value calculating unit (12) that calculates a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of the disaster for each of the plurality of grids; a score calculating unit (13) that, for each grid, calculates a score indicating the degree to which communication can be performed safely, on the basis of the calculated difference value of each grid and the acquired information relating to the communication status of each grid; and an identifying unit (14) that identifies areas in the disaster-affected region in which communication can be performed safely, on the basis of the score for each grid.

Description

Information processing device and information processing method

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing method. In this context, "disaster" is a broad concept that includes various natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, and floods, as well as disasters caused by human negligence, carelessness, etc.

[0002] During a disaster, various factors such as the collapse of communication facilities and damage to communication equipment can create areas where safety cannot be ensured and communication using users' mobile devices is difficult (hereinafter referred to as "areas where safe communication is difficult"). Therefore, it is desirable to accurately identify areas where safety can be ensured and communication using users' mobile devices is possible (hereinafter referred to as "areas where safe communication is possible"), and then guide the large number of users in the areas where safe communication is difficult to reach to these areas. In this regard, Patent Document 1 below proposes a technology for extracting areas where a disaster has occurred (areas where safety is presumed to be difficult to ensure) based on the difference between satellite image data at the time of observation and satellite image data under normal conditions.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-281664

[0004] However, accurately determining the area where secure communication is possible requires more than just using the difference in satellite image data; it is necessary to further consider the communication conditions within the area. However, Patent Document 1 does not describe or suggest considering the communication conditions within the area, and therefore, the technology in Patent Document 1 had room for improvement in accurately determining the area where secure communication is possible.

[0005] This disclosure is made with the aim of accurately identifying areas where secure communication is possible in the event of a disaster, taking the above circumstances into consideration.

[0006] The information processing device according to this disclosure includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster-affected area, which is the area where the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, using a predetermined method, and image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster-affected area from above; a difference value calculation unit that calculates a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster for each of the plurality of grids; a score calculation unit that calculates a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication can be safely performed based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the information regarding the communication status of each grid; and a specification unit that identifies areas in the disaster-affected area where communication can be safely performed based on the score for each grid.

[0007] According to this disclosure, it will be possible to accurately identify areas where safe communication is possible in the event of a disaster. This will enable responses such as guiding disaster victims to areas where safe communication is possible.

[0008] This is a diagram of the information processing device in the first embodiment. (a) is a diagram showing an example of satellite imagery before a disaster occurred, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of satellite imagery after a disaster occurred. This is a diagram showing the ranking of multiple evacuation destination candidate grids and the route to evacuation destination grid A. This is a flowchart of the processing performed by the information processing device in the first embodiment. This is a diagram of the information processing device in the second embodiment. (a) is a diagram showing an example of displaying information about the tapped grid A on a map where the display mode of each grid is changed according to the score, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of displaying the route to evacuation destination grid A on the map in (a). This is a flowchart of the processing performed by the information processing device in the second embodiment. This is a flowchart of the message display processing during evacuation and upon arrival at the evacuation destination grid. This is a diagram showing an example of message display while moving through a warning area. This is a diagram showing an example of message display upon arrival at the evacuation destination grid. This is a flowchart of the congestion level display processing during evacuation. This is a diagram showing an example of congestion level display while moving through a warning area. This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device.

[0009] Hereinafter, various embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, as the first embodiment, an embodiment will be described in which a score representing the degree of safe communication is calculated for each grid (small area into which the disaster area is divided), grids where safe communication is possible (safe communication area) are identified based on the obtained score, and routes to evacuation grids from among the safe communication area are derived and output. As the second embodiment, an embodiment relating to a user interface that controls the display mode, message display, etc. for each grid based on the score for each grid will be described.

[0010] [First Embodiment]

[0011] Figure 1 shows a configuration diagram of the information processing device 10 in the first embodiment. The information processing device 10 can be made from various types of hardware (smartphones, mobile phones, smartwatches, wearable devices, laptops, desktop computers, servers, etc.), but the information processing device 10 in this embodiment is intended to be a device carried by the user (smartphone, mobile phone, smartwatch, wearable device, etc.).

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a difference value calculation unit 12, a score calculation unit 13, a identification unit 14, a position detection unit 15, and a derivation unit 16 in order to realize the functions related to this disclosure. The functions of each unit will be described below.

[0013] The acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the communication status in each of the multiple grids obtained by dividing the disaster-affected area, which is the area where the disaster occurred, using a predetermined method (for example, information such as RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) and RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality)), and image data before and after the disaster obtained by imaging the disaster-affected area from above. Figure 2(a) shows an example of a satellite image before the disaster and also shows multiple grids A to H into which the disaster-affected area has been divided. The grids can be acquired with division widths such as 50m, 125m, 250m, 500m, and 1km. Figure 2(b) shows an example of a satellite image after the disaster, showing that grids C and E suffered significant damage. The acquisition unit 11 may also acquire information regarding the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters, and this information regarding the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters may be used as basic information in the score calculation by the score calculation unit 13 described later.

[0014] The difference value calculation unit 12 is a functional unit that calculates the difference value in image data before and after the disaster for each of the multiple grids. In the examples in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), large difference values ​​are calculated for grids C and E, which suffered significant damage. Although not shown in Figure 2(b), grid F suffered minor damage, and a small difference value is calculated for grid F. The image data used for calculating the difference value before the disaster is image data taken under conditions similar to those at the time of the disaster (for example, conditions related to time, weather, season, etc.). Furthermore, the method for calculating the difference value is not limited to a specific method, and various methods can be employed, such as deep learning-based methods (for example, a similarity calculation method using vectors extracted from the intermediate layers of a neural network), methods for calculating the difference value for each pixel in image data before and after the disaster, and methods for calculating based on the total area of ​​small regions that are deemed to have changed in a large number of small regions (segmentation) into which the affected area has been divided.

[0015] The score calculation unit 13 is a functional unit that calculates a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication is possible safely, based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the acquired information on the communication status of each grid. However, in this embodiment, a specific example in which the score calculation unit 13 calculates the score based on information on the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters, in addition to the difference value and the information on the communication status, will be described later.

[0016] The identification unit 14 is a functional unit that identifies safe communication areas in a disaster-stricken area based on the score for each grid. For example, the identification unit 14 identifies grids with a score of SH1 or higher, which is a predetermined threshold for determining safe communication areas, as "safe communication areas," grids with a score less than SH2, which is a predetermined threshold for determining safe communication areas, as "areas where safe communication is difficult," and grids with a score of SH2 or higher but less than SH1 as areas requiring attention (hereinafter referred to as "attention areas"). In the examples in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), grids C and E are identified as "areas where safe communication is difficult," grid F is identified as an "attention area," and grids A, B, D, G, and H are identified as "safe communication areas." In this embodiment, we show an example of identifying whether each grid is one of three types: "safe communication area," "safe communication difficult area," or "caution area." However, it is also possible to identify whether it is one of four or more types of areas classified according to the score, or to identify whether it is one of two types: "safe communication area" or "safe communication difficult area."

[0017] The position detection unit 15 is a functional unit that detects the user's location in the disaster-stricken area. The position detection unit 15 detects the user's location using a satellite-based positioning method, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

[0018] The derivation unit 16 is a functional unit that derives a route from the user's location to a destination grid, which is a grid included in the area where safe communication is possible, based on the score for each grid. Specifically, the derivation unit 16 derives a route that does not pass through grids with a score less than the threshold SH2, i.e., areas where safe communication is difficult. In other words, it derives a route that passes through areas where safe communication is possible or areas requiring caution, which are grids with a score of SH2 or higher. For example, as shown in Figure 3, if the user is at grid D marked with a diamond shape and the destination grid is grid A, a route that does not pass through areas where safe communication is difficult (grids C and E) is derived from grid D to grid A (grid D → H → G → F → B → A). Alternatively, by treating the areas requiring caution as equivalent to areas where safe communication is difficult, a route that does not pass through areas where safe communication is difficult and areas requiring caution (i.e., a route that passes only through areas where safe communication is possible) may be derived.

[0019] Furthermore, the derivation unit 16 selects and ranks multiple candidate evacuation grids that could serve as evacuation grids, based on multiple pieces of information regarding the communication status of multiple users located in each grid, which are determined based on the user's location. For example, as shown in Figure 3, multiple candidate evacuation grids A, K, P, R, etc. are selected, and a ranking (ranking result) of these multiple candidate evacuation grids is displayed.

[0020] Next, following the flowchart in Figure 4, we will outline an example of a process (a process related to the information processing method of this disclosure) that is executed in the information processing device 10 configured as described above.

[0021] The process shown in Figure 4 is initiated when a user performs a predetermined operation (such as clicking or tapping) on ​​an instruction button or similar element provided on a web page or application page displayed on the display of the information processing device 10.

[0022] In the process shown in Figure 4, first, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information regarding the communication status in each grid and information regarding the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters (step S1), and also acquires image data before and after the disaster (step S2). As information regarding the communication status, for example, the RSRP (reference signal received power) and RSRQ (reference signal received quality) information mentioned above are acquired.

[0023] Next, the difference value calculation unit 12 calculates the difference value in the image data before and after the disaster for each of the multiple grids (step S3). The difference value is, for example, the similarity between the image data before and after the disaster calculated from vectors extracted from the intermediate layer of the neural network. The meaning of calculating this similarity will be explained in the score calculation process by the score calculation unit 13 below.

[0024] Next, the score calculation unit 13 calculates a score (a score representing the degree to which communication is possible safely) for each grid based on the calculated difference value for each grid, the acquired information on the communication status of each grid, and the information on the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters, for example, using the following formula (1) (step S4). Score S = D × w ｄ +C × w ｃ +E×w ｅ (1) Here, D is the difference value calculated by the difference value calculation unit 12. In equation (1), D (difference value) is assumed to be the similarity between image data before and after the disaster, calculated from vectors extracted from the intermediate layer of the neural network. Therefore, if the impact of the disaster is large, the difference value between image data before and after the disaster will be high, the similarity between image data will decrease, and the value of D will be small. Conversely, if the impact of the disaster is small, the difference value between image data before and after the disaster will be low, the similarity between image data will increase, and the value of D will be large. C is a variable that represents the communication status, and its value will be high if communication is easy to connect. For example, the variable obtained by the following equation (2) can be used as C. Here, P is a value obtained from RSRP among information related to communication conditions, and Q is a value obtained from RSRQ, which are obtained, for example, by the following formulas (3) and (4). P=10 ＲＳＲＰ／１０ (3) Q=10 ＲＳＲＱ／１０ (4) Furthermore, α in formula (2) is a weight for adjusting P, β is a weight for adjusting Q, and IQR is the difference between the third quartile and the first quartile in the interquartile range. Note that exceptional processing may be applied to outlier values that are extremely large. E in formula (1) is a value set for a grid where a disaster public telephone (special public telephone) is installed. w ｄ is a weight for adjusting the above D, w ｃ is a weight for adjusting the above C, w ｅ is a weight for adjusting the above E, and among these, w ｅ is set according to factors such as the number of installed disaster public telephones (special public telephones) in the grid.

[0025] Next, the identifying unit 14 identifies a safe communicable area and the like in the disaster-affected area based on the score for each grid (step S5). Here, the identifying unit 14 identifies grids A, B, D, G, and H whose scores are equal to or higher than the threshold SH1 for safe communicable area determination as "safe communicable areas", identifies grids C and E whose scores are less than the threshold SH2 for safe communication difficult area determination as "safe communication difficult areas", and identifies grid F whose score is equal to or higher than the threshold SH2 and less than the threshold SH1 as a "caution area".

[0026] Next, the position detecting unit 15 detects the position of the user in the disaster-affected area (the diamond mark of grid D in FIG. 3) (step S6), and the deriving unit 16 selects a plurality of evacuation destination candidate grids from the safe communicable area, ranks and displays them as shown in FIG. 3 (step S7). The user who sees this display designates one evacuation destination grid A from the plurality of evacuation destination candidate grids through a predetermined operation such as tapping.

[0027] Next, the derivation unit 16 derives a route from the user's location (grid D) to the designated evacuation grid A (step S8). As described above, the route derived from grid D to grid A is a route that does not pass through the areas where secure communication is difficult (grids C and E) (grid D → H → G → F → B → A).

[0028] Then, the derivation unit 16 outputs the derived route to the evacuation destination grid A (step S9). In Figure 3, the route (grid D→H→G→F→B→A) is shown by arrows. Note that in Figure 3, the above route (grid D→H→G→F→B→A) is simply represented by multiple arrows, but the derivation unit 16 may also take map data into consideration and derive and output a route along the roads on the map.

[0029] According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to accurately identify areas where safe communication is possible in the event of a disaster. This makes it possible to use this information to guide disaster victims to these areas where safe communication is possible.

[0030] [Second Embodiment]

[0031] As described above, the second embodiment describes an embodiment relating to a user interface that controls the display mode, message display content, etc., of each grid based on the score for each grid.

[0032] Figure 5 shows a configuration diagram of the information processing device 20 in the second embodiment. Similar to the information processing device 10 in the first embodiment, the information processing device 20 can employ various information processing devices as hardware (smartphones, mobile phones, smartwatches, wearable devices, laptop computers, desktop computers, servers, etc.), but the information processing device 20 in this embodiment is intended to be a terminal carried by the user (smartphone, mobile phone, smartwatch, wearable device, etc.).

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 20 includes a score acquisition unit 21, a display control unit 22, a position detection unit 23, and a derivation unit 24 in order to realize the functions related to this disclosure. The functions of each unit will be described below.

[0034] The score acquisition unit 21 is a functional unit that acquires a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication is possible safely, based on information regarding the communication status in each of the multiple grids obtained by dividing the disaster-affected area, which is the area where the occurrence of a disaster is detected, using a predetermined method, and the difference value in image data before and after the disaster obtained by imaging the disaster-affected area from above. This score acquisition unit 21 corresponds to the "acquisition unit 11, difference value calculation unit 12, and score calculation unit 13" provided in the information processing device 10 of the first embodiment, and, similar to the first embodiment, acquires the score for each grid based on the difference value and information regarding the communication status, as well as information regarding the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters.

[0035] The display control unit 22 is a functional unit that displays a map of the disaster-affected area and controls the display mode of each grid on the map according to the score of each grid acquired by the score acquisition unit 21. For example, in grids A to H shown in Figure 6(a), the display control unit 22 identifies grids A, B, D, G, and H, where the acquired score is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold SH1 for determining safe communication areas, as "safe communication areas" and displays them as white (plain) areas as shown in Figure 6(a). In addition, the display control unit 22 identifies grids C and E, where the acquired score is less than the predetermined threshold SH2 for determining safe communication difficult areas, as "safe communication difficult areas" and displays them as red areas (shown as "areas with diagonal lines" in Figure 6(a) for convenience). Furthermore, the display control unit 22 identifies grid F where the acquired score is greater than or equal to threshold SH2 but less than threshold SH1 as a "caution area" and displays it as a yellow area (in Figure 6(a), it is displayed as an "area with horizontal lines" for convenience).

[0036] Furthermore, the display control unit 22 also has a function of displaying information acquired for a grid on the displayed map when a predetermined operation (e.g., a tap operation) is performed on the grid. For example, as shown in FIG. 6(a), when grid A is tapped, the display control unit 22 displays various pieces of information acquired for grid A (communication quality, population, number of temporary toilets, etc.) in a speech bubble format. Furthermore, a message reading "Go to this area" is displayed in the vicinity of the information described above. By tapping this message display portion, a user can specify the corresponding area (grid A in this case) as an evacuation destination grid.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 5, the position detection unit 23 is a functional unit that detects the position of a user in a disaster-stricken area, similarly to the position detection unit 15 in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. The position detection unit 23 detects the position of the user by, for example, a positioning method using artificial satellites such as GNSS.

[0038] The derivation unit 24 is a functional unit that derives a route from the position of the user to one grid (evacuation destination grid) specified on the displayed map, based on the score for each grid, similarly to the derivation unit 16 in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. Specifically, the derivation unit 24 derives a route that does not pass through grids C and E (areas where safe communication is difficult), whose scores are less than a threshold value SH2, as shown in FIG. 6(b). If the user is located at grid D marked with a diamond mark and the evacuation destination grid is grid A, the derivation unit 24 derives, as the route from grid D to grid A, a route that does not pass through areas where safe communication is difficult (grids C and E) (grid D→H→G→F→B→A). The route derived by the derivation unit 24 in this manner is output by the display control unit 22 as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0039] Next, an example of processing (processing related to the information processing method of the present disclosure) executed by the information processing apparatus 20 configured as described above will be outlined along the flowchart of FIG. 7.

[0040] The processing illustrated in FIG. 7 is started when a user performs a predetermined operation (such as a click or a tap) on an instruction button provided on a web page or an application page displayed on the display of the information processing apparatus 20, as a trigger.

[0041] In the processing of FIG. 7, first, the score acquisition unit 21 acquires a score for each grid (a score representing the degree to which communication can be performed safely) (step S21). Since the processing of this step S21 is the same as the processing of steps S1 to S4 in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, duplicate description is omitted.

[0042] Next, the display control unit 22 controls the display mode (such as color coding) of each grid on the map of the disaster occurrence area in accordance with the acquired score of each grid (step S22).

[0043] Specifically, for use in controlling the display mode, the display control unit 22 identifies grids A, B, D, G, and H whose scores are equal to or higher than the threshold SH1 for determining a communicable-safe area as the "communicable-safe area", identifies grids C and E whose scores are lower than the threshold SH2 for determining a communicable-difficult area as the "communicable-difficult area", and identifies grid F whose score is equal to or higher than the threshold SH2 and lower than the threshold SH1 as the "caution area".

[0044] Then, as illustrated in FIG. 6(a), the display control unit 22 displays grids C and E identified as the communicable-difficult area as a red area (a "hatched area" for convenience), displays grid F identified as the caution area as a yellow area (a "cross-hatched area" for convenience), and displays grids A, B, D, G, and H identified as the communicable-safe area as a white (plain) area.

[0045] Next, the position detection unit 23 detects the position of the user in the disaster occurrence area (the diamond mark in grid D of FIG. 6(a)) (step S6). Here, it is assumed that the user taps the message display portion reading "Go to this area" shown in FIG. 6(a), and the corresponding area (grid A) is designated as an evacuation destination grid.

[0046] Next, the derivation unit 24 derives a route from the user's location (grid D) to the designated evacuation grid A (step S8). As described above, the route derived from grid D to grid A is a route that does not pass through the areas where secure communication is difficult (grids C and E) (grid D → H → G → F → B → A).

[0047] Then, the display control unit 22 outputs the derived route to the evacuation destination grid A (step S9). In Figure 6(b), the route (grid D→H→G→F→B→A) is shown by arrows. Note that in Figure 6(b), the above route (grid D→H→G→F→B→A) is simply represented by multiple arrows, but the derivation unit 24 may also derive a route along the roads on the map, taking map data into consideration, and the display control unit 22 may output the derived route along the roads on the map.

[0048] The process shown in Figure 7 is executed in the initial stages after disaster detection. However, the message display process shown in Figure 8 and the congestion level display process shown in Figure 11 may be executed while the user is moving towards evacuation grid A along the route described above. These will be explained in detail below.

[0049] Regarding the message display process shown in Figure 8, the display control unit 22 determines the user's current location based on the detected user's position and displays a warning message according to the score for the grid the user entered, as follows.

[0050] Specifically, after a disaster is detected, the process shown in Figure 8 is executed periodically, and the location detection unit 23 detects the user's location in the disaster area (step S31) and notifies the display control unit 22 of the user's location. Based on the user's location, the display control unit 22 determines whether the user has entered a dangerous area (grids C, E) (step S32), and if the user has entered a dangerous area (grids C, E), it displays a warning to promptly leave the dangerous area (step S33).

[0051] Furthermore, the display control unit 22 determines whether the user has entered the attention area (grid F) based on the user's position (step S34). If the user has entered the attention area (grid F), it displays a warning to move carefully and pay attention to the surroundings, as shown in Figure 9, for example (step S35).

[0052] Furthermore, the display control unit 22 determines whether the user has reached evacuation grid A based on the user's location (step S36). If the user has reached evacuation grid A, it displays a notification that the guidance has ended and information about evacuation shelters and public telephones in evacuation grid A or its surrounding grids, for example, as shown in Figure 10 (step S37). Figure 10 shows an example of the display of the list of evacuation shelters. By tapping on the display portion of one evacuation shelter in this list, related information such as the address of that evacuation shelter can be displayed. Also, by tapping "Public Telephone" in the upper right of Figure 10, a list of public telephones can be displayed, and by tapping the arrow in the upper left of Figure 10, the user can return to the map display.

[0053] Next, regarding the congestion level display process shown in Figure 11, the score acquisition unit 21 has the function of acquiring information on the congestion level in each grid based on the acquired population distribution information, in addition to information on the communication status, and the display control unit 22 has the function of displaying the acquired information on the congestion level in each grid.

[0054] Specifically, after a disaster is detected, the process shown in Figure 11 is executed periodically, the score acquisition unit 21 acquires information on the degree of congestion in each grid based on population distribution information (step S41), and the display control unit 22 displays the acquired information on the degree of congestion in each grid as shown in Figure 12 (step S42). Figure 12 shows an example in which grids with a congestion level above a predetermined standard value are considered "highly congested" and displayed in an area with diagonal lines, and grids with a congestion level below a predetermined standard value are considered "lowly congested" and displayed in a plain area. In addition, when grid A shown in Figure 6(a) is tapped, the display control unit 22 may include information on the degree of congestion in grid A (congestion level: low) among various information about grid A (communication quality, population, etc.) and display it.

[0055] According to the second embodiment described above, users can easily visually grasp the status of each grid (various information about each grid) in the disaster-stricken area. This provides users with the following specific advantages: - They can clearly visually recognize areas where safe communication is difficult (grids C and E) and areas requiring caution (grid F) on the map. - They can easily grasp the route (grids D→H→G→F→B→A) to reach the evacuation destination grid A without passing through areas where safe communication is difficult (grids C and E). - If they accidentally enter a dangerous area while moving, they will be warned to leave the dangerous area immediately, thus avoiding staying in the dangerous area. - While moving through an area requiring caution, they will be warned to move while paying attention to their surroundings, so they can take evacuation actions with sufficient caution in the area. - After reaching the evacuation destination grid, they can recognize that guidance has ended and obtain useful information about evacuation shelters and public telephones. - They can easily grasp information about the degree of congestion in each grid while moving.

[0056] Furthermore, control may be performed by combining the features of the first and second embodiments described above, or by swapping the features.

[0057] The gist of this disclosure is found in the following [1] to [6]. [1] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information on the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, by a predetermined method, and image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster area from above; a difference value calculation unit that calculates a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster for each of the plurality of grids; a score calculation unit that calculates a score for each grid that represents the degree to which communication can be safely performed based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the acquired information on the communication status for each grid; and a specification unit that identifies an area in the disaster area where communication can be safely performed based on the score for each grid. [2] The information processing device according to [1], wherein the score calculation unit calculates the score based on information on the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters, in addition to the difference value and the information on the communication status. [3] The information processing apparatus according to [1] or [2], further comprising: a location detection unit for detecting the location of a user in the disaster-affected area; and a derivation unit for deriving a route from the user's location to an evacuation grid, which is a grid included in the area where communication is possible safely, based on the score for each grid. [4] The information processing apparatus according to [3], wherein the derivation unit derives a route that passes through grids whose scores are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. [5] The information processing apparatus according to [3] or [4], wherein the derivation unit selects and ranks a plurality of candidate evacuation grids that could become evacuation grids, based on a plurality of pieces of information relating to the communication status of a plurality of users located in each grid, which are determined based on the user's location.[6] An information processing method comprising: a step of an information processing device acquiring information on the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, in a predetermined manner, and image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster area from above; a step of the information processing device calculating a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster for each of the plurality of grids; a step of the information processing device calculating a score for each grid that represents the degree to which communication can be safely performed based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the acquired information on the communication status for each grid; and a step of the information processing device identifying an area in the disaster area where communication can be safely performed based on the score for each grid.

[0058] Furthermore, the following additional features may be included: [Addition 1] An information processing device comprising: a score acquisition unit that acquires a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication can be safely performed, based on information regarding the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster is detected, by a predetermined method, and the difference value in image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster area from above; and a display control unit that displays a map of the disaster area, and controls the display manner of each grid on the map according to the acquired score for each grid. [Addition 2] The information processing device according to [Addition 1], wherein the display control unit displays the information acquired for the grid on the displayed map when a predetermined operation is performed on the grid. [Addition 3] The information processing device according to [Addition 1] or [Addition 2], further comprising: a position detection unit that detects the position of a user in the disaster area; and a derivation unit that derives a route from the user's position to an evacuation grid, which is a grid designated on the displayed map, based on the score for each grid, wherein the display control unit outputs the derived route. [Addition 4] The information processing apparatus according to [Addition 3] wherein the display control unit displays a warning message according to the score relating to the grid entered by the user, which is identified based on the detected location of the user. [Addition 5] The information processing apparatus according to [Addition 3] or [Addition 4] wherein the display control unit detects arrival at the evacuation destination grid based on the detected location of the user, and displays at least one of the following: a notification of completion of guidance, or information relating to evacuation shelters and public telephones in the evacuation destination grid or surrounding grids. [Addition 6] The information processing apparatus according to any one of [Addition 1] to [Addition 5] wherein the score acquisition unit acquires information relating to the degree of congestion in each grid based on acquired population distribution information, in addition to the information relating to the communication status, and the display control unit displays the acquired information relating to the degree of congestion in each grid.[Additional 7] An information processing method comprising: a step of an information processing device acquiring a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication can be safely performed, based on information regarding the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, using a predetermined method, and the difference value in image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster area from above; and a step of the information processing device displaying a map of the disaster area, wherein the display manner of each grid on the map is controlled according to the acquired score for each grid.

[0059] [Explanation of terms, explanation of hardware configuration (Figure 13), etc.]

[0060] The block diagrams used in the description of the above embodiments show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may also be realized by combining software with the one or more of the above devices.

[0061] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In all cases, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0062] For example, the information processing device in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the information processing method of the present disclosure. Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The above-described information processing device 10 may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, bus 1007, etc. Note that the hardware configuration of the information processing device 20 in Figure 5 is the same as the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10.

[0063] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0064] Each function in the information processing device 10 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of data reading and writing in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0065] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may be composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, etc.

[0066] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. For example, the acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and operated on the processor 1001, and other functional blocks may be implemented similarly. The above-described various processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, but they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0067] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out a wireless communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including at least one of the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

[0069] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).

[0070] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0071] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0072] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0073] The notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, the notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information), UCI (Uplink Control Information)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling, broadcast information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block))), other signals, or combinations thereof. RRC signaling may also be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0074] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure refers to LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 may apply to at least one system utilizing UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, or other appropriate systems, and to next-generation systems extended, modified, created, or defined based thereon. Alternatively, multiple systems may be applied in combination (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0075] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered, provided they do not contradict each other. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0076] The specific operations described in this disclosure as being performed by a base station may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal can be performed by the base station and at least one other network node (for example, an MME or S-GW, but not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates the case where there is one other network node besides the base station, it may also be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0077] Information can be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). Input and output may also occur via multiple network nodes.

[0078] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0079] The determination may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0080] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0081] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0082] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0083] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0084] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0085] In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0086] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0087] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0088] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, and therefore, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0089] In this disclosure, terms such as “Base Station (BS),” “wireless base station,” “fixed station,” “NodeB,” “eNodeB (eNB),” “gNodeB (gNB),” “access point,” “transmission point,” “reception point,” “transmission / reception point,” “cell,” “sector,” “cell group,” “carrier,” and “component carrier” may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0090] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. If a base station accommodates multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each of which may also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a Remote Radio Head (RRH)). The terms “cell” or “sector” refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base station and / or base station subsystems that provide communication services in that coverage.

[0091] In this disclosure, the transmission of information by a base station to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to perform control or operation based on the information.

[0092] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0093] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other appropriate term.

[0094] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also be a device mounted on a mobile unit, the mobile unit itself, etc.

[0095] The term "moving object" refers to any object that can move, regardless of its speed. This also includes cases where the moving object is stationary. The term "moving object" includes, but is not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademarks), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and anything carried on them.

[0096] Furthermore, the mobile entity may be one that autonomously drives based on operational commands. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane), an unmanned mobile entity (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle), or a robot (manned or unmanned). Note that at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device that does not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0097] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "user terminal." For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple user terminals (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), etc.). Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., may be interpreted as side channel.

[0098] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0099] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0100] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0101] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0102] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0103] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0104] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0105] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0106] 10... Information processing device, 11... Acquisition unit, 12... Difference value calculation unit, 13... Score calculation unit, 14... Identification unit, 15... Position detection unit, 16... Derivation unit, 20... Information processing device, 21... Score acquisition unit, 22... Display control unit, 23... Position detection unit, 24... Derivation unit, 1001... Processor, 1002... Memory, 1003... Storage, 1004... Communication device, 1005... Input device, 1006... Output device, 1007... Bus.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the communication status in each of the multiple grids obtained by dividing the disaster-affected area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, using a predetermined method, and image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster-affected area from above; a difference value calculation unit that calculates a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster for each of the multiple grids; a score calculation unit that calculates a score for each grid representing the degree to which communication can be safely performed based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the information regarding the communication status of each grid; and a specification unit that identifies areas in the disaster-affected area where communication can be safely performed based on the score for each grid.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the score calculation unit calculates the score based on the difference value and the information regarding the communication status, as well as information regarding the installation status of public telephones for use during disasters.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a location detection unit for detecting the location of a user in the disaster-affected area; and a derivation unit for deriving a route from the user's location to an evacuation grid, which is a grid included in the area where communication is possible safely, based on the score for each grid.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the derivation unit derives the route that passes through a grid in which the score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the derivation unit selects and ranks a plurality of candidate evacuation grids that could become evacuation grids based on a plurality of pieces of information relating to the communication status of a plurality of users located in each grid, which is determined based on the location of the user.

6. An information processing method comprising: a step of an information processing device acquiring information regarding the communication status in each of a plurality of grids obtained by dividing the disaster area, which is the area in which the occurrence of a disaster has been detected, using a predetermined method, and image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster obtained by imaging the disaster area from above; a step of the information processing device calculating a difference value in the image data before and after the occurrence of a disaster for each of the plurality of grids; a step of the information processing device calculating a score for each grid that represents the degree to which communication can be safely performed, based on the calculated difference value for each grid and the acquired information regarding the communication status for each grid; and a step of the information processing device identifying an area in the disaster area where communication can be safely performed based on the score for each grid.

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