Delivered on July 22, 2025
The infinite possibilities of location data: Data usage techniques that connect the real world with the future by Blog Watcher
Product Development Management Unit Data Scientist Tachibana Kodai
Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution
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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Blog Watcher breaks new ground in location data
Blog Watcher was founded in 2007 as a joint venture between Recruit and Zenrin. Originally, the company monitored blog information, but now it provides an SDK (software development kit) that obtains location information from smartphone apps, and uses that data to deliver advertisements, analyze, develop cities, and promote tourism.
The location data handled by Blog Watcher has been used in a wide range of fields, including traffic congestion countermeasures, smart city construction, public transportation optimization, data-driven decision-making in urban development, and disaster prevention measures (such as the case analysis of the Noto Peninsula earthquake).
Tachibana emphasizes that the greatest appeal of people flow data is that it is the only data that can clearly capture offline movements. While online data such as SNS clarifies "who did what and when," people flow data is the only data that can provide detailed information on "where," and it obtains large-scale data of up to 100 million MAUs (monthly active users) with an accuracy of a few meters to tens of meters.
The impact of location data as seen in a wide range of use cases
The location data provided by Blog Watcher has already produced a variety of success stories.
・Digital tourism statistics: It is possible to cross-analyze the number of visitors to tourist destinations across the country, the visitor's place of residence, age group, gender, and tour route. This allows you to understand the factors that change tourist destinations, clarify the target demographic, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your own region, contributing to the planning of effective tourism measures. In fact, companies that have introduced the system have given it high praise, saying, "You can see at a glance where visitors were before visiting and their residential areas, and use this information in your measures."
・Analysis of the economic impact of events:
The effect of pilgrimages to sacred places in taiga dramas: This is a case study that analyzed the impact that the broadcast of a taiga drama has on the number of tourists to Kyoto City, Otsu City, and Echizen City, where the drama is set. In particular, the number of visitors from women in their 20s increased for dramas with female protagonists, and the data revealed that many people are visiting not only drama-related facilities but also Echizen, which is not usually a tourist spot, as a result of the drama.
・Economic impact of live performances by popular artists: In a case study that analyzed the economic impact of holding a live performance by the popular Korean unit TWICE, it was shown that one live performance generates an economic impact of approximately 230 million yen (estimated including Shinkansen travel expenses, food and drink expenses, accommodation expenses, etc.). People flow data allows us to understand the estimated means of transportation based on the residence of live attendees and the consumption behavior patterns before and after the live performance, so we can visualize the ripple effect of the event on the local economy.
Cutting-edge efforts that open up the future
Blog Watcher is not only focused on static data analysis, but also on research and development to simulate people's movements in real time.
・Pedestrian simulation at Azuma Route Stadium: This is a case study that simulates the movement of people heading from the stadium to the nearest station after the end of a soccer game. Based on people flow data, we can visualize which areas are likely to be congested and which routes are efficient, which contributes to the design of optimal pedestrian routes and congestion mitigation measures. The heat map, which displays the congestion status of roads in color, allows anyone to intuitively understand the situation, making it useful for urban planning and traffic regulation formulation.
・Analysis of people flow data during earthquakes: We are also conducting research to analyze people flow data during the Noto Peninsula earthquake to understand the movement of emergency vehicles and residential patterns of victims. By visualizing changes in people flow density immediately after an earthquake and inflow and outflow patterns into disaster-stricken areas, we hope to apply this to future disaster prevention measures, such as optimizing evacuation routes and considering transportation routes for relief supplies.
Summary
Location data visualizes "where" in our daily lives and has the potential to contribute to solving a wide variety of social issues and creating new value. Blog Watcher's efforts have demonstrated their effectiveness in areas such as enhancing tourism strategies, maximizing the economic effects of events, optimizing urban planning, and even strengthening disaster prevention measures.
It is still a developing field, and its use requires imagination and trial and error, but the power of location data will be a powerful tool for understanding real social movements and designing a better future. In the future, we expect further technological innovation and use in a variety of fields.