2010.09.03
Otaru University of Commerce Starts Demonstration Tests of NTT Comware AR Technology-Based IT System for Tourist Information
== IT Solutions for Local Tourism ==
Otaru University of Commerce (below, OUC, Address: Otaru City, Hokkaido, President: Makio Yamamoto), Faculty of Commerce, Department of Information and Management Science, Fukada Laboratory (below, Fukada Lab., Associate Professor of OUC and Manager of Center for Business Creation: Hidemi Fukada) will conduct the demonstration tests of the tourist information system based on AR Technology (*1) of NTT Comware Corporation (below, NTT Comware, Head office, Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Michio Sugimoto). This project is supported by Otaru City.
-Period of the Demonstration TestSeptember 18-26, 2010 (except 21st and 22nd)
-Place of the Test
JR Otaru Station and Otaru Canal Areas (JR Otaru Station will be the base point)
[Outline and Objectives of the Demonstration Test]
The tourists in Otaru Station and Otaru Canal area, who agreed to the test, will be provided with Smart phone with the AR-based application installed and a tourist map. The map shows some photos of sightseeing locations and restaurants in Otaru Canal area. The tourists will be able to obtain detailed information by capturing the images on the map with the AR application on Smartphone. Once the image capture is successful, a movie about the place will be played on the Smartphone. This demonstration test is to study the effects of IT solutions for tourism and how tourists will enjoy sightseeing or updated information provided by the technology.[Background of Demonstration Test]
Japan Tourism Agency is now actively promoting the tourism policies and measures as "Tourism Nation" and "Creation of Local Tourism" based on the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan. Meanwhile, discussions have just started for IT solutions with the tourism by a group of tourists, administration and business sectors, after the launch of Society of Tourism Informatics in 2003. In terms of tourism and IT, more practical research activities are anticipated with the partnership of Industry-Academia-Government.In terms of IT, navigation services using mobile phones are expected to further develop in the future since some GPS-based tourist information systems have already been available.
Fukada Lab. will conduct a demonstration test using Smartphone with NTT Comware's AR-based application. This IT system allows the tourists to obtain movies about Otaru such as "Old Street" or "Four Seasons" by simply using the touch panel on Smartphone. This service aims to further promote Otaru tourism as well as to provide a simple and handy IT system for tourist information, which may also be a senior-friendly guide tool.
[Study on Demonstration Test]
This study is based on a questionnaire to ask the users if this system is effective to increase the feeling of pleasure or how a planned route was changed by the information obtained by the application. The result of the test will be used as a basic data to research issues and solutions on the current Otaru tourism.[Researches of OUC Fukada Laboratory]
Fukada Lab. researches on "IT Solutions for Local Areas". Their researches and studies are on IT solutions to various issues of local areas in Japan and IT promotion of local areas which is currently led by municipal governments. It mainly includes "tourist information system", "disaster and emergency support system", "geographical information system", "e-government and e-municipal government", "IT solution and policy of municipal government offices" and "local SNS services operated by municipal governments".[Features of NTT Comwarefs AR Technology]
NTT Comware's AR Technology is based on the Image Capture Technology of NTT Comware Research and Development Department. Images captured by the AR application installed in Smartphone are scanned to find its related movies from the pre-registered contents to play in a format available for the captured images. This technology allows users to experience as if a photo image would be moving in the screen and obtain detailed information from the movie. (Patent Pending)[NTT Comware's Future Scenario]
NTT Comware aims to create a movie contents provider business, which would not require newly-developed markers (e.g. QR code). It may use a technology to play related movies from a photo in an analog media such as PR pages on magazines. This new technology will increase opportunities of pleasure by improving the image capture accuracy with a new system combining images and GPS information. More functions will be developed for AR applications to provide opportunities for many people to experience an exciting feeling as if captured photos will be moving.[Terminology]
*1: ARAugmented Reality is a technology for a live view of a physical real-world environment (may be a part) through a PC (AR device) to show digitally processed data such as texts, images and movies laid over the screen.
