TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY IN JAPANP-DRGS AND ECO-POINT TDM PROJECT IN THE SECOND STAGE AT THE
AICHI EXPO
Toshiyuki YAMAMOTO
Associate Professor, Nagoya University

1. INTRODUCTION
An array of ITS technologies
has been implemented at the Expo2005 in Aichi, Japan starting inMarch 2005, including IMTS (Intelligent Multimode Transit System), parking lot guidance systems, bus location systems andoff-site security systems. July of
the same year has been designatedas “ITS Month” and a showcaseand various events will be held inmid-July as part of an ITS-EXPO
Core Week. The showcase willfeature further developed versionsof working demos first introduced
at the ITS World Congress in October of 2004; if the demos at ITS
World Congress are thought of asa “hop” in triple jump, the Expo
showcase could be said to represent the next, “step”. The showcase
will include exhibitions of approximately 20 systems developed bynational and regional organizations
and industrial partners, such as
real-time traffic signal control,
Public Transportation Priority
System, barrier-free IT, and ETC
multiservice application. This report will focus on a pair of systems
developed by our research group tobe implemented in the Aichi
EXPO showcase: P-DRGS (Probevehicle-based Dynamic RouteGuidance System) and the EcoPoint TDM Project.

2. PRONAVI
Our research group has beenpromoting an industry-academiagovernment project under the auspices of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications, Stra-110 • IATSS RESEARCH Vol.29 No.1, 2005

tegic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Program.
This project involves the deployment of the world’s largest fleetof probe cars within the city ofNagoya as an experimental validation platform for use in the implementation of a dynamic routeguidance system researched anddeveloped by the six-member “PDRGS Consortium”* of Nagoya University, NEC Corporation, Denso
Corporation, Toyota Mapmaster
Inc., the Japan Weather Association (JWA) and A-Works Co., Ltd.
Dynamic route guidance systems
help to alleviate needless traffic
congestion resulting from spatiotemporally determined concentrations in demand for transportation, not only by the effective useof existing road infrastructure, but
by providing a system that might
be termed “killer content” to meetthe demands of individuals seeking
to find the fastest route to their destinations.
The P-DRGS Consortium developed a prototype, “PRONAVI”,
a multimode dynamic route guidance system, as part of its goal toimplement a high-performanceroute guidance system. This systemcomprises a central server and terminals connected over the Internet.
When a destination is selected ona terminal, the central server calculates the time required to reachit from the point of departure andsend the results to the terminal.
Future plans include equipping terminals to a vehicle’s onboard PC,
and in the development of a cell
*URL: http://www.p-drgs.com

phone version similar to the “ManNavi” system used in GPS-capable
cell phones.
Time to destination is calculated based on a time table maintained on the central server. This
table was compiled from 9 monthsof data gathered from 1,500 taxis
servicing the Nagoya area and 6
months of VICS input using an algorithm developed by our researchgroup. Using 9 tables reflecting
distinct patterns, such as for different days of the week and national
holidays, the system calculates
travel time through each road linkon a digital road map (DRM), corrected for time-of-day related factors in 5-minute intervals (288intervals per day). The central
server also collects real-time data.
At the ITS World Congress, realtime data was collected from 1,500
taxis servicing the Nagoya area.
This real-time data was used to develop a time series model periodically applied to correct and update
the stored time-to-destinationtables and enable more accurate
travel time forecasting.
Terminals display the tworoutes calculated as shortest time
to destination, and following the“Man-Navi” example, also display
train routes as well. Train routes
are calculated from train timetabledata stored on the central server.
Estimated carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions are also displayed foreach route, and it is possible toshow recommendations for parkand ride and other environmentally-conscious information. Information on construction and otherroad traffic restrictions provided by

JARTIC (Japan Road Traffic Information Center) is downloadedin real-time and used to correct thecalculation of travel time estimates, adding even further to theuser-friendliness and effectivenessof the system.
A demonstration of PRONAVI
was staged at the Nagoya University booth and technical tour at theITS World Congress. More than
1,200 people participated in thedemo, and of respondents to theexit survey (valid responses = 92),
nearly 100% indicated they recognized the difference between
PRONAVI and traditional car navigation systems, and the useful advantages it offered. Many of therespondents indicated particularinterest in the supplementary CO2emissions and construction/traffic
restriction information.
At the Aichi Expo, 1,000
monitors will be recruited for a PCbased informational demonstrationof an improved version of thePRONAVI system. Monitors will
be provided with the improved version of PRONAVI, and the stability and accuracy of the system will
be verified in a limited, largerscale demonstration to users acrossa wide area and ultimately, theworld. By collecting evaluations ofsystem function from large numbersof users, we also hope to gather information that will be useful in further ascertaining user needs andimproving the system toward its
future real-world implementation.
The improved version of
PRONAVI being introduced at theAichi Expo allows dynamic multimode route searches via PCs overthe Internet (Fig. 1). This version
includes the features of previousversions, and has been expanded toallow searches for departure points
and destinations across all of Aichi
Prefecture, which is intended toprovide visitors to the Aichi Expowith a dynamic, multimode routeguidance system. The system is not
limited to vehicular data alone,
but includes real-time updates ofJARTIC construction and road restriction and JWA weather information as well, which it is hoped
will allow the system to provide
extremely accurate calculations ofestimated time of arrival and recommended fastest routes. During
the ITS-EXPO Core Week schedule for ITS Month events at theAichi Expo, in addition to the PCbased route search system, a demo
will be made of an improved
PRONAVI system featuring GPS
tracking function for in-vehicle use,Real time
Probe Info.

such as is planned for the future.

3. ECO-POINT TDM
PROJECT“Public transportation EcoPoints” are awarded to commuters
in highly trafficked urban areas forchoosing to use public transit, andpoints thus collected can be used toreceive discounts on public transportation fares and other rewards.
The Eco-Point award system is ameans of encouraging and providing incentives for activities beneficial to society, designed to be both“money-saving and fun”, which is
being looked to as a means of inducing changes in attitudes toward
public transportation and self-initiated changes in behavior, resulting in a transition to more regularusage of public transportation
which may lead to significant returns for the general environmen-

Real time
JARTIC Info.

Real time
Weather Info.

InternetP-DRGS center

Multi-mode route
search engine

Dataaccumulated
from probes

Public transit
timetable data

Internet
ClientClient terminal

Map Database

Fig. 1 PRONAVI system

IATSS RESEARCH Vol.29 No.1, 2005 •111

tal consciousness movement.
In 2004, an “Eco-Point TDM
public experiment planning session” attended by members ofacademia, government, industry
and citizens was held, and for a period of two months that included
the convention of the ITS WorldCongress, 1,000 monitors joined in
the public experiment. IC tags carrying the world’s smallest IC chip,
the Hitachi µ chip, were distributed
to the monitors who accumulated
points when using city subways bypresenting the IC tags to card readers at subway stations and otherspecified locations. In principle,
one point was awarded each time
the user presented the tag to beread, but, to encourage the usage ofpublic transportation for travel tonon-routine destinations in the city,
awards were tripled between 10:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and quintupled
on weekends and holidays. Accumulated points were managed in acentral server, and monitors could
keep track of their individual point
totals via cell phone email messages

or a confirmation screen on theproject website. On accumulating
certain numbers of points, monitors were given rewards, such as
restaurant discount coupons or prepaid subway fare cards (Fig. 2).
Prior to the start of the experiment, monitors were recruitedusing fliers, posters and Nagoya
city information bulletins, a recruitment that drew 2,688 applicants inonly a brief period. A separate survey indicated that there were somecases in which people did not apply
because they had no plans to visit
the downtown area of Sakae, or because they did not use a PC or cellphone. To achieve greater accessibility and broader usage in the future, we need to investigate meansof use other than via cell phone orPC email, as well as the installationof card readers at additional locations.
Of the 1,000 monitors in theexperiment, 903 used the system atleast once. The average number ofuses per user over the experimentperiod was 37, showing an activeFig. 2 Eco-point TDM system

112 • IATSS RESEARCH Vol.29 No.1, 2005

level of participation. If we compare CO 2 emissions for subway
uses versus travel by automobile,
approximately 33 fewer tons of
CO2 were produced by the subway
travel during the experiment period, equivalent to about 2.5 hoursof air conditioner use (approximately 630g) per person per day.
About 60% of the monitors
responded to the follow-up surveythat they had made changes in theirpatterns of transportation usage,
such as “used more public transportation” or “traveled less by car”, and
99% of the monitors stated that theywould like to participate in similar
programs again. Also, as a result ofsurvey analysis, it was statisticallydemonstrated that environmental
awareness was increased as a resultof the public experiment, leading
to changes in patterns of transportation usage and other eco-friendlyactivities.
A demonstration of the system during the technical tour at theITS World Congress, which washeld during the experiment period,

was evaluated favorably by many
experts and representatives fromvarious organizations both fromwithin Japan and around the world,
and the regions of Matsuyama andOkinawa are now both investigating the possibility of conducting
similar public experiments or actual system implementations in
those locales.
For the current fiscal year, weplan to conduct a larger scale study
involving about 10,000 monitors
over a six-month period, which will
provide us with findings by moreclosely approximating an actual
implementation, and will serve toincrease public awareness of the
public transportation Eco-Point
award system in advance of implementation. The devices and servers
used as the infrastructure in lastyear’s program will serve as a basefor the expanded study, supplemented by the installation of card
readers in additional locations andimprovements to server functionand efficiency, which will increase
the robustness of the system to thelevel needed for actual implementation.
The system will further belinked to the Eco-Money systembeing used at the Aichi Expo, andlinkups with credit card companies and the car sharing businessprogram introduced in the city of
Nagoya last autumn, along withincreased participation by businesses in the downtown area, andpossible expansion to broader areas are planned, with the goal ofdeveloping a sustainable businessmodel for the public transportation
Eco-Point system in which allparticipants share costs equitably.
In addition, demonstrations areplanned for ITS-EXPO during theAichi Expo, which will serve toincrease the visibility and publicawareness of the public transportation Eco-Point system andtransportation and environmental
problems, which should further facilitate implementation.
Linkage of the public transportation Eco-Point system with
the PRONAVI system described in
the preceding section, by providing
users with Eco-Point awards andinformation on CO2 emissions levels, represent a promising synergistic model for promoting the switch
to park and ride use among thecommuter base. And by linking thepublic transportation Eco-Point
system to real-time traffic information it would be possible to develop a dynamic system in which
point awards could be adjusted totraffic congestion levels, which
could simultaneously increase benefits to the users and to society as
a whole, by helping to improve theefficiency of the usage of the roadand public transit infrastructures.

4. TOWARDS THE “JUMP”
In 2001, the Japanese cabinet
established an IT Strategy Headquarters and launched the e-Japan
Priority Policy Program. The further sophistication of ITS represents one element of this rapidly
deployed IT policy package, and isundergoing significant reinforcement. With the goal of achieving
a truly ITS society, the Ministry ofLand Infrastructure and Transport

has been promoting the implementation of ITS devices on vehicles
and infrastructure to enable smooth
flow at gate checkpoints via DSRC
(Dedicated Short Range Communication), local guides tailored to
locale and user needs, and timely
driver support services for high-accident areas, detailed construction
restrictions and end of congestion
alerts, all of which are scheduled
for implementation by 2007. TheseITS devices are also equipped totransmit data collected by probevehicles. The Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI) is alsoheading a project in which discretely formatted probe data showing speed and location will becollected from private passenger
vehicles and commercial trucks,
buses and taxis and used in a government-industry collaboration todevelop standardized traffic information software. The overall costs
for these programs, which arescheduled for implementation in
2007, are 1.5 billion yen, to becovered entirely under national
budgetary plans.
The implementation in 2007of vehicular ITS devices and software compatible with probe data
will make larger sets of probe data
available than ever before, thereby
enabling the acquisition of evenmore detailed traffic information
on a nationwide scale. By taking
advantage of that expanded set ofdata, the PRONAVI system currently being developed shows great
promise for implementation acrossthe entire country.

IATSS RESEARCH Vol.29 No.1, 2005 •113