Delivered on July 7, 2025

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Challenge to revitalize the local economy using people flow data by Digital Manage WithA

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CEO Takayoshi Yokota

Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution

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The Joetsu Anniversary Year Location Information Utilization Seminar @ Joetsu Myoko was held on June 26, 2024, and was sponsored by LBMA Japan. The seminar had the theme of "The Future of the Region Connected by Data." The seminar delved deep into the potential of using location information data to revitalize the region.

We will introduce the content of each seminar in several parts.

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Taking on the challenge of revitalizing the local economy using people flow data by Digital Manage WithA
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the opening of Joetsu Myoko Station, Mr. Yokota of Digital Manage spoke about efforts to promote the use of location information and people flow data in the region. Through examples of data acquisition and analysis using the company's unique Wi-Fi sensors, specific proposals were made for revitalizing the local economy.

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The birth of Joetsu Myoko Station and the challenges facing the local econom

With the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in March 2015, Joetsu Myoko Station, which was a local station with around 140 people a day, became a limited express connection station, creating a new flow of people.

However, Mr. Yokota shared his current understanding that an increase in the flow of people does not necessarily lead directly to economic benefits. This awareness of the problem is the starting point of the company's people flow data utilization business.

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Mr. Yokota is active as one of the supporting members of the "Joetsu Myoko Station Extension Consortium," which was established to promote the development of Joetsu Myoko Station and the next 10 years, with the aim of invigorating the area through private initiatives, and introduced that the holding of this event is part of that effort.

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​Digital Manage's Initiatives and Strengths​

Digital Manage began a business in 2017 that counts the number of people in commercial facilities using log data from Wi-Fi controllers. The company was commercialized in 2021 with corporate support from Niigata Prefecture, and since 2023, Wi-Fi sensors have been installed in various locations in Niigata Prefecture, including Joetsu Myoko Station, Takada Honmachi Shopping Street, Myoko Kogen, in front of Myoko Kogen Station in Itoigawa City, and the roadside station "Umiterasu Nakatsu," to collect people flow data 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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The company's strength is that by utilizing Wi-Fi, simple data can be continuously obtained from any smartphone carrier. This meets the need to easily use people flow data without having to install expensive systems.

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Currently, the company is expanding its track record outside the prefecture, such as by deciding to introduce sensors to a demonstration project for a large-scale urban development plan in Saitama Prefecture. Mr. Yokota said that rather than simply acquiring and displaying data, they place emphasis on tYokotal proposals including content so that the data can be used as a reference for urban development five or ten years from now.

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Examples of using people flow data and next actions​

Mr. Yokota emphasized that it is important not to just "acquire" or "visualize" data, but to "utilize it to lead to the next action," and introduced the following three examples.

 

-Analysis of the area around Joetsu Myoko Station: Comparing sensor data from the east and west exits, and in front of the Shinkansen ticket gate and the conventional line ticket gate, it was found that the number of users at the west exit has increased significantly after the evening. On the other hand, it was pointed out that there are only three or four izakayas and restaurants around the station, while there is a hotel with more than 500 rooms. Based on this data, he proposed that "attracting restaurants" is an urgent issue, and once again called on the government to support the attraction of commercial facilities.

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-Analysis of Echigo Yuzawa Station: After analyzing people flow data for one year and one month from February 2023 to April 2024, it was found that the synchronization between the east exit, where the ski bus stop is located, and the ticket gate was higher than that of the west exit, which is closer to the hot spring town. This indicates that skiers tend to use the east exit of the station, and he suggested that this could be a useful reference for considering tourism measures around Joetsu Myoko Station as the development of Myoko Kogen progresses and inbound tourism increases in the future.

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-Analysis of the Echigo Kenshin SAKE Festival: We compared the sensor data installed on Honmachi Street with the number of visitors announced by the official announcement. The sensor data showed that the average stay time of visitors was long, more than two hours, which is very long compared to other events.

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Mr. Yokota pointed out that it was a waste that the sales data of exhibitors was not fully utilized, even though it was an event where so many people stayed for such a long time. He suggested that cross-analysis of people flow data and sales data would make it possible to create more effective tourist tour plans and consider measures to attract visitors.

Through these examples, Mr. Yokota emphasized that it is important to extract "issues that have become clear" from people flow data and think about how to address them.

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From points to surfaces： Collaboration throughout the region and future prospects​

Mr. Yokota stressed the importance of considering the entire region as a "surface" and building a foundation for data collaboration, not just specific "point" locations (e.g. roadside stations and Joetsu Myoko Station). With the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the area around Joetsu Myoko Station will become a base for the Hokuriku Shinetsu area, and he believes that it has the potential to have a wide-area ripple effect.

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In the future, based on the perspective advocated by the Japan Tourism Agency of "looking at the surface, not the point," Digital Manage plans to not only provide data and analysis, but also strengthen its role as a "supporter" that helps solve regional issues. We are also considering providing consulting services that "translate" major data infrastructure and research methods to the region and work together to solve problems.

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Mr. Yokota strongly hopes that this event will be the start of "connections" and "co-creation" with local stakeholders and LBMA member companies, and called for further dialogue at the networking event.