A new approach has been adopted in different parts of Japan
Use digital technology to improve performance and living space to become a smart city. In the United States, distrust of many people in the collection of personal information is a barrier to building smart cities. On the contrary, Japan is succeeding by providing personal information. Data is the lifeblood of smart cities. How data is handled is also very important.
New standards are emerging regarding data handling. The leading smart city in Japan is Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture, famous for its rice wine and samurai traditions. At Takeda General Hospital, a patient used his smartphone to pay a bill. The payment system is an experiment to use QR codes for electronic payments.
Keisuke Kobayashi of TIS said: “We make everything easier by using QR codes. Not only do you have to pay for hospital expenses, but you also have to pay taxes and fees. We also want to make it better for transportation and regular purchases. ”
TIS wants to reduce hospital wait times by providing services such as online reservations and delivery of hospital appointments. The company also hopes to provide preventive health services, such as remote healthcare and artificial intelligence-based diagnostics.
About 20 companies are working together to turn Aizuwakamatsu, a city in northeastern Japan, into a smart city. Toppan Printing; Coca-Cola, SoftBank Group, and Mitsubishi, all of which co-operate at the AiCT Innovation Center. Surprisingly, Aizuwakamatsu, with a population of only 120,000, is at the forefront of urban development.
Residents of the city are required to provide their personal information legally if they wish to access smart services. To be given with your consent. This does not mean that you have to agree to a smart service once you use it. Smart service is required only after you have decided and provided personal information. That way, you can gain confidence. “Without the trust of the people, the work for urban development will fail,” said Shojiro Nakamura, superintendent of the Smart City project.
We are working to make it clear to the residents of the city the benefits of joining the Smart City program. Urban management oversees data management to ensure that people can increase transparency and ensure that personal information is not compromised.
This year, for example, a proposal to install sensors in a parking lot to attract tourists was rejected by residents, who decided it was a nuisance. About 20% of the city’s population is registered for certain services. By the end of the fiscal year 2020, it is expected to reach 30 percent.