International Digital Earth Applied Science Research Center International Digital Earth Applied Science Research Center

International Digital Earth Applied Science Research Center

Pursuing the creation of “new practical sciences” using geographic information systems (GIS)

International Digital Earth Applied Science Research Center

In today’s environment, humankind faces various risks ranging from natural disasters to those associated with science and technology. In addition, there are other risks such as regional and ethnic conflicts and, recently, global warming. These risks interconnect with each other and it is also possible that a local, trivial event may rapidly spread globally, posing a persistent threat to humankind. To respond to these multiple risks that need to be addressed quickly, new problem-solving methods are necessary, for example, methods to identify risks and respond to them on a real-time basis and comprehensively integrate causal analysis and process analysis beyond the boundaries of sciences. In order to establish such a method, Chubu University considered it effective to adopt an approach using GIS and geoinformatics, which have been maturing in recent years. In this context, the university established the International GIS Center, an organization to help researchers collaborate in teams to conduct research to develop new problem-solving methods.

Director: FUKUI Hiromichi

Research