Five years after their introduction, the use of symbols for natural disaster monuments on government digital maps is expanding throughout Japan. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) has now created over 2,000 of these map symbols nationwide, enhancing their role in disaster prevention education.
Historically, many regions have maintained stone monuments inscribed with details of past disasters and the lessons learned, although some have been neglected over time. The importance of these monuments was highlighted following devastating torrential rains in western Japan in 2018, prompting the GSI to launch a formal initiative in March 2019 to publicize them with symbols on the digital maps.
