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Jointly developed by Tohoku University, Osaka University,
NEC Corporation, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. and A2 Corp. for Japan's Cabinet Office

Tohoku University, Osaka University, NEC Corporation, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. and A2 Corp. have announced the joint development of a system which estimates tsunami flooding and damage. It is to be adopted as part of the Integrated Disaster Prevention Information System operated by Japan's Cabinet Office.

The system is designed to perform tsunami simulations immediately after an earthquake occurs and then estimate the potential damage. It uses NEC's SX-ACE supercomputer to create detailed estimates of tsunami damage within 30 minutes of an earthquake taking place.

These estimates are provided in grids of 30 meters for coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean spanning a total distance of 6,000 kilometers for regions surrounding the Nankai Trough, a deep ocean fault line where earthquakes frequently occur.

In order to improve fault tolerance, the same system featuring NEC's SX-ACE supercomputer is being deployed at two sites, Tohoku University (Sendai) and Osaka University (Osaka), helping to ensure reliable operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"We are proud to be working with multiple universities and private businesses to help strengthen disaster response capabilities," said Professor Shunichi Koshimura of the International Institute for Disaster Science at Tohoku University. "Together we will develop, build and operate one of the world's most advanced disaster prevention systems that will quickly provide vital information on flooding and damage from earthquake-induced tsunamis."

The system is expected to be operational in November 2017.