This document discusses using OpenStreetMap (OSM) to support participatory community restoration efforts in areas affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It presents two case studies of OSM mapping parties held in Kamaishi and Ishinomaki to collect local geospatial knowledge and discuss restoration maps. The parties engaged local residents and collected detailed points of interest. Resulting OSM maps showed restoration progress and highlighted features like temporary housing and tourism attractions. However, evaluating restoration and addressing gaps in IT skills remain challenges. Ongoing support like OSM basecamps could further mapping contributions to rebuilding.

1. The Possibility of Participatory
Community Restoration Based on
OpenStreetMap
Toshikazu Seto*, Taichi Furuhashi
(University of Tokyo, OSMF Japan)
Daisuke Yoshida (Osaka City University, OSMFJ)
and Haruyuki Seki (Georepublic Japan, OSMFJ)
2013/08/06 IGU Kyoto Regional Conference
GS162-3 OpenStreetMap and Geographical Knowledge

2. Outline
• Purposes & Overview
• Towards the Restoration
– Case Study 1 : Kamaishi (Iwate Pref.)
– Case Study 2 : Ishinomaki (Miyagi. Pref.)
• Issues & Feature Works

3. Purposes & Overview
• This presentation explores how to collect and
share the local geospatial knowledge that will
contribute to the community reconstruction
after the Earthquake on an ongoing basis.
• Our research mainly targets are Ishinomaki
(Miyagi Pref.) and Kamaishi (Iwate Pref.) cities.
• While these areas were severely damaged by
the tsunami, many of the local residents have
been very active, establishing NPOs and
support groups.

4. 4
2011.032011.10

5. Activity Days / Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total
1 4 15 62 212 639 932
2-5 1 1 10 24 77 147 369 629
6-10 1 14 20 35 48 80 198
11-50 1 4 33 41 68 51 110 338
51-100 3 6 17 29 28 16 52 151
101-200 2 4 8 22 35 33 14 10 128
201-300 3 2 6 18 20 23 8 6 86
301-400 2 11 24 12 16 5 70
401-500 2 9 14 14 5 6 50
501-1000 1 7 18 31 44 17 4 122
1000- 4 5 7 17 5 38
総計 10 27 71 204 259 364 511 1,266 2,742
States of the OpenStreetMap in Japan
（User based count: 2005～2012）
※Source: planet.osm (2013/02/08) & http://www.hdyc.neis-one.org/ 5

6. Case Studies

7. The Case Study Areas

8. Why is a restoration map needed ?
• Response to local “Up-to-date” information
• Official guide is so lately for regional restoration processes.
• The possibility of collaboration by volunteers and residents
Source: http://kamaishi-town.com/

9. Paper Based Voluntary Map
(in Ishinomaki since 2011/07)
Source: http://ishinomaki2.com/map.pdf

10. Mapping Party
• A mapping party is where a group of
openstreetmappers and novices descend on an area to
map it exhaustively, usually over a weekend. It's a very
social event where people can meet up and talk
(usually at a pub) in between mapping sessions.
• After the mapping is finished, the participants share
food and drinks, and enjoy themselves. It's a party,
after all! Indeed mapping is not compulsory at a
mapping party. Sometimes it's all about the party!
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mapping_parties

11. Case Study 1:
Kamaishi (Iwate Pref.)
2012/03/20 First Mapping Party
2012/05/12-13 Second Mapping Party

12. 2012/03/20 First Mapping Party in Kamaishi
■Challenges
• Collected detail information
from local residents
• Desire to visit many people
in Kamaishi
• Contacted over 40 people in
fieldwork (using GPS) and
introduced OSM editing
• Logistics support by
Yokohama-team

13. 2012/05/12-13 Second Mapping Party in Kamaishi
■Purpose
• What kind of restoration map?
• Discussion of the map’s features:
shops, public facilities, tourism resources, etc.
• The development of pdf and/or paper-based self-
making restoration map using OSM data

14. Before 311 Earthquakes

15. 311 Earthquakes after one month

16. After the 1st Mapping Party

17. After the 2nd Mapping Party

18. Temporally Housing
18

19. Collected POI in Kamaishi

20. What kind of the restoration
map feature(s)
• Targeting shops
– The name of the
shop
– Type of the service
– Opening-closing
time
– Telephone number
– restart_day
– where is it re-
located?

21. Case Study 2:
Ishinomaki (Miyagi Pref.)
2013/04/13 First Mapping Party

22. 2013/04/13 First Mapping Party
in Ishinomaki
■Purpose
• Where is the restoration ?
• What is tourism attractiveness after-disaster ?
■Challenges
• Collaboration with the NPO, company & residents
• More easy participation of the OpenStreetMap

24. Before 311 Earthquakes

25. 311 Earthquakes after one month

28. After the Mapping Party

29. Collected POI of the tourism attractiveness in Ishinomaki

30. Artwork:
Shotaro Ishinomori’s Manga character statues
30

31. Comparison mapping parties
Kamaishi Ishinomaki
Main theme Daily life
for restoration
Daily Life & tourism
for restoration
Activities 3 times once
Peoples 20 – 40 peoples 30 peoples
Tools Field Papers
GPS
Pushpin / GPS
Field Papers
POIs 451 501
POIs category 56 62
OSM users 90 112

32. Conclusions
• The Crisis Mapping contributed a vast amount
of geospatial information in the response
period.
• The feature related to the restoration is wide
variety form. It is necessary to understand the
space-time in its entirety are various kinds.
• The activities of mapping party in which the
local residents made new maps through the
fieldwork & communication.

33. The Version of Ways in the Tohoku region

34. Issues & Feature Works
• The difficulty of the evaluation for restoration
–Not only quantitative analysis
–VGI’s voluminous data; citizen’s continuously
motivation
• The gap of the IT literacy and GIS skills in the
Tohoku area
–The high demands for paper resources yet
–Set up the OSM basecamp in Tohoku region
• Supprt place of learning OSM in regional NPO
office

35. Thank you for your attention !
E-mail: tosseto@csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Special Thanks to: Kamaishi Mapping Team, Ishinomaki 2.0,
OSMFJ and All Suporting Members
This study supported by Toyota Foundation