Spatio-temporal behaviour after an earthquake: a case study of Kawaguchi town, Japan

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a method to examine the differences in behaviour during a post-quake period. Design/methodology/approach - Fieldwork and questionnaires were used to collect the households' members' movement behaviours after the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake. In total, three study areas were selected in Kawaguchi town (Niigata Prefecture) in order to enhance how the visualisation process can provide support in better understanding the behaviour during evacuation and recovery process. For this purpose the Space-Time-Cube (STC) was used to represent and analyse residents' movement paths over time. Findings - Differences appear in the spatio-temporal paths of the three study areas, implying a connection between the geographical location and movement patterns. The city centre shows disorganized Spatio-Temporal-Patterns (STPs) during the first week of the recovery process, eventually becoming organized after the rescuers' arrival. Moving towards the isolated areas of the town, a progressive STP organisation can be observed, explaining the faster response after the seismic event. Research limitations/implications - Spatio-temporal data are difficult and costly to collect, especially if a long period of time passes between the seismic event and the survey. Practical implications The STC can be used as tool to enhance the disaster management techniques and provide support in crisis situations. Originality/value - The paper provides a practical approach to investigate the reactions after a seismic event and can be used in larger study areas to develop better strategies in disaster management.