NTT group and Hanshin Expressway jointly study the implementation of new traffic management using digital technology that contributes to the rectification of urban road traffic

Apr 21, 2023 16:00 JST

Source: NTT DOCOMO

TOKYO, Apr 21, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - In April 2023, the following four companies, NTT Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, INC., NTT Data Corporation, and Hanshin Expressway Company Limited, have started jointly to conduct a study (the Joint Study) to implement a new traffic management system(1) utilizing digital technology by integrating assets owned by both the NTT Group and Hanshin Expressway.

This joint study aims to realize a new traffic management system using digital technology that contributes to the alignment of urban road traffic by organizing and examining necessary technical elements, operational methods, and information to alleviate daily traffic congestion and traffic congestion caused by large-scale construction projects and large-scale events, and by verifying the effectiveness of the system, and to investigate trials at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, etc.

Overview of the joint study

This joint study emphasizes balancing the diverse mobility needs of individuals with the rectification of urban road traffic and aims to achieve this through the implementation of new traffic management through initiatives (1) and (2) below.

1. Urban road traffic alignment by implementing digital twins
Based on sensing data observed in the real world and information from a large membership base, actual traffic conditions are reproduced in the virtual world using digital twin computing*2 and future traffic conditions are predicted. Through various simulations in the virtual world, suitable measures are calculated for the alignment of urban road traffic, focusing on urban highways.
2. Mobility assistant services for diverse mobility needs
By utilizing a large membership base, etc., we will statistically grasp TPO (Appointment, current location, travel purpose) of many individuals, and provide mobility support tailored to individual characteristics, depending on the prediction of urban traffic conditions.

(1) To keep traffic in a more desirable state through traffic control and information provision.
(2) "Digital Twin Computing (DTC)" is the construction of digital replicas of things and people found in the real world. Systems that could not be handled comprehensively until now can be reproduced with high accuracy, enabling redictions of the future. www.rd.ntt/e/iown/0003.html
(3) The "IOWN concept" uses innovative technology to exceed the limits of conventional infrastructure, optimize the individual and entire systems based on various kinds of information, and create a prosperous society open to diversity. It is a network and information processing infrastructure including terminals that can provide high-speed, large-capacity communication and innovative technologies centered on this concept. www.rd.ntt/e/iown/0001.html
(4) The 4D Digital Platform provides various sensing data collected in real time of people, things, and events, including information on latitude, longitude, altitude, and time. It is a platform that enables data fusion and future prediction in cooperation with various industrial platforms by syncing and integrating with high accuracy. Using NTT's IOWN concept as a foundation to support "Digital Twin Computing (DTC)", the technology of NTT Laboratories, and the know-how and assets of the NTT Group, we are proceeding with the commercialization of functions from fiscal 2021 and their expansion through continuous research and development. www.rd.ntt/e/4ddpf/
(5) As of the end of December 2022

Source: NTT DOCOMO
Sectors: Telecoms, 5G, Wireless, Apps