Creating a "new face of the town" through connections with tourist destinations and new technologies

Tobetsu Town in Hokkaido is a town rich in nature near Sapporo City, and is known as a famous producer of cut flowers. Tobetsu Town is now positioning the area around JR Hokkaido's Royce Town Station, which opened in March 2022, as the "new face of the town," and is promoting groundbreaking town development that allows people to experience the future.
We wanted to make it an area where people can easily see and experience things like drone delivery, autonomous driving cars, and automated tractors for smart agriculture. We wanted to create a space where people could get a real sense of what the future holds, so we started by autonomous driving cars at events.
We began working towards getting it up and running," recalls Noriki Yutaka, head of the Tobetsu Town Planning Department.

However, things didn't go so smoothly. The financial hurdles were particularly high, as local government budgets are not something that can be decided quickly, and the other businesses they approached at the time cited schedules and other reasons why they couldn't make it happen, so they began to give up, thinking it might be difficult to make it happen.

It was at this time that they came across Macnica, a company that uses cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT, and autonomous driving to help local governments solve their problems. "We thought it would be impossible to do, but then Macnica said they might be able to do it. We fell in love at first sight with the positive attitude of the person in charge," says Akira Mikami, head of the Economic Department. Tobetsu Town chose Macnica as a partner for the development of their new town, due to Macnica 's high level of technology, track record in supporting local governments, and flexibility in responding to the budgets and schedules of local governments, which often have many constraints.

Towards a project to create excitement

The town of Tobetsu had been facing a problem of not being able to recognize the town. Even though they had a Royce store and a Royce Town station, the fact remained that the people of Hokkaido were not aware that the town had a Royce store.

Mikami did not simply see this demonstration as an opportunity to explore the possibilities for implementing autonomous driving buses.

"In the near future, buses like this will be commonplace. I wanted children and many other people to experience that future in Tobetsu."

Furthermore, if the experience of Tobetsu spreads to various places, it will be easier for other companies to notice. If Tobetsu is recognized as a town that disseminates new technology to the world, connections with other partner companies will increase, and various people will gather and new ideas will be born.

"The goal is to have autonomous driving buses running and create excitement in the area. Rather than a demonstration project, we decided to make it a lively project to energize the town." (Mikami)

Thus, in November 2023, Tobetsu Town and Macnica signed a collaboration agreement to co-create a smart town using digital technology.

Co-creation between Tobetsu Town and Macnica

In order to create a lively atmosphere, the town of Tobetsu is promoting a variety of initiatives, including autonomous driving demonstration tests of EV buses, educational programs and hands-on rides at elementary schools, and the "Tobetsu Digital Park 2024. Macnica In addition to the autonomous driving EV bus, the "Tobetsu Digital Park 2024" allows town residents to experience state-of-the-art solutions such as robots. The company is highly regarded not only for the convenience of its technology, but also for its understanding of what the town of Tobetsu wants to do, listening to the voices of local residents, and working closely with the government to drive the entire project with its technological capabilities and ideas. He said, "Macnica is a trading company, so even if we don't handle it at the time, we can find a solution that meets the customer's needs, combine it, and implement it. We believe that is the strength of Macnica." says Yoshikazu Tanaka of Macnica 's Public Solution Promotion Office.

Among these, Tobetsu Town believes that what is most important in moving forward with its business with Macnica is the ideas and drive to overcome hurdles.

For example, in winter, when operating an autonomous driving bus in Tobetsu, the issue of snow is a concern for everyone. "In Tobetsu, where the average snowfall is 6 meters, there are no lines or other markers on the snow-covered asphalt roads, and questions are being raised about how Macnica can operate.
An idea came up to see if we could use the arrows on the road below as markers.

Being able to actually see the site and consider ways to overcome the challenges is what made us feel good about choosing Macnica as our partner," said Noriki.

The autonomous driving electric buses "ARMA" and "EVO" that were driven at "Tobetsu Digital Park 2024"

Specific initiatives implemented by Macnica

Macnica has been conducting multiple demonstration experiments of an autonomous driving EV bus since July 2023. autonomous driving is when the autonomous autonomous driving system recognizes the surrounding situation using cameras, sensors, and the Global Positioning System (GPS), makes predictions and judgments, and operates the steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes. The key points for implementation are as follows:

・Operation plans that consider the needs of users
Taking into consideration the needs of tourists and local residents, an efficient operation plan and route have been designed. The autonomous driving EV buses on two routes, 1. the 700m route from Royce Town Station to the Royce Town Factory, and 2. the 2,400m route connecting Royce Town Station, the Royce Town Factory, and Tobetsu Roadside Station, are expected to improve convenience and increase the number of users.

- Real-time monitoring of vehicle status
By introducing the remote monitoring system everfleet, a system has been established that allows real-time monitoring of vehicle operation status, including vehicle location information, camera footage inside and outside the vehicle, driving speed, battery level, steering operation, etc. This allows remote monitors to grasp the vehicle status in detail from a remote location, enabling quick and appropriate response in the event of an emergency.

• Ensuring safety and improving satisfaction through signal coordination technology
Signal coordination technology has also been introduced, which allows the vehicle to obtain signal information along the autonomous driving EV bus route. This allows the vehicle to accurately grasp the situation at red lights and intersections, ensuring safety at intersections and reducing the risk of traffic accidents. In addition, smooth operation will minimize stop times and delays, which is expected to increase the reliability of the public transportation system.

・Participatory approach
Through educational programs and trial rides at elementary schools, we provided opportunities for local residents to become familiar with autonomous driving EV buses. In particular, the events in which children participated deepened their understanding and interest in autonomous driving technology.

Visitor analysis at roadside stations

Effects after implementation

What kind of effect has the bustle creation project actually had on Tobetsu Town? The biggest effect has been an increase in tourists. Tobetsu Digital Park 2024 attracted 2,500 visitors over 20 days, creating a bustling atmosphere, with events including autonomous driving electric buses, local vegetable sales, and "temi," an autonomous robot that can converse with people, welcoming visitors in front of the station. Tourists visiting Tobetsu Town from Sapporo are expected to contribute to the local economy.

It is also expected to increase convenience for local residents. The operation of autonomous driving EV buses is expected to increase the number of ways residents can travel, creating an environment that is easy for elderly people and families with children to use. Furthermore, as the demonstration experiments and digital events have been covered in the media, Tobetsu has become better known as a "town that takes on new challenges," and has attracted attention nationwide.

Future prospects

In the future, as Tobetsu's town development progresses, they will work towards regular operation while resolving issues, including technical issues such as improving the accuracy of autonomous driving algorithm. With the reaction from residents being unexpectedly positive and the possibility of it being a social enterprise becoming apparent, the next step is to set up Level 4 autonomous driving bus operations. "When we speak to people who have moved to Tobetsu, we find that an organized public transport system is a big factor in deciding whether to move there. Also, with Japan's aging society, it is important to take advantage of DX technology.
"There is great value in using it to maintain transportation. If we receive approval for Level 4 operation, I think it will have a great effect on both tourism and public transportation," said Noriki.

Another thing they have in mind is an initiative to create a "smart town" that utilizes digital transformation. Mikami says they are also considering a collaborative project with Macnica in the agricultural field and in administrative services used by residents. "Today, we are one of the top three flower producing areas in Hokkaido, but just 10 years ago, no flowers were produced here. I am confident that if we use this history as an experience and move forward with an eye to the future, we will surely open up a new world for Tobetsu."

In addition to the autonomous driving EV bus, Macnica is also helping local governments solve problems using cutting-edge technology and data in areas such as food and agritech, healthcare, and the circular economy. Tobetsu Town and Macnica will continue to work together to use cutting-edge technology to create a livable town.

(From left) Tobetsu Town Planning Department Business Promotion Section Chief Hironori Yusa, Chief Yonai Katsutoshi, Economic Affairs Department Director Akira Mikami, and Macnica
Yoshikazu Tanaka, Chief Designer, Public Solutions Promotion Office, and Yutaka Noriki, Planning Department Manager, Tobetsu Town

Inquiry

Macnica Government Solutions Promotion Office Email address: GPO-sales@macnica.co.jp

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