Details of Research Projects

Recent Major Research Projects Supported by External Research Grants

RFID-based Positioning Systems for Enhancing Safety and Sense of Security

Competitive Fund: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology
Period: 2006-2008
Leader: Kaoru Sezaki

1) Objective
To provide ubiquitous services in both indoor and outdoor spaces, we must make location information available anywhere at anytime. The objective is to carry out integrated research on the key topics ranging from basic technologies to applications, in order to enable nation-scale deployment of RFID-based location reference points.

2) Research Focus
We focus on: (1) technologies for low-cost design and deployment of RFID-based location reference points, (2) highly-accurate localization techniques that utilize the reference points to obtain location information, allow for location information exchange across colocated terminals, and consider other types of information, and (3) application systems that exploit the obtained location information in order to enhance safety and sense of security.

3) Mission Statement
We realize a highly-accurate localization infrastructure by enabling colocated exchange of location information that is captured from RFID-based location reference points, and verify that we can build application systems on such a localization infrastructure.

4) Project Team
Under the leadership of the University of Tokyo, Geographical Survey Institute develops RFID-based reference points; the University of Tokyo develops localization mechanisms; and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and National Research Institute of Police Science co-develop applications. We collaborate in an organic fashion and bring together the outcomes of these research areas to build an integrated experimental system.

Study on the Development of Sustainable Collaborative Web Library Systems for Providing the Standard Curricula of GIScience and Its Related Contents

Competitive Fund: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A))
Period: 2005-2007

The project has two major objectives.

The first objective is to develop GIScience curricula in Japan.
Based on the first draft of the GIS curriculum, we develop a systematic structure of GIScience curricula and their contents in collaboration with the members of the GIS Association of Japan, the Association of Japanese Geographers and related associations. We also correspond with members who developed the Strawman Reprot and those engaged in GIScience curricula in the world.

The second objective is to develop a sustainably collaborative web library system for serving the materials of GIScience curricula in Japan.
We organize individuals and organizations who provide the contents of GIScience (e.g., syllabus, lecture handouts, instruction materials, data for educating GIScience) and develop the institution and management system that enable to sustainably and collaboratively serve the contents of GIScience.We develop a Web library system by which users can readily find materials for GIScience education.

Please refer to http://curricula.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ for status reports on research.

General Leader: Okabe, A. University of Tokyo
Group A1: Integration of GroupA2 and GroupA3
Leader: Sadahiro, Y. University of Tokyo
Group A2: GIScience curricula
Leader: Oguchi, T. University of Tokyo
Group A3: GITechnology curricula
Leader: Arikawa, M. University of Tokyo
Group B1: Organizing individuals and organizations who teach GIScience
Leader: Asami, Y. University of Tokyo
Group B2: Qualification of GIScience
Leader: Usui, T. University of Nara
Group B3: Development of a web library system
Leader: Takahashi, N. University of Tokyo
Group B4: On-line GIScience education
Leader: Takahashi, A. University of Tokyo

Study on the Development of Methods for Regional Analysis in View of Geographical and Social Situation

Competitive Fund: Research in Aid of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Comprehensive Research Project for Health Sciences)
Period: 2004-2006

Leader: Yasushi Asami (Chief Researcher)
Partaker:
Toshiro Tango (Director, Department of Technology Assessment and Biostatistics, National Institute of Public Health)
Kazuaki Kohriyama (Professor, Emergency Medical Training School in Kyushu)
Masatoshi Arikawa (Associate Professor, Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo)

In the current regional public health related administration, accurate observation for health issues and cause and effect relationship are very difficult due to the limited information source. The statistical data are not collected in real time and moreover lots of data are reported only by larger regional areas like by municipalities. To break through this situation, this study aims to develop a tool for handling spatial information with easy operations, statistical methods to contribute early detection of causes for health crises and their useful applications.

To deal with quick responses to health crises, the following items are studied:
(1) A software, SDMS (Spatial Document Management System), is developed, which converts document files, such as Excel and Html format, into spatial data and shows distribution of POI (points of interest) on a map. The scattered map of POI's can be easily exported as shape file and GXML format. This will help administrators to grasp the event points of health crises, which can be shared by those concerned quickly through WebGIS, for example.
(2) A statistical method, called Flexible scan, to identify concentrated area of specific disease is developed, which extends Kulldorff's method.
(3) Spatial statistical methods to identify early symptom of epidemic expansion is developed.
(4) These methods are applied to real data to get useful implications for regional health related administration.

Study on the Development of Collaborative, Autonomous and Dispersed Geographical Data Infrastructure System

Fund: Scientific Research(A), Ministry of Education and Science
Period: 2003-2004
Leader: Okabe, A.

Studies with digital geographical data including maps, census data and remotely sensed data are found in human geography, natural geography, economic geography and so forth. In carrying out these studies, however, it is difficult to find where necessary data are available; there is no systematic way of sharing expensive geographical data among universities; and there is no system of sharing research information about software. The objective of this project was to resolve these difficulties, and we have almost achieved this objective. Our major outcome is as follows.

1. Catalog server system.
In the past, clearinghouse was used for searching map data. However, this system could be run only a large organization with technicians, and it could not be managed by universities. Therefore, we have developed an easy system that university researchers can easily manage. At present, the Center for Spatial Information Science at the University of Tokyo runs this system, which can be used by any researchers for academic use. In the near future, branch universities will run this system.

2. System for making catalog contents.
We have developed software with which researchers can easily make catalog contents.

3. Construction of catalog contents.
Using the above system, we have constructed catalog contents of numerical maps, census data and Zmaps which are frequently used by researchers. We have also constructed catalog contents of various maps toward the National Virtual Museum of Maps.

4. Data sharing system.
We have developed a system with which researchers can down load the data that are searched by the above catalog server system.

5. Software search system.
We have developed a web system for finding software packages, and a system of down loading free software packages.

Spatial Information Science for Human and Social Sciences

Competitive Fund: Priority Area Research, Ministry of Education and Science
Period: 1998-2004

The primary aim of this research is to create "Spatial Information Science" which can be applied to various fields of human and social sciences.

Spatial information science is a general method to effectively structure geographic data, to manage the structured data so that they are easily accessible, to conduct analyses using the managed data, and to find a method to communicate the results of the analyses in an easy to understand format. It is also a research in which such general method is applied to various fields of human and social sciences.

The secondary aim of our research is to establish a basic research system to be shared not only by those related with our research but by many human and social scientists working with spatial phenomena. This includes the establishment of a clearinghouse that enables researchers to retrieve spatial data via a network as well as the development of spatial data infrastructure, so that many researchers will be able to share basic spatial data via networks.

As indicated in the aims of this research, the significance of this research lies in the effect it will have on the development of many fields of human and social sciences dealing with spatial phenomena by providing basic research methods and supplying basic spatial data.

General Leader Atsuyuki OKABE, CSIS at the University of Tokyo
Research Unit 1: Economics
Leader Yoshitsugu KANEMOTO, Graduate School of Economics, University of Tokyo
Research Unit 2: Human Geography
Leader Hiroyuki KOSAKA, Department of Geography, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University
Research Unit 3: Archaeology
Leader Takura IZUM Department of Study of Cultural Properties, Nara University
Research Unit 4: Data Construction
Leader Ryousuke SHIBASAKI, CSIS at the University of Tokyo
Research Unit 5: Data Management
Leader Yuio SADAHIRO, CSIS at the University of Tokyo

Database for Promoting Spatial Information Science

Competitive Fund: Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Ministry of Science and Technology (now Ministry of Education and Science)
Period: 1997-2001

The objective of this project is to study how to develop spatial information databases that support the creation of spatial information science.

General Leader: Murakami, Y. Institute of Geological Survey
Research Unit 1: Data Base for Spatio-temporal Information
Leader: Murakami, Y. Institute of Geological Survey
Research Unit 2: Multi-dimensional Spatial Information
Leader: Takahashi, H. Institute of Harbor
Research Unit 3: Integration of Spatio-temporal Information
Leader: Okuyama, S.  Institute of Geographical Survey
Research Unit 4: Renewal and Distribution of Public Facilities Information under Open Network Environment Using Object Oriented Technology
Leader: Shakauchi, M. University of Tokyo
Research Unit 5: Standard Spatial Information and Data Transfer among Different Databases
Leader: Okabe, A. CSIS, University of Tokyo,
cooperated with PASCO, NTT Data, Mitsubishi Research Institute
Research Unit 6: Spetio-Temporal Pattern Analysis of Social Phenomena
Leader: Harada, Y. Institute of Science Police
Research Unit 7: Risk Management and Monitoring Natural Hazards
Leader: Fukui, T. Institute of Disaster Prevention

Islamic Area Studies

Fund: Specially Promoted Research, Ministry of Education and Science
Period: 1997-2001

The term "Islamic World" is often used to refer to the regions of the Middle East; however, we know well that Islam as religion and civilization has spread beyond the Middle East to Central and Southeast Asia in the east, the Balkans and Africa in the west. Furthermore, in contemporary Western countries, and also in China and Japan, Muslims have formed important social groups. That is to say, regions closely related to Islam now encompass the world.

In communities where Muslims reside, we find both symbiotic relationships with other peoples and serious problems, such as ethnic strife, interregional conflict, population explosion, and destruction of the environment. For example, Muslims are today deeply involved in the Bosnian conflict, the civil war in Afganistan, "the new ethnic question" in the European Union, and the struggle for human rights in the United States. Energy sources possessed by Islamic countries in the Middle East have influenced the world economy in the past decades, and will continue to do so in the coming century. Therefore, we may say that social, political and economic trends in the Islamic world will definitely determine the development of world civilization in the twenty-first century, making it necessary for non-Muslim peoples to take positive steps in better understanding Islamic history, ideas, and contemporary situation.

One attempt in coming to a better understanding of Muslims both in the Islamic and non-Islamic world is the five-year project entitled Islamic Area Studies. This project has been planned under the aegis of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, scheduled to begin in April 1997, and to continue through March 2002. The project has three main objectives: (1) to discover new approaches in Islamic Area studies through the accumulation of primary data related to Islamic civilization and Muslim contemporary issues, (2) to develop a computer system suitable for multilateral Islamic Area Studies, and (3) to support and encourage the formation of a new generation of scholars to be entrusted with the future development of these studies. The project also invites non-Japanese scholars to participate and cooperate in realizing the above objectives. Our goal is to create multidisciplinary area studies on the Islamic world in cooperation with scholars all over the world.

General Leader: SATO, Tsugitaka, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Arab-Islamic History, University of Tokyo

Research Unit 1: Thought and Politics in the Islamic World
Leader: KOMATSU Hisao, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Modern History of Central Asia
Research Unit 2: Society and Economy in the Islamic World
Leader: KISAICHI Masatoshi, Sophia University, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Maghreb Area Studies
Research Unit 3: Nations, Regions, and Islam
Leader: KATO Hiroshi, Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Economic History of the Middle East
Research Unit 4: Geographic Information Systems for Islamic Area Studies
Leader: OKABE Atsuyuki, CSIS, University of Tokyo
Research Unit 5: Islamic History and Culture
Leader: HANEDA Masashi, The University of Tokyo, Institute of Oriental Culture, Iranian History
Research Unit 6: Source Materials for the Study of Islamic Civilization
Leader: KITAMURA Hajime, Toyo Bunko (Oriental Library), Tibetan Language Studies