ELTRES IoT Network Service: Communication Standard That Can Be Used for Disaster Countermeasures

Sony Network Communications Inc.

Publication date	August 4, 2023 (Posted on December 21, 2023)
Sector	Natural Disasters / Coastal Areas

Company Overview

Sony Network Communications Inc. was established in 1995 as an affiliate of Sony Group and operates businesses in telecommunications, IoT, AI, and solution services.

Climate Change Impacts

Due to climate change, the frequency of heavy rain and short duration torrential rain is increasing nationwide in Japan. Although disaster countermeasures are regularly taken by local governments, in recent years disasters that far exceed predictions are occurring more frequently. The possibility of increased damage from water-related disasters, such as landslides, river overflows, and flooding of farmland, are making it more difficult to take countermeasures. In the past, disaster response measures required workers to visually inspect the damage, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and involves certain risks.

Adaptation Initiatives

Through the provision of IoT (*1) network services and the operation of certification programs, we propose the use of IoT technology for disaster countermeasures (disaster prevention measures) to respond to climate change.

【Communication Services】

We provide an IoT network service called "ELTRES IoT Network Service" using Sony's proprietary wireless communication standard "ELTRES^TM". This service can efficiently collect various sensor information over extensive areas due to the following features:

• Realization of stable communication even in urban areas with a lot of noise
• Possible to transmit data over a distance that exceeds 100 km
• Power-saving design that only requires a single coin-type lithium-ion battery
• Possible to acquire location information even in mountainous areas by use of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)

【Certification Program】

In addition to manufacturing and selling our own sensors, we also offer the "ELTRES terminal equipment certification program" for products manufactured by companies registered in our partner program. All products that use ELTRES technology and services are required to be registered as terminals. This program has enabled a wide range of manufacturers to produce and sell a variety of sensors and measuring devices, and they have been used in different fields including disaster countermeasures.

【Examples of use as disaster countermeasures】

We have been collaborating with many partner companies to build systems that utilize IoT technology, and therefore we are capable of proposing solutions for disaster countermeasures. Examples are shown below.

• Water level monitoring of reservoirs (Hyogo Prefecture)

In Hyogo Prefecture, which has the largest number of reservoirs in Japan, water level monitoring of reservoirs was conducted using ELTRES (Figure 1). In recent years, torrential rains have caused the water levels of reservoirs to reach dangerous levels. It has become difficult to monitor the transition of the reservoirs, making it hard to issue evacuation warnings to local residents. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to examine whether a monitoring system using ELTRES, with its stable communication and power-saving operation, could be used to monitor the water level from a remote location. The system is now delivered as a "reservoir remote monitoring system" by our joint venture partner, NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation (*2).

• Visualizing disasters with kilometer markers

Kilometer markers installed along national roads are equipped with water level sensors, thermo-hygrometers, and acceleration sensors, enabling the acquisition of data on water level, temperature, and seismic intensity. By installing ELTRES in kilometer markers, disasters can be "visualized," and in the event of an emergency, the situation can be immediately assessed and countermeasures can be taken. The batteries only need to be replaced once a year, and the ceramic surface makes the maintenance easy. ELTRES-compatible kilometer markers are manufactured by our partner company IoT mobile, Inc. (*3)

Effects / Expected Benefits

Incorporating this service into disaster countermeasures is expected to have a variety of benefits, such as assessing the situation while ensuring the safety of local government employees and speeding up the process of sharing information with local residents.