Abstract
　The number of people using personal computer communication services has been increasing rapidly. Grass-roots level networkers in the United States reached 3 million to 4 million recently. In Japan the oldest personal computer network established around 1983. Now about 350,000 people in Japan use personal computer networks including commercial ones as NIFTY-Serve. Also researchers on natural disasters should adopt such system to provide information for their works.
　For example information on natural disasters in the world is presented from online news through networks. In the case of the 1990 Philippine earthquake, we used online news to promote research projects just after the occurrence of main shock. The number of the dead reported through online news increased gradually after the main shock. In the case of the volcanic activity in the Unzen region, a lot of news were released. Especially it is noted that news reporting precursory phenomena and official warnings were read several days before large activities.

【キーワード】

*京都大学理学部
Department of Geophysics, Kyoto University
**京都大学防災研究所
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
***気象庁地震火山部
Meteorological Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency
****北海道大学理学部
Usu Volcanological Observatory, Hokkaido University
*****都市防災研究所
Urban Safty Research Institute