Hamilton CHENG 1* Doctoral Research Fellow, Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (Taiwan) Abstract

Transcription

1 4th Asian Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction November 26~28, 2017, Sendai, Japan A Risk Communication Approaching into Taiwan Early Warning Delivery Network during the Extreme Disasters (A corrective measure by simulating the impact of Great East Japan Earthquake ) Hamilton CHENG 1* 1 Doctoral Research Fellow, Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (Taiwan) Abstract Taiwan is well equipped only with mobile internet network for delivery the early warning (EW) of earthquake and the like. However, the internet is out of reach when the electricity outage happened in aftermath. The public policy is driven by the integration into an international economic structure to serve the interest of telecommunications industry without alternative solution offered by broadcasting media. The research is gained the insight by the risk communication concept and model greatly promoted by William Leiss, a Canadian scholar in science and technology policy. This research paper is striking the problematic of Taiwan disaster countermeasure communication system by simulating electricity blackout in the aftermath of Great East Japan Earthquake According to Leiss, the chosen technology is a result estimated by benefits outweighing risk. It is one social option pressured by industrial group to avoid any competitive solution. In Taiwan, this research would show the real risky future looming demonstrated by a risk communication assessment. Once a devastate disaster hit in local, probability at 70% caused the electricity blackout of the base station for wireless mobile service. Left only 40% of mobile phone (4G) users covered with cell-broadcasting service if not completely terminated, the rest of affective users went on bleak without information. Moreover, as the digital TV one without mandate on EW, the remaining solution of digital video broadcasting for 94.8% household is not functioning timely and completely. The radio set is also not evenly distributed to each household. This public policy created a chaos if the one similar with East Japan Earthquake hit the island wide area later during two-month period before base stations totally are recovery. The research finally demonstrated the timeline resumed for functioning each delivery network from electronic media to telecommunication during post-disaster era and made a risk communication problems model work. Taiwan will be the first case in the world by using risk communications approach to uncovered the hazard of disaster generated by the way how it communicating risk. Keywords: broadcasting, mobile internet, risk communication, Taiwan, Tohoku Earthquake * Corresponding author: Hamilton Cheng (Mr.), #50 Lane 75 Sec.3 Kang-ning Rd. Taipei 114 TAIWAN, rnd6156@mail.pts.org.tw 1

2 Introduction Taiwan is chosen as one of the most dangerous sites hit by extreme weather or natural disaster in Asia- Pacific region [1]. Therefore, to prevent the causality and property lose, the government continuously invests the rescue and relief efforts after the Chi-Chi Earthquake happened in The communication and warning delivery is not the focus until witnessed the Typhoon Morakot Flooding Southern Taiwan and Tohoku Great Earthquake hit Japan respectively in 2009, However, the deployment of communication equipment for early warning is not well addressed and evenly distributed to local request. According to one typical dialogue between media and emergency industry, the evident was released. There was a professional exchange held by Taiwan Association of Disaster Prevention Industry on 25, August The visitor is Traveller Information Services Association (TISA) based on the experience of digital radio service for navigation and warning purpose. The European expert simply posed the exchange topic regarding how electronic media deliveries early warning of earthquake in Taiwan. Unanimously, the local counterpart replied there is never has one warning issued from the media side. Questioning the possibility for survive, Taiwan delegate kept defended the survival under lacking of media assistance in here by earning it with good luck. However, the later presentation is given to a web application program provider in Taiwan, KNY, for showing how internet data streaming from Metrological Bureau into an early warning message of earthquake could function well in wireless cell phone. The contrast experience is built without doubt. This ambivalent picture above is demonstrated with a risk communication argument comparing with international standard implemented into Japan, Asia-Pacific, North American and Europe. Powered by wireless broadband for emergency communication only, regardless the universal service option in radio broadcast media, a policy driven deviation strongly enforced into action behind the curtain. Risk communication study is conceptualized into a useful framework guiding a human hazard issue being analysed, debated, explored with its own making of one argument naturally taken for granted. This article proposed that a risk communication system is built internationally by technology transfer in general and unilaterally adapted into Taiwan local political economy terrain in particular. The problematic of this proposal is using the framework of risk communication to explore the weakness of Taiwan early warning delivery system. Conclusively, the communication functioned as reduction of risk and hazard but finally turn out to be another source of risk come along with impending natural disaster. Concept of Risk Communication The Risk Communication research is developed by William Leisss, a Canadian Scholar, focuses on how one society faced the threats generated from human system or natural environment. During the policy debate, the public option is reached by a calculation in gaining the benefits outnumbered the deficits it created or ignored. However, the result is not always desirable followed the outcome what one intended to foresee [2]. Leiss refined his long-term research into a communication model to tackle the complex issue generated by a more divided society [3]. This communication model functioned as a criticism on the modernized society in defining the risk. Any risk one contemporary policy issue encountered, now is somewhat addressing by how the solution to risk being dealt with rather than the concept of itself. The problematic of model thinking is argued against the real risk resided with the way to think, discuss, debate, exchange for protecting and preventing. The real risk is generated by the one mis-conceptualizing the threat and ill-quipped with preparedness activities by a wrong strategy. The proposed model is divided by two spheres into policy/expert on the one hand, media profession and public on the other (see the following chart).

3 Figure 1. The Making of Risk Communication Model Source: Leiss [3]; originally from Leiss & Krewski, [4] For one any issue regarding the public safety and disaster hazard, the above model is working at the core of policy-making on protecting people and property. Government, based on the study of expert group, is policing the measure of risk and assigning the channel to warn. Mass media, enforced by the mandate specified in, for example, Broadcasting Act, broadcast the warning information in the daily news. Moreover, endowed with impunity, the media should being responsible for immediately deliver the warning message from metrological bureau when the impending natural disaster is confirmed. However, the related information reaching public or the interest group, the quarrel and panic should naturally expand into next run of risk communication. The core of this argument is nothing more important than the way warning presented or delivered rather than the risk itself being issued. It is the motif of risk communication turned out to be a topic of communication science research. The current topic of Disaster Risk Reduction is defined by Sendai Framework for DRR For media and communication professionals, the major challenge brought by extreme weather, climate change, and natural hazard is the accuracy and speed of communication content for warning the people of affected area. As a result, early warning is a major element of DRR [5]. As the framework statement said directly, Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by (Seventh Global Target) This research grasps the above concept of risk communication and the reality Taiwan faced with the options for early warning delivery into a policy inquiry. The question is what a consensus making into a single choice upon wireless broadband relaying the disaster warning nationwide. Or there is lacking of risk communication before the former decision has been made. The next section will follow the risk communication model to ask the critical points into four parts of analysis,

4 A. Source Problem: the networking analysis on the experts and advisors consisting of scholar, official, media professional. As a backdrop, the political economy of media and information industry is affecting the credibility of warning solution proposal [6]. The current choice making on warning delivery network is exactly determined by the market share of digital convergence rather than the risk management. B. Message Problem: saving lives by early warning is the unforgettable experience and lesson which taught either by the formal education system or the drill program is the degree of reception and support. Any promotion and persuasion campaign also checked by its compelling power and strategy beyond pure instruction from above. Otherwise, the message did not pass through from expert to lay person. C. Channel Problem: media or any communication agency adequately addressed the issue of early warning device or network is the special and key concern for its success. However, the media is again the poor one to deal with this very potential and forecast event. Without sensational and attraction, for early warning investment and commitment is so much distanced from the daily lives of people who will be affected only in possibilities. D. Receiver Problem: how people reacted to the risk situation created by electronic outage and searching for emergency information. Being unfamiliar with the technologies once one faced in danger is the most difficulty for introducing the solution. The most availability of technology at hand is the advantage or disadvantage result decided by the gap between local knowledge and the expert s one. Finally, based on the real experience of East Japan Great Earthquake 2011, this research adopts the communication status aftermath as the framework for Taiwan simulating the one if happened here. The article, assumed the simulation between two poles on the same plat trench along west Pacific Ocean, will illustrate the weakness of Taiwan communication system during the similar disaster impact. The risk communication approach discovered the communication is a risk issue. Early Warning Deterred by Risk Communication Taiwan positioned itself at a very unusual early warning arrangement in Asia-Pacific region. Located at the most dangerous site of extreme weather and earthquake hitting, Taiwan followed the worldwide action to deploy the disaster risk reduction except the communication system. The problematic of DRR implementation is lacking the direct collaboration with mass media in early warning. The rest of Asia-Pacific member, after East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, respectively adopted the similar strategy of EEW (Earthquake Early Warning) broadcast service by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), including Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, China [7] [8]. There is silent on the move to tackle earthquake threat in Taiwan communication media. Although the electricity outage after earthquake proved to be an unresolved issue, National Communications Commission decided to commission Cell Broadcast solution to wireless broadband providers as they are thriving on the way to LTE transition. The media authority is changing almost during same period. National government rebuilt the networking in order to strengthen its capability in disaster risk reduction without one department, Ministry of Culture. Therefore, the changing authority created a missing-link between disaster management and media policy. Without the necessary reliability measure between digital TV and wireless broadband, government is working on a closed circle within Ministry of the Interior, Transportation and Communications, Science and Technology etc to chose the latter as the official channel for early warning [9]. Withdrawal from the membership of United Nations, Taiwan doesn t recognized the decision for this official endeavour worked against the ITU recommendation (REPORT ITU-R BT )[10]. The heavy-involvement by telecommunication experts in Taiwan for early warning (EEW launching in the beginning of 2016) on the 4G wireless broadband is naturally born without doubt by the low-penetration rate (14.24%) of DVB-T (digital video broadcasting Terrestrial) service as follows.

5 Table 1. The Brief Statistics of TV, Radio and Multimedia Platform Operators (Q1/2015) Enterprise Classification Radio Television Direct Satellite Broadcasting Service Operators Satellite Broadcasting Program Suppliers Cable Radio and TV Industry Multimedia Content Transporting Platform Service No. Operator (MSO) 1 (IPTV) Sub-system Channel (5HD 15 SD) Set Availability (2013) (Source:[11], [12]) (Domestic) 115 (Foreign) % 14.24% 0.38% -- 80% 12.3% However, the solution didn t choose the highest one of 80% at cable TV service. This selection demonstrated that the ubiquity and backup-power are requisite. The criteria brought radio/tv to be equivalent to wireless broadband in serving early warning issue. According to the same period of statistics at telecommunication services as follows, the policy-making on EEW is driven by the take-up of 4G service in the first place. Table 2. Mobile Telecommunications Service in Taiwan (Q1, 2015) Type of Mobile Sub-total subscribers Total subscribers Subscribers per 100 population (%) 4G 4,369, % 3G Dataenable 15,090,161 22,927, % Others 7,837,584 (Source: [11]) The source analysis pointed out the DRR requested early warning is fallen at the hand of economic development rather than the risk management only and foremost. The ITU [10] documents clearly differentiate the Digital TV from the wireless telecommunication (pp.3), Portable television receivers are much less common, but even this is destined to change, as mobile DTV reception capability is beginning to be rolled out to portable devices such as cellular phones Television broadcasting is particularly powerful when it displays maps of emergency areas annotated with critical information prepared by the broadcasters news and meteorological personnel, and first responders and emergency agencies. The DRR issue regarding delivery network is not well-addressed in Taiwan by lacking the membership of some key stakeholders internationally and domestically. Secondly, an effective campaign is not easily promoted. Lacking of common memory on historical lesson in local is one thing, catastrophe disaster seldom happened nationwide recently is another. The disaster reduction issue is not on the list of emergent issues. Being the mode of preparedness is the key for successful DRR program. There is too much long wait to endure before the real extreme weather and natural disaster is approaching. Thirdly, the adaptation for climate change and preparedness for natural disaster is poorly organized topics in the forum of mass media. Taiwan public service broadcasting (PSB) is too small to initiate a complete overview program on the all threats surround by global warming, based on the numbers indicated as follows

6 Table 3. The Comparison of PSB Scale between Taiwan and Advanced Industry Countries PSB Nationality Total Revenue (CAD) Population Per capita for public funding for PSB (2014) YLE 677,464,101 5,463, Finland CBC 1,036,096,000 35,540, Canada NHK 6,913,587, ,131, Japan PTS Taiwan 39,130,434 23,000,000 1,74 (Source: Except Taiwan, see [13]) With minimal scale to survive, the terrestrial TV broadcasters PTS-like, render no enough support for post-digitalization era to launch data-casting service. The powerful result of mapping information with synchronized real-time update is a theory at best. Without government subsidy or regional integration, the newly-device for decoding video with information is impossible to implement by the tiny scale of market demand and untenable business model. Finally, with the larger technical savvy consumers in the highly device-manufacturing country, Taiwan people are used to be good at jumping on the row for adopting new technology. The availability and userfriendly benefited the users for searching information and entertainment by 4G mobile phone. Without the pressure test on survival after catastrophic disaster, the widespread of utilizing wireless broadband is a hidden risk once the electricity outage broken out and shut down base stations within one cell. The overlooking picture of flaming cell broadcasting application made a risk future by underestimating the irreplaceable of terrestrial radio broadcasting in disaster. A Simulation through Great East Japan Earthquake s Communication Status This section will refer to the several official reports on the aftermath of communication status in Great East Japan Earthquake. It started from the basic information of Japan and Taiwan regarding the digital TV coverage and reception as follows. Table 4. Platform for the main TV reception and digital take-up up in Japan and Taiwan0 Digital Reception Country (%) Terrestrial TV Japan Taiwan n/a n/a 6.8 n/a Cable TV Japan Taiwan Satellite TV Japan Taiwan IPTV Japan n/a n/a n/a 0.9 Taiwan n/a n/a 1.9 n/a (Source:[14] [15]) The policy for digital switchover in both countries is aiming respectively at 2011 (Japan) and 2012 (Taiwan). Japan is reached by coverage rate of 98% and Taiwan by its own of 94%. These figures show the capability of digital mobile TV in Japan is robust (60.7%) and Taiwan is achieved only in the technical term with little utilization (6.8%). The digital mobile TV availability is proved by following MIC data (2013). The figure was indicated there is 80% of mobile phone in the market equipped mobile TV (terrestrial) function in case of emergency blackout [16]. Based on the digital TV availability in place before 2011, the following report generated by the survey after huge earthquake is reasonable.

7 Figure2. The One-Seg (Mobile TV) Functionality Available in Japan Domestic Market Source: [16] According to Kazuyoshi SHOGEN [17], former Executive Research Engineer of NHK, reported to overseas about the damage of Great East Japan one on them. There is only one digital TV transmitter is shut down service by electricity outage. Done by Culture Institute of NHK survey, there are 40% of person in affected area by using fixed TV (21%) and mobile TV (19%) in suffer region. Combined the radio user at 51%, the percentage of internet user is smaller at 7%. Another research done by MIC, Yasushi Furukawa [18] pointed out that 80% of residents lived in affected area suffered by electricity blackout. The similar survey done by Taiwan NCC [19], this report also concluded during typhoon effect period, the base stations for mobile phone went out function due to electricity outage occupied 70%. However, digital TV with multimedia and EWBS function is reached to 95% of households (50 million) in Japan (mobile TV phone shipment is double than the former). There is no systematical implementation and mandating on the EWBS receivers manufacturing in Taiwan. Even though, the economical terrestrial TV is only reached to % [12]. The communication status of Taiwan in disaster is greatly hampered by electricity outage for no wireless broadband with no enough backup system of terrestrial mobile TV system. That is a terrible weakness generated by the risk communication model resided within Taiwan decision-making process. The power outage household affected by the very moment of earthquake in 2011 is close to 500,000 in Tohoku region [20]. The restoration of mobile base station (14,800) took two-month to finish. However, the offair of TV relay stations are 120. The recovery work is mostly resolved by 2-month period. During the repair term, NHK fully functioned as the substitute for the people in affected area. Those happened in Taiwan will created a chaos of electricity outage without communication. Conclusion The risk communication approach is a study on how risk and crisis caused by industrial society or climate change being discussed, debated, and reached solution. Any result once decided illustrated how one society by choosing the common and easy option at the expense of the other requested long-term effort and reform. Taiwan stakeholders, faced the impending extreme climate, primarily introduced disaster preparedness effort and measure. However, the delivery early warning network issue is struck by its limited organizing authority and inflaming technology savvy. The risk communication model thinking is driven government to mandate the 4G network without alternative. By assumed totally power-free condition, Taiwan government is endorsing 4G wireless broadband service in danger. This research tackled a tricky picture of vulnerable country, Taiwan, into an unusual risk communication problematic. The article questioned the past concerns blindly focus on one major solution without others and criticized the authority in rethinking its preparedness internationally, regionally and universally.

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