INSIGHTS

2022.05.11

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 40

Data-driven urban development that makes people happy [Part 2]

Taro Hitokoto Director of Neural Pocket Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

Q: What are the important points when developing green infrastructure?

A: It is necessary to accumulate know-how and develop technology, but I believe that "economic sustainability" is essential. Green infrastructure creates economic value, which enables stable operation and continuous efforts, and it is extremely important to create an economic system that creates this cycle.

Considering examples such as Marunouchi Nakadori Street [Photo 1] designed by Mitsubishi Jisho Design Jisho Sekkei and Namba Parks in Osaka (2003 [Phase 1], 2007 [Phase 2] / Design: John Jerdy, Obayashi Corporation, Nikken Sekkei), we believe that private companies are also finding value in investing in green spaces in urban spaces. As momentum for ESG investment increases worldwide, it is known that there are many cases overseas where funds are being raised for activities that contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. In light of this, when the Green Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Platform [Figure 1] was established in 2020, a Finance Subcommittee was established as a forum for organizing and examining ideas regarding investment to achieve economic sustainability.

Green infrastructure is also expected to attract an influx of talent. We believe that creating sustainable and attractive urban spaces will improve the quality of Japanese cities, making them safe, secure and clean, and will also lead to attracting highly skilled talent to Japan.

[Photo 1] Marunouchi Naka-dori Renewal Project, (Designed Mitsubishi Jisho Design, completed in 2002 (first phase), 2007 (second phase))
[Figure 1] Overview of the Green Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Platform (Source: https://www.mlit.go.jp/policy/shingikai/content/001370646.pdf)

Q: What kind of work are you currently doing?

A: I work at a company called Neural Pocket, where I use an image processing technology called "edge AI" to visualize urban movements. When I was at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, I saw many cases where the technology side was unable to properly grasp the intentions of the public sector, and where the public sector was unable to properly verbalize its requests due to a lack of technical knowledge. I began to think that if someone who understands the circumstances of the public sector well stands on the technology side, they can act as a bridge between the two parties and help move society in a better direction. I thought that such roles were more necessary in society, and that this was exactly my role, so I decided to change jobs. The fact that I felt that the image analysis technology of edge AI had a definite potential to contribute to the public sector was also what prompted me to change jobs.

Currently, I am in charge of overall sales, focusing on public projects. When I changed jobs, I thought that if I had the technology to collect data, I would be able to enter various fields of the public sector, and I have been able to work in various fields under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, such as roads, cities, railways, logistics, disaster prevention, and tourism. In these fields, the subjects of analysis are basically people and cars. Neural Pocket uses a technology called edge AI, and instead of transferring and analyzing the captured video as in the past, the analysis is completed by AI on-site (in the device such as the camera), and only the necessary information is sent as text. This means that even if I am captured on camera, only the data "male in his 40s" is sent, and images that identify me are not transmitted or stored.

Using these technologies, the Umekita 2nd District Development Project in Osaka has developed services that provide information on congestion in parks and find people who have collapsed and are not moving. In addition, we are working on grasping information on parking lot vacancies, grasping vehicle dwell time at logistics facilities, grasping changes in pedestrian flow in front of stations due to urban development activities, and collecting data at evacuation shelters [Figure 2].

[Figure 2] Heat map of usage status in urban parks in Muroran, Hokkaido [Courtesy of Neural Pocket Co., Ltd.]

Q: How do you think data that visualizes cities will be used in the future?

A: First of all, I think it is very important to collect continuous basic data. In order to understand the situation, which changes depending on various factors such as weather, time of day, events, and development, it is essential to have data from normal times as a contrast. In town development and urban planning, in most cases, it is explained as if the situation has been understood using very short-term data, but I think that in the future, continuous observation will become the norm. Furthermore, I think that continuous observation will help understand the surrounding environment and the effects of actions, and will become a source of evidence and ideas for subsequent decision-making.

I think it would be ideal for the accumulation and archiving of such basic data to be made public and open. If the data can be acquired appropriately, it will become a social infrastructure in itself. I believe that having data that many people can access will lead to a variety of use cases.

There are many situations where a prior explanation is required about what can be learned by measuring data and how it can be used. I fully understand that it is necessary as an accountability for making investments, whether in the public or private sector. However, it is because data is constantly being collected that we can understand what happened in the city when a disaster occurred and use it for future verification, so I think it is unreasonable to have to explain everything before implementation. In fact, it often happens that the conversation suddenly becomes lively when you hold a meeting with, for example, a week's worth of data immediately after starting to collect data. If you continue to collect data, you will notice things, which will activate people who see the data, so I would like you to actively consider it.

I want to create a city where people feel happy through public spaces. To achieve this, it is very important to have a decision-making process that satisfies users when managing and renovating spaces. Currently, it seems that the people managing the space often proceed with projects without fully understanding the situation, and users who have opinions on the project also often oppose it without fully understanding the situation. Even if we take a space like a park, the survey of actual usage conducted by the government only captures a very one-sided image of the park, and users only know the park at the time they usually go there. First of all, I think that if we have accurate data and can start a constructive discussion based on that, we can increase the sense of satisfaction in society.

Utilizing data to improve people's sense of happiness and satisfaction. Isn't that how a mature society like Japan should be? Making this a reality is my goal for the future.

Back to Part 1

PROFILE

Neural Pocket, Inc. Business Strategy Department Director

Taro Hitokoto

A word from Taro

Born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1981, raised in Yokohama, and currently living in Ota Ward. Graduated from Kaisei High School in 2000, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo in 2004, and completed the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo in 2006 before joining the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Engaged in urban parks, stadium and arena reform (Japan Sports Agency), productive green spaces, compact cities, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism policy ventures. Retired from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2021 and joined Neural Pocket Co., Ltd. Serving as a member of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture Social Collaboration Committee, the Architectural Institute of Japan Editorial Committee, and Jiyugaoka Machidukuri Co., Ltd. J-SPIRIT Management Committee, he is also a member of the General Incorporated Association Minna no Koen Kaigokai and a founder of Kasumigaseki Teal.

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R&D

Update : 2018.09.21

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