Broadcasters should devise their own Disaster Information system if their countries are vulnerable

Broadcasters should have a mechanism to collect and deliver information in case of disasters. Shunichi Sakai from NHK-Japan believes disaster information management is a priority to any vulnerable country like Japan which has experienced severe disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami, rain and snow storms and volcanic eruptions.

The speaker commented on the development of disaster information system for Digital TV, data Broadcasting and Web Contents in the Japanese public station. He said that to collect the needed information, phone and fax are today obsolete tools. Priority is to inform the audience on different platforms before, during and after any disaster. NHK gets its information from the L-Alert System in collaboration with national meteorological services and the FMMC- Foundation for Multimedia Communication. What counts more is the security and safety of all people in the affected areas.

Shunichi Sakai said the new system has worked well since the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake which took nearly 18,000 lives in March 2011. Today, he added, through traditional TV and Radio broadcasts, internet, mobile phones and tablets all the required information reach easily the public. NHK gives rapidly fresh and accurate information concerning the weather forecasts, evacuation and other details on any devices at any time.

The afternoon sessions focused more on broadcast technologies where speakers made presentations and views exchanged on different topics such as OTT, Hybrid Broadcasting, Power of Social Media, High Dynamic Range (HDR), High Frame Rate (HFR) and Beyond 4K.