Realization of the "Digital Japan" concept and challenge for new business models

Norishige KUBO, Hiroyuki OHNO, Noriyuki TAKAKUWA, Hidenori FUJIMURA, Takayuki ISHIZEKI

Geographical Survey Institute, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

1 Kitazato, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, JAPAN TEL: +81-29-864-5966 FAX: +81-29-864-1805

E-mail: kubo@gsi.go.jp To realize the "Digital Japan" concept, the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) launched the "Denshi Kokudo Web System (Web System for Digital Japan)" with the vector map data in July 2003. "Digital Japan" is a concept of a virtual space where user can utilize geographical information selecting from data sets stored and maintained by different organizations on the internet, and user can integrate them for certain purpose based on the geo-referenced data. "Digital Japan" has various possibilities that enable us to search and analyze geographical information as an infrastructure, as well as to add information to them on demand of users. "Digital Japan" concept can also bring us various new business models for providing geographical information on the web, and "Denshi Kokudo Web system" is certainly a powerful tool to establish the new geographic information application models. This paper overviews the present situation of implementation of the "Digital Japan" concept, analyzes performance of the "Denshi Kokudo Web System", and discusses capability for establishing new business models on the web application. INTRODUCTION Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is a national mapping agency in Japan. The main role of GSI is to establish the national land information infrastructure, and provide �positional information� and �geographical information� to the users. Since 2000, GSI has started distributing topographic map image data through the internet. All users can access and browse the map of Japan from the GSI�s Internet web site without charge. This system had been accessed by many users since the publication. However, this system using the map image data has some problems. The format of map image data is raster; hence it is difficult to execute smooth scrolling, smooth zooming and geographical analysis. To solve the problems, and to realize the "Digital Japan" concept, a new system called as the "Denshi Kokudo Web System" with the vector map data was launched in July 2003. DIGITAL JAPAN CONCEPT "Digital Japan" is a concept of a virtual space where user can utilize geographical information selecting from data sets stored and maintained by different organizations in the internet and integrating them for certain purpose based on the geo-referenced data. "Digital Japan" has various possibilities that enable us to search and analyze geographical information as an infrastructure, as well as to add information to them on demand of users. In addition, Digital Japan may offer the essential information for daily life using maps, for example, reflection of citizens� opinion, promotion of local community activities and dissemination of disaster measures based on the latest geographic information in easy manner. Digital Japan which is combinations of the value-added information and geographic data infrastructure can be applied to many fields. GSI will continuously maintain framework geographic data that is indispensable for Digital Japan. Figure 1 shows overview of "Digital JAPAN" concept. "DENSHI KOKUDO WEB SYSTEM" "Denshi Kokudo Web System" is a simple web-GIS system which consists of software, framework data, and standards. Figure 2 shows overview of "Denshi Kokudo Web System". The software is implemented as plug-in running on web browsers such as the Internet Explorer and Mozilla. "Denshi Kokudo Web System" can provide framework geographic data (background map data) covering whole of Japan and integrate various geo-referencing information on the background map. GSI provides the base map data, the software, and web site building tools with free of charge.

The framework data consists of all geographic information on 1:25,000 scale topographic maps, and is managed as a spatiotemporal database. These data and tools will be highly effective for data providers, such as government agencies, to easily construct their own web sites to provide geographic contents. Many central government agencies, local governments, educational organizations, and NPOs have established their web sites with representation of geographic contents by using "Denshi Kokudo Web System". Figure 3 shows difference between "Denshi Kokudo Web System" and ordinary web map services. As for the ordinary service, service provider needs to have web server, GIS server, and Map data. As for "Denshi Kokudo Web System", the provider only needs web server, and doesn't need to purchase the GIS software, map data, and server computers.

Figure 1: Overview of Digital Japan Concept

Figure 2: Overview of "Denshi Kokudo Web System"

Figure 3: Difference between "Denshi Kokudo Web System" and ordinary web map services

1/20,000,000 scale data 1:3,000,000 scale data 1:200,000 scale data

1:50,000 level data 1:25,000 scale data 1:2,500 scale data

Figure 4: The framework geographic data provided by GSI

Figure 4 shows the framework geographic data provided by GSI. There are 6 levels of topographic data, such as 1:2500 scale data for detail use, 1:25000 scale data, 1:50000 scale data for overview, 1:200,000 scale data for city level, 1:3,000,000 scale data for prefecture level and 1:20,000,000 scale data for nation wide.

The ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport had established their web site named "Disaster information Map for the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture" to assist reconstruction activities to the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture, JAPAN. Figure 5 shows "Disaster information Map for the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture" web site. Many central government agencies, local governments, police departments, fire departments and NPOs have utilized the web site for their purpose. People can easily get information relating the earthquake, such as damage of facilities, road accessibility, and aerial photographs by browsing the site through the Internet. Figure 6 shows another example of the "Denshi Kokudo" web site. This site was constructed by Tomiura Town of Chiba Prefecture. The purpose of the site is to publish "sight-seeing resources" of Tomiura town to the visitors.

Figure 5: Disaster information Map for the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture

Figure 6: Sight-seeing map of Tomiura town and the southern Bohsoh peninsula

TREND OF GEOGRAPHIC DATA DISTRIBUTION Since GSI established, GSI has been providing basic geographic information as paper-printing maps. The paper-printing map was the only way to represent geographic information for a long time. As information technology developed, GSI began to provide topographic map data by floppy-disk (FD) and CD-ROM. Since 2000, GSI has provided framework geographic data through the Internet without charge. Figure 7 and figure 8 show the trend of GSI's geographic products sales and data distribution. Sales amount of paper map has been gradually decreased, while map data distribution through internet has been increased drastically. Sales amount of digital product, such as FD and CD-ROM has been also decreased. However the demands for the paper map never disappear, the mainstream of data communication is transferring to the online distribution through the internet.

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Figure 7: Paper map sales vs. map data distribution through the internet

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Figure 8: Trend of map data sales (FD vs. CD-ROM)

NEW BUSINESS MODEL OF DIGITAL JAPAN "Digital Japan" concept can also bring us various new business models for providing geographic contents on the web, and "Denshi Kokudo Web system" is certainly a powerful tool to establish the new geographic information application models. Figure 9 shows the traditional business model of map use. User gets maps, atlases or map data from providers, such as national mapping agencies and cartographic companies. When user wants to make analysis on geographic information, he/she must purchase the GIS software from GIS vendors. User can transmit the geographic contents across the internet, but he/she must buy expensive software and a high performance server computer. Figure

10 shows new business model. Now user can easily get framework geographic data from the internet, and he/she also can download "Denshi Kokudo Web System" from GSI web site without charge. User doesn't need to buy expensive GIS software. User who wants to transmit his/her geographic contents to the internet, he/she only needs a web server. Users don't need GIS server computer or background map data because background map data are provided online by GSI as framework geographic data. By using "Denshi Kokudo Web System", the user becomes able to build a web map site for geographic contents transmission easily. Also this means the creating of a new business model. In the past, geographic information transmission to the internet was hardly done because of its cost and technical capability. However, by these problems were solved, anyone becomes able to transmit geographical information easily, and the providers of geographic contents will increase in the future. Also, because of the cost reduction, the geographic contents provider will emerge as new business, and content business will be accelerated.

Figure 9: Traditional business model

Figure 10: New business model

CONCLUSION "Digital Japan" is becoming new information infrastructure. Its concept can bring us various new business models for providing geographic contents on the web, and "Denshi Kokudo Web system" is certainly a powerful tool to establish the new geographic information application models. By the introduction of "Denshi Kokudo Web System", the role of the national mapping agency has advanced. The demands of users are highly satisfied by real time, online and free distribution of the framework geographic data. Users who want to build a web-map site can easily and inexpensively transmit their geographic contents across the internet by using "Denshi Kokudo Web System". The realization of "Digital Japan" concept will be further promoted by the popularization in "Denshi Kokudo Web System", user-friendliness of the customer will be improved, and the creating of new business will be also expected. REFERENCES Akeno, K. (2002): Provision of the spatial data through the internet, Technical report of the Geographical Survey

Institute, A1-No.267, 85-94 (in Japanese) Geographical Survey Institute (2004): The statistics of map production and management, Technical report of the

Geographical Survey Institute, E1-No.295, p.28 (in Japanese) Government of Japan (2004): Spatial Data Infrastructure Work in Japan 2000-2003, Bulletin of the Geographical

Survey Institute, Vol. 50, 9-25 Kubo, N. (2004): Geographic information - provision, share and transmission -, Technical report of the Geographical

Survey Institute, A1-No.292, 41-49 (in Japanese) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (2004): "Disaster information Map for the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata

Prefecture ", http://zgate.gsi.go.jp/chuetsujishin/ (in Japanese) Ohno, H., Akeno K., Hisamatsu F., and Ishizeki T. (2004): "Denshi Kokudo Web System", the system to materialize

Digital Japan Foundation, Journal of the Geographical Survey Institute, No. 104, 25-33 (in Japanese) The Secretariat of the Digital Japan: "Denshi Kokudo" Portal, http://cyberjapan.jp/ (in Japanese) Tomiura town (2003): "Sight-seeing map of Tomiura town and the southern Bohsoh peninsula",

http://www.town.tomiura.chiba.jp/map/ (in Japanese)

BIOGRAPHY Norishige KUBO Director of the Information Access Division, Geoinformation Department Geographical Survey Institute Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Government of Japan 1 Kitazato, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, JAPAN TEL: +81-29-864-5966 FAX: +81-29-864-1805 E-mail: kubo@gsi.go.jp