General Introduction: Learning "What We Can Do" from Four Case Studies

Abstract

This special feature reports on four case studies of activities that made use of the knowledge of digital archives in the short period of time following the Noto Peninsula earthquake of 2024. In this article, the chief editor of the special feature introduces the intention of the project and the outline of the cases as a general introduction. In addition, from the perspective of the broadcast archive, we will discuss the issue of portrait rights, which is an important point to keep in mind for disaster-related images, and the value of images of the city before the disaster struck. The four cases consist of two that demonstrate the function of media in accurately conveying information on the disaster situation, and two that are directly involved in the disaster area and provide support for reconstruction. The other two cases are directly related to the disaster area and support for reconstruction. Each of these cases offers suggestions for those involved in digital archiving as to what they can do in the event of a disaster.