Reply #7: Belated release of radiation forecast data [View All]

Belated release of radiation forecast data

The Japanese government is about to begin releasing data projecting the spread of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that it initially withheld for fear of causing panic. The data in question is in a computer system called SPEEDI that predicts the spread of radioactive substances based on actual radiation measurements at various locations and weather conditions.

A joint task force of the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company says about 5,000 undisclosed bits of data will be released from Tuesday...

...Hosono said the task force withheld the information because some data were based on overly rigorous assumptions and feared it may trigger panic.

But he said the task force now believes that panic can be avoided if it offers proper explanations on the projections. He also promised to promptly release all such data in the future. Hosono said the task force will carry out a monthly check of how TEPCO is proceeding with its plan to bring the nuclear crisis under control. The utility firm announced a recovery roadmap on April 17th that calls for stabilizing the situation in 6 to 9 months.

Monday, May 02, 2011 19:34 +0900 (JST)

Source: NHK

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/02_32.html




Radiation forecast data released

The Japanese government has released data projecting the spread of radioactive substances from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The science ministry uses a computer system called SPEEDI to predict how radiation will spread depending on weather and geographical conditions.

On Tuesday, the government released about 5,000 bits of data showing hourly predictions from March 11th. The information appears on the websites of the Nuclear Safety Commission and other entities.

The data was calculated on the assumption that radioactive substances are being released at a rate of one becquerel per hour. The data for 10 p.m. on March 15th, when an explosion occurred at the No.2 reactor, shows radiation flowing out of the screen to the northeast. Such data had been withheld for fear of causing panic.

Goshi Hosono, secretary general of the joint task force set up by the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, apologized on Monday for the delay in releasing the data. He said that he now believes that panic can be avoided if proper explanations are offered. Hosono promised to release data promptly in the future.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011 16:06 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/03_20.html