Delivered on April 13, 2026
Solving On-Site Challenges with High-Precision Positioning and AI: The Next Value of Location Information
Speakers:
Toshimune Nasu, Representative Director, MultiSoup Co., Ltd. (Part 2)
Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution
We learned about the evolution of high-precision positioning and its cutting edge applications in the field. RTK-class positioning outdoors and sub-meter-class positioning indoors are becoming more affordable, leading to new challenges in manufacturing, logistics, construction, and infrastructure. Amidst labor shortages and ongoing work-style reforms, location information is no longer just about "visualization," but directly impacting business improvement, safety enhancement, and efficiency. Furthermore, we discussed how the value of location information will expand through its integration with AI, including future prospects.
Nasu-san's 2024 episode can be found here: https://www.lbmajapan.com/location-weekly-japan-season2-18/multisoup
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Maximizing On-Site Value Through Location Information Technology and MultiSoup's Mission
MultiSoup Co., Ltd. is committed to maximizing on-site value through the use of location and spatial information technology, providing location information technology to industrial sites both indoors and outdoors. Their service, "iField," has been implemented in a wide range of industrial sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, construction, and infrastructure, addressing diverse on-site challenges through solutions. Mr. Nasu states that within the past year, they have completed standard compliance for high-precision positioning both indoors and outdoors. Having achieved high-precision implementation for challenges that were previously technically difficult or cost-prohibitive, they are now entering the next stage of pursuing "added value that can only be provided through high precision."
Democratization of High-Precision Positioning and Realization of Sub-Meter Level Accuracy
The improvement in positioning accuracy has been remarkable. Outdoors, where traditional methods using smartphones and GNSS resulted in errors of several meters to tens of meters, the use of RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) technology has made it possible to provide accuracy of less than 1 meter, and in good environments, even with small mobile devices, and within tens of centimeters. Significant changes are also occurring in indoor positioning. Previously, high-precision indoor positioning was generally expensive, leading many companies to abandon its implementation. However, standardization of the technology is now progressing. Mr. Nasu describes this as "generic," pointing out that the emergence of inexpensive devices using technologies such as Bluetooth 5.1's AOA (Angle of Arrival) technology, standardized in 2019, has made sub-meter level indoor positioning very affordable. This allows for new proposals to those who previously gave up due to cost.
Worsening Labor Shortages and Digital Solutions
The severe labor shortage across society, including the so-called "2024 problem," is an urgent issue on the ground. With the promotion of work-style reforms, resource shortages are becoming apparent in all areas. MultiSoup is tackling these challenges by integrating not only location information but also cutting-edge technologies such as robotics-based automation and camera-based work recognition. According to Mr. Nasu, advanced companies have moved beyond the POC (Proof of Concept) stage and are beginning to see concrete results through full-scale implementation. For example, in manufacturing sites, using high-precision positioning data makes it possible to accurately understand "who is using which equipment, how much time is spent on it, and what costs are incurred," which was previously unclear. The ability to acquire data on the movement of people and materials with high precision and at a reasonable price is a major point for on-site improvement.
Improving Overall Equipment Efficiency and Visualizing ROI
Acquiring high-precision location data goes beyond mere measurement and directly leads to the calculation of return on investment (ROI). In manufacturing, two aspects are crucial: optimizing "overall efficiency" (IEP) to increase the operational efficiency of equipment, and improving "work efficiency" to promote high-value-added work by workers. With the development of technologies that allow for a combined approach to these two aspects, a concrete path towards optimizing costs on the factory floor is becoming possible. Furthermore, Mr. Nasu believes that "industrial engineering (IE)," the concept of repeatedly improving productivity, cultivated in manufacturing, is applicable to all industries. In fact, in infrastructure management, healthcare, and even sports, there is a growing movement to use digital technology to visualize the current situation and improve the future through continuous improvement.
Generating "Context" through the Fusion of Location Information and AI
An essential aspect of future prospects is how we approach AI. Mr. Nasu points out that location information itself is very impersonal data, and it is difficult to create context ("what is happening") from coordinates alone. To prevent location information from remaining merely a measurement tool, it is essential to enhance the value of the data by incorporating AI. For example, frameworks are expected that can automatically recognize the meaning of specific tasks from the vast amount of acquired data, or calculate the probability of success for the next move by comparing it with past success stories. Mr. Nasu emphasizes, "Customers don't want location information itself; they want the results that can be obtained from it, that is, improved efficiency and safety." Amidst the expansion of concepts such as "GeoAI" and "Physical AI," which have been attracting attention in recent years, location information service vendors believe it is crucial to first acquire and provide high-quality data and then prepare it in a way that AI can effectively utilize.
Data Utilization to Support the Field and Future Prospects
Mr. Nasu, with over 25 years of experience in location information technology, says that this is the most exciting era yet. Instead of simply aiming to "visualize location information" as in the past, we are entering an era where on-site operations themselves are visualized, and location information becomes a powerful tool for solving problems. Looking ahead to the next three years, Mr. Nasu aims for a state where data is used as a matter of course, without even consciously thinking about the term "location information." Furthermore, it is crucial that data acquisition is not viewed with suspicion as "surveillance" by those on the ground, but rather trusted and established as a "service that helps us." As a foundation supporting digital transformation in industrial settings, location information technology continues to evolve into an increasingly familiar and indispensable tool.
Summary
Through this discussion, it became clear that location information technology has undergone dramatic advancements in two aspects: increased accuracy and lower costs. The widespread use of RTK outdoors and Bluetooth AOA technology indoors has made centimeter- to sub-meter-level positioning feasible at a realistic cost, contributing to the calculation of concrete ROI in various fields, including manufacturing. Moreover, instead of treating location information as mere point data, combining it with AI to understand the context of operations is accelerating efforts to address labor shortages and improve productivity. As Mr. Nasu emphasizes, the purpose of the technology is ultimately to solve on-site problems. As location information permeates the workplace as a "support" tool rather than a "surveillance" tool, and continuous improvement based on IE principles is carried out digitally, new value creation in Japanese industry is expected. LBMA Japan will continue its efforts to further expand the social implementation of such technologies.