Tourism Information Platform: Matsumoto Location Guide Launched - Automatically collects tourism information from assorted Web sites for centralized provision -

NTT DATA Corporation and NTT DATA Shinetsu Corporation have together created a Web service providing tourism information for the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture, called the Tourism Information Platform, for which the Matsumoto Location Guide is the first supporting Web site. The development was commissioned as one of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Projects for Construction of Local Community Models through ICT Utilization ^{(note 1)}. The two NTT DATA Group companies were asked to employ their Web services technology in creating a model for gathering and disseminating tourism information with local participation ^{(note 2)}.

The Matsumoto Location Guide site was launched today, at the following address:
Web site:http://lsweb.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/location/

What Is the Tourism Information Platform?

The tourism information platform is the main system in the Matsumoto tourism information gathering and disseminating model. Tourism information from existing Web sites, including information about tourist spots, restaurants, and lodging, is collected dynamically and provided collectively on Web sites supporting this platform.

Tourists visiting Matsumoto who make use of this platform, rather than having to go to many different Web sites to get tourism information (lodging information sites to find a place to stay, tourism guide sites to find out about must-see spots, gourmet sites to discover good places to eat, etc.), can obtain all such information from any one of the Web sites supporting the platform.

In the project for the current fiscal year, the Matsumoto Location Guide providing information about movie and drama locations in Matsumoto is the first site to support the platform, which enables centralized provision of tourism information.

What Is the MATSUMOTO Location Guide?

The Matsumoto Location Guide is a Web site providing a variety of tourism-related information. Central to the site is a service for searching for filming locations in Matsumoto, places in the city where movies and TV programs have been shot. It also makes use of the Tourism Information Platform to provide content about other kinds of tourism spots, restaurants, and lodging facilities, all of which can be searched for on the site. One way of using the site would be to find the location where a favorite movie was shot, and also look for a nearby soba (buckwheat noodle) shop. It is intended as a Web site that can serve as a model for making use of the Tourism Information Platform functions to create more appealing content.

Top Page of the Matsumoto Location Guide

Roles of NTT DATA and NTT DATA Shinetsu

Development of the Tourism Information Platform and Location Guide Web site was carried out jointly by the two companies. The platform development made use of the NTT DATA solution Scarash^TM, which is used for building Web applications in a short time as mashups of existing databases and Web services.
See http://www.nttdata.co.jp/release/2007/082200.html (in Japanese only)

Future Plans

As part of its system development services, NTT DATA plans to continue deploying Scarash for development of small and mid-sized systems that, like the one described here, require completion in a short time frame.

Notes
*1 Projects for Construction of Local Community Models through ICT Utilization
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications uses the term "local community models through ICT utlilization" to mean the full range of undertakings for solving issues relating to usage of information and communications technology by local communities, including information and communications system planning, design, development, ongoing operation, and the formation of the necessary organizational structures for these. In the projects for building such models, the Ministry commissions model building to local governments in order to promote the use of ICT for resolving the issues facing local communities. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, 29 organizations were selected for commissioned projects, one of them being Matsumoto.

*2 Tourism information gathering and disseminating model building project
This is the project undertaken by Matsumoto when the city was chosen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the Projects for Construction of Local Community Models through ICT Utilization. The project aims to create local communities and revitalize the local economy by boosting the tourism business, and provides a means for citizens to become involved in tourism promotion.