OREANDA-NEWS. Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Network Solutions Limited (collectively "Fujitsu") today announced that they have developed a guide service system for Ueno Zoological Gardens and Hama-rikyu Gardens, to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. With the system's smart device app, called Tokyo Parks Navi, users can access a walking guide to Hama-rikyu Gardens in five languages and to Ueno Zoological Gardens in four languages, with the language automatically chosen in accordance with the user's smart device settings. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will be making the service available on April 1.

The new Fujitsu-developed system combines Fujitsu Network Solutions' cloud service, "FUJITSU Ubiquitous Computing Service POSIGEO," with signal-broadcasting Bluetooth beacons. At guidance locations situated at Hama-rikyu Gardens and Ueno Zoological Gardens, the service provides visitors with audio guidance, videos, photos, references and other information via their smartphones. In addition, when visitors select a destination, the service uses augmented reality (AR) technology(1) to display on the screen of their devices the direction of their destination and the distance to their destination from their present location. Moreover, the service includes features that enable visitors to have more enjoyable experiences while strolling, such as stamp rallies and quizzes, as well as a feature that lets visitors make records of their favorite spots.

Fujitsu will continue to build systems that use advanced technology to create new value.

Background

Japan's government has set a goal of drawing 30 million foreign visitors yearly to Japan by 2020. To reach that goal, it is important to create an environment in Japan that is more accommodating to foreign nationals.

Seeking to improve the services at its parks, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government made the decision to implement this system for all visitors, foreign and domestic.

Features and Benefits of Tokyo Parks Navi

1. Conveys detailed information about locations in Ueno Zoological Gardens and Hama-rikyu Gardens

Beacons are installed at 28 guidance locations in Hama-rikyu Gardens, and when visitors approach one of these spots with the Tokyo Parks Navi app running, it will automatically display on the users' smart devices reference information about the spot, as well as other information, such as images of building interiors not typically seen by the public, or explanations on how the buildings were used in the Edo era, accompanied by spoken guide information.

Ueno Zoological Gardens has 124 guidance locations, each of which can be identified by NFC tags or QR codes. By tapping an Android device to an NFC tag or scanning a QR code with an iOS device, the device will display a close-up video of the animal at that spot as well as information that helps visitors better understand the animal. The information is also accompanied by an audio guide.

2. Multilingual support

At Hama-rikyu Gardens, guide information is available in five languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (in both simplified and traditional characters), Korean, and French. At Ueno Zoological Gardens, guide information is available in four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified characters), and Korean. Content is installed to match the language settings on the user's smart device. English is installed by default when there is no matching language.

3. Walking guides and updated content distributed on demand

Selecting a desired guidance location as a destination, activating the AR feature in the app, and holding up the smart device to view the surroundings through the camera will overlay the view with a marker showing the direction and distance to the destination. The system also uses the smartphone's location information and the Fujitsu Network Solutions POSIGEO cloud service, which transmits information to people who need it, wherever they need it, to automatically update the app's content when launching Tokyo Parks Navi, so that visitors always have the most current park information.

4. Features for experiencing locations more fully

The system includes features that give visitors fuller experiences of a location, including stamp rallies and quizzes. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is using this feature to conduct a stamp rally in which visitors who collect stamps from all of the designated guidance locations at Ueno Zoo can win prizes. The descriptions of some guidance locations at Ueno Zoo will also include quizzes, with the questions prompting visitors to learn new things and have a more enjoyable experience.

In addition, the system has a feature that enables visitors to register scenes and spots they have enjoyed.