IEEE Communications Magazine • January 2014 176 0163-6804/14/$25.00 © 2014 IEEE AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR DISASTERS March 11, 2011 (3.11) marked a day of devasta- tion for East Japan. An earthquake and tsunami immobilized much of the technologically advanced nation. Nature managed to subdue the prowess of some of humans’ greatest inventions over the course of the disaster. In the wake of a catastrophe, the first few hours and days are crit- ical, but typically thwarted by communication and power interruptions that threaten the sus- tainment and sanctity of life. The most important lesson from the Great East Japan Earthquake is that it is impossible to build a system that never fails. Rather, we need to create resilient information systems (ISs) that can quickly regain functionality to perform criti- cal post-disaster missions and return smoothly to full processing capability thereafter. We should incorporate this objective into requirements, especially for ISs serving disaster prone regions. The lack of communication capabilities and information processing resources needs to be swiftly handled by deploying a system with basic capabilities and sufficient bandwidth to meet the most pressing needs while leveraging a basic communication tool most people possess. A frugal IS [1] embodies a set of characteris- tics that enables swift and effective deployment of a very limited IS designed, in this case, to gather and distribute minimal but critical infor- mation to maximize survival rates. Most articles on disaster relief discuss actions after the first 72 hours (three days), when there has been time to mobilize resources from out- side the affected area [2, 3]. These studies also focus almost solely on the information and com- munication technologies (ICT) division as the primary user, systems architecture, and technical components to retain power and communication at the cell site. This differs in that it not only addresses the aforementioned issues but also includes emphasis on the immediate basic com- munication capabilities and information needs of the individuals directly impacted by the disaster, as well as those involved in disaster relief. This work focuses on how municipal governments can address the situation by themselves immediately after a major disaster. This article is also unique in that we place an emphasis on the connectivity at a higher layer (i.e., data integration) in addi- tion to the lower layer connectivity that most other articles address. We know of no other work that deals with municipal government data management immediately after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake. ABSTRACT Important lessons for responding to a large- scale disaster can be gleaned from the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The failure of the electrical power system and the resultant loss of information communication and processing capability severely constrained the recovery work of many municipalities. It was difficult for supporting organizations to collect and share information. A frugal information sys- tem designed around the four u-constructs is suggested as a solution for handling the very early stages of disaster relief, typically within the first 72 hours and even upon the realization of an impending disaster. This article focuses on basing communications on the most frequently available device, the cellular phone, as the foun- dation for a frugal IS for disaster relief. Familiar and available tools place minimal stress on an already strained communication system, and enable effective connection between those impacted by a disaster and those involved in dis- aster relief. ITU KALEIDOSCOPE Mihoko Sakurai, Keio University Richard T. Watson, University of Georgia Chon Abraham, The College of William and Mary Jiro Kokuryo, Keio University Sustaining Life During the Early Stages of Disaster Relief with a Frugal Information System: Learning from the Great East Japan Earthquake