2016.10.20
In October 2016, the Tokuda Laboratory and Fujisawa City began operating the "Fujisawa Minna no Report (commonly known as 'MinaRepo')" system, which uses smart city technology to streamline administrative tasks such as waste and recyclables collection. "MinaRepo" enables city employees to "collect" and "understand" urban data related to their administrative duties using their own smartphones and tablet devices. They also label the collected data, which is then analyzed in real time. The objectives are to:
(1) transform discoveries and knowledge from city employees' work, which were not previously digitized, into intellectual assets as big data;
(2) improve the efficiency of administrative tasks by promptly sharing collected data among relevant personnel; and
(3) enable immediate understanding of and response to new events by analyzing accumulated data and converting it into knowledge.
"MinaRepo" is realized using the "Smart City Platform *1 ," which is being developed and operated by the Keio Research Institute at SFC. This platform provides a set of essential functions for building a smart city, including data linkage, distribution, analysis, storage, and visualization for heterogeneous data, including real-time data generated from the real world. The developed technology is released as open-source software. "MinaRepo" utilizes the platform's data linkage and distribution technology, enabling city employees to collect and share information on important events occurring within Fujisawa City that are crucial for performing their administrative duties, using their smartphones and tablets.
Specifically, information related to Fujisawa City's waste and recyclables collection operations, such as "collection point management," "improper disposal at collection points," "illegal dumping," and "graffiti," is collected along with photos and comments and shared securely and promptly only among the responsible staff. It is also expected to be useful for consolidating hazard information during floods, such as "road flooding" and "road closures." The platform is already being used for "Garbage Truck Sensing," a demonstration project in Fujisawa City, and it allows for the easy collection and analysis of countless sensor data from heterogeneous devices and data sources using a common API. "MinaRepo" particularly focuses on information gathering by city employees, a form of "participatory sensing by professionals in city operations." This experimental initiative aims to verify:
(1) from the administrative side, how smart city technology can contribute to operational improvements, and
(2) from the university's side, an evaluation of the research and development results and guidelines for future improvements.
1. "Fujisawa MinaRepo" iOS/Android Application for Fujisawa City Environment Department Staff
Staff from the Environment Department can collect and share information within the city that is crucial for performing their administrative duties using the "Fujisawa MinaRepo" application installed on their iOS and Android devices. The application allows them to associate the collected information with attribute data, detailed comments, emergency response levels, and more (Figure 1).
The collected information is utilized immediately for operations, and by accumulating and analyzing it, it is expected to be used in various ways as an intellectual asset.
Figure 1: Screenshot of the "Fujisawa MinaRepo" application in action (iOS version)
2. "Fujisawa MinaRepo Viewer" for Visualizing Collected Data and Managing Necessary Tasks
The collected data is immediately shared among staff as real-time sensor data. Through a web viewer, they can view detailed information, discuss the information, and manage tasks that require action (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Screenshot of the "Fujisawa MinaRepo Viewer" in action
The Smart City Platform utilized in this system was developed as part of the BigClouT *2 project, within the commissioned research project "Research and Development of a Public Big Data Utilization Platform in Cooperation with Europe" by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT; President: Dr. Masao Sakauchi; headquarters: Koganei, Tokyo).
Source: Academic and Research Support, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office