Conducted demonstration experiments to promote zero carbon city measures in local governments, and visualized CO2 reductions using various data such as driving information of public EV vehicles

SB Technology Corp. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President ＆ CEO: Shinichi Ata, hereinafter referred to as SBT) and Fujitsu Limited (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Takahito Tokita, hereinafter referred to as Fujitsu) In Aizuwakamatsu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, and Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture (hereinafter referred to as the four municipalities), data is being collected across sectors to promote measures to realize a zero carbon city led by the Ministry of the Environment. A demonstration experiment will be conducted from November 2021 to 2022 to collect a variety of reliable data using CADDE *1, a system that enables the discovery and use of CO2 emissions and to visualize CO2 emissions and reductions. The survey was conducted until February 2020, and the evaluation was completed in March 2022.
"CADDE" was adopted in the second phase of the Cabinet Office's Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP) *2​, and SBT and Fujitsu are also participating in "Cyberspace Technology Using Big Data and AI" (Managed Corporation It was developed based on the research results of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), ``Interdisciplinary Data Collaboration Fundamental Technology *4''.

In the demonstration experiment, CADDE was linked with a provenance management system that records and manages the data distribution history, and the power consumption of public electric vehicles (EVs) owned by four local governments and the renewable energy of solar carports were measured. Data such as power generation amount is collected, and using the data visualization tool IoT Core Connect (hereinafter referred to as the visualization tool), the CO2 emissions of each vehicle and the amount of CO2 reduction compared to gasoline vehicles can be viewed on a report screen. This makes it possible to utilize a variety of data collected using CADDE, which is effective in promoting zero carbon city measures, such as motivating people to switch to EVs and contributing to raising environmental awareness among employees. I have confirmed that.

Figure 1. Report screen of CO2 emissions and reductions visualized based on data collected with "CADDE"

■Background

With the enforcement of the revised Global Warming Countermeasures Promotion Act in June 2021, all local governments are required to formulate CO2 emission reduction plans and set implementation targets, and companies are required to digitize and open data of CO2 emissions. It is expected that efforts to achieve zero will accelerate, and visualization and utilization of related data will become more active. Furthermore, the Ministry of the Environment's budget proposal for fiscal 2022 includes the provision of regional decarbonization transition and renewable energy promotion subsidies and the designation of decarbonization-leading regions, which will support local governments' efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. An increasing number of local governments are declaring themselves cities.

In order to realize a zero carbon city, it is essential that various stakeholders such as local governments, companies, NPOs, universities, and citizens mutually share data and proceed with efforts from the perspective of overall optimization. Ensuring reliability is a major premise.
This time, SBT and Fujitsu, together with four local governments, will link CADDE with a provenance management system that records and manages the distribution history of data, ensuring data reliability and handling everything from collecting a variety of data to visualizing it. We conducted a demonstration experiment.

■Outline of demonstration experiment

SBT and Fujitsu have created an environment that uses CADDE to collect and visualize a variety of data, including the power consumption of public EV vehicles owned by local governments and the amount of renewable energy generated by solar carports. Toyota Connected Corporation, Energy Solutions Corporation, and OpenStreet Corporation, which participated as demonstration partners, confirmed the effectiveness of each function, including the data collection of EVs and solar carports, and the provenance management system. The four local governments evaluated the effects of utilizing the data collected through CADDE on zero-carbon measures.

《Implementation purpose》
・Confirm the effectiveness of each function, such as data collection using "CADDE" and understanding of data distribution status through history management
・Confirmation of operational effects for zero carbon city promotion measures in local governments

"Implementation period"
Verification: From November 24, 2021 to February 28, 2022
Evaluation: From March 1, 2022 to March 15, 2022 (conduct questionnaire on demonstration results)

《Role of each company and four local governments》

• SBT
  Development of demonstration environment, provision of data visualization tool “IoT Core Connect”,
  Creation and demonstration of demonstration scenarios using "IoT Core Connect" and "CADDE".
• Fujitsu
  Development of a provenance management system that records and manages data distribution history using "CADDE".
• toyota connected
  Providing "G-Fleet", a fleet management service that performs vehicle location information collection devices, vehicle management, and operation management;
  Verification of data trails from a data holder management perspective.
• energy solutions
  Provision of renewable energy EMS services and renewable energy IoT devices,
  Providing data such as solar power generation amount, usage amount, and number of times power is supplied to EV vehicles.
• OpenStreet
  Provision of EV vehicle data collection devices and multi-mobility (EV, electrically assisted bicycle) sharing services,
  Collecting data such as the usage status of EV official vehicles in each region,
  Consideration of data utilization for local governments' zero carbon city policies.
• Aizuwakamatsu City, Mito City, Tajimi City, Kakogawa City
  Provision of usage status and driving data of public EV vehicles owned by each local government (permission to use in demonstration experiments), and evaluation of demonstration results.

Figure 2. Image of demonstration environment

《Flow of demonstration experiment》
The contents of steps 1 to 4 in the implementation environment image are as follows.

①Data collection
The following data will be collected from EV official vehicles and solar carports.

②Data aggregation/visualization
We aggregate the data in ① via connectors (software tools for sending and receiving data) and process the data for visualization.

③Data viewing
Access ② via a web browser and view the CO2 reduction amount etc. on the report screen.

④Provenance management
By recording the original information and history of transmission and reception of data distributed via connectors, it is possible to track data that crosses organizations, which has been difficult in the past, and ensure the reliability of the data.

《Verification items》
In ① to ④ above, we verified the functional effectiveness of CADDE in demonstration experiments and its effectiveness in local governments' zero carbon city promotion measures by utilizing a variety of data obtained from public EV vehicles.

(1) Functional effectiveness of “CADDE”

SBT and the demonstration partners will evaluate each function of CADDE (data collection/visualization function, history management function) during service development and provision based on evaluation items based on software usage quality ISO/IEC25023 *5. Verification of functional effectiveness was carried out.

(2) Effectiveness for zero carbon city promotion measures

The demonstration partner and the four local governments set survey items in the form of a questionnaire for the CO2 visualization service and history management system, and verified the effectiveness of the service.

■Results

(1) Functional effectiveness of “CADDE”

Regarding data collection and visualization, we confirmed that it functions correctly, from collecting data from public EV vehicles and solar carports according to the purpose of use to data processing for visualization. Additionally, regarding provenance management, we confirmed that it is possible to track user vehicle data, which will improve data reliability.

(2) Effectiveness for zero carbon city promotion measures

Improving the efficiency of vehicle operation management by acquiring movement data for each EV public vehicle at any time, motivating employees to consider switching to EV public vehicles by visualizing CO2 reductions compared to gasoline vehicles, and improving environmental awareness among employees. The project was evaluated as contributing to the promotion of zero carbon city measures.

■Future outlook

Based on the results and evaluation obtained from this demonstration experiment, SBT and Fujitsu will continue to verify the social implementation of "CADDE" and promote efforts to promote zero carbon cities in local governments through data utilization. We will continue to support you. Additionally, Fujitsu will continue to further strengthen its elemental technologies with the aim of commercializing the provenance management system used in the demonstration experiment.

■Contact information regarding this matter

SB Technology Corp.
Service inquiry desk
E-mail: query-inv@tech.softbank.co.jp

Fujitsu Limited
Research Headquarters
Data & Security Institute
E-mail: contact-crossdomain@cs.jp.fujitsu.com

• *1 CADDE (Connector Architecture for decentralized Data Exchange)
  A system that allows data to be discovered and used across fields. The architecture is based on a building blocks model that respects the data distribution mechanisms of each field to the maximum extent possible and federalizes them in a decentralized manner according to the characteristics of each field. Data exchange is achieved through a network of connectors. Data providers and data users who exist in a decentralized manner participate in this network and exchange data by preparing connectors that serve as their respective points of contact. When exchanging data between connectors, functions such as authentication authorization, contract management, and history management are called and used as necessary.
  In addition to the process of data exchange, we also provide tools and services that support functions required in a series of phases of data utilization, from sharing data description vocabulary to data discovery and data conversion.


• *2 Cabinet Office Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP)
  SIP is a national project established to realize science and technology innovation in Japan, and its purpose is to promote initiatives ranging from basic research to practical application and commercialization. In the second SIP, one of the themes is ``Cyberspace technology that utilizes big data and AI, as it is essential to create a system in which cyberspace and physical space cooperate with each other in order to realize Society 5.0.'' ” research and development was adopted.


• *3 Cyberspace infrastructure technology utilizing big data and AI
  Toward the social implementation of cyber-physical systems that highly integrate cyberspace and physical space to embody Society 5.0, human interaction fundamental technology and interdisciplinary data collaboration fundamental technology are used as fundamental technologies related to big data and AI. , developed a basic technology for collaboration between AI. Regarding the developed basic technology, we will focus on the three priority areas of productivity, health/medical care/nursing care, and spatial mobility indicated in the Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategic Industrialization Roadmap, and identify areas in which Japan has high-quality real-space information. We will conduct data collection, prototyping, technology demonstration and evaluation at multiple sites in the areas of social issues that Japan needs to solve, verify the effectiveness of the basic technology, and create multiple examples of practical application. We will promote the birth of new business models that utilize data and AI.


• *4 Interdisciplinary data linkage platform technology
  In order to link data scattered by the national government, local governments, the private sector, etc. and treat it as big data, and to enable data utilization and service provision across fields and organizations, related ministries and agencies are developing a system for each field. Technology to realize the ``interdisciplinary data collaboration platform,'' a cross-sectoral platform that mutually links data collaboration platforms and other various data.
  　
  Click here for details on the interdisciplinary data collaboration platform technology.
  ・Developed a distributed inter-sectoral data collaboration platform technology in the research and development of ``cyberspace infrastructure technology using big data and AI'' under the Cabinet Office's ``Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP) Phase 2'' and implemented it in society. Start of demonstration towards (announced on February 28, 2022): https://www.softbanktech.co.jp/news/release/press/2022/004/
  ・SIP interdisciplinary data collaboration platform information disclosure website: https://sip-cyber-x.jp/


• *5 ISO/IEC25023
  An international standard for measuring system and software quality.
  ISO/IEC25023:2016 (https://www.iso.org/standard/35747.html) *English site

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