DENSO and NTT DATA Complete Verification Test Using Vehicle and People Flow Data to Innovate the Mobility Experience

KARIYA and TOKYO - June 8, 2021 - DENSO and NTT DATA today announced that they have completed a joint verification test to improve mobility experiences using data on vehicle and people flows.

In the test, which spanned June 2020 to March 2021, DENSO and NTT DATA gathered participants’ “vehicle flow data,” or their movements by car, through in-vehicle devices and “people flow data” through their smartphone GPS and beacon detection logs.*1 Together, these data offered insights on participants’ driving characteristics and the types of driving scenarios they encountered.

The test was conducted to provide better mobility experiences and services, and to help businesses attract potential customers amid changing consumer behaviors. To do this, the test analyzed the participants’ driving behaviors and their driving situations, and then recommended stores they might be interested in using their vehicle flow data and people flow data. Participants in a three-month test using cars found the recommendations useful.

Based on the results, DENSO and NTT DATA will consider commercializing the joint service, and verify the business model together with mobility businesses (automakers, car-sharing companies, car rental companies, etc.) and service providers (retailers, tour agents, commercial complexes, etc.).


Background
When going out, many people not only want to enjoy activities at their destination such as shopping, they also want to enjoy the trip and experiences along the way. If, for example, they want to reserve a restaurant, however, first they have to search the Internet for necessary information, and make a reservation through dedicated apps, which makes the experience inconsistent. As technologies such as connected vehicles, next-generation cockpits and automated driving evolve, the amount of information people can access from their cars will increase. Providing a seamless mobile experience for people both inside and outside of the vehicle may provide consumers with value and improve their trips.

DENSO is planning and developing next-generation cockpit platforms and connected vehicle system platforms, to build a new mobility society that connects vehicles, people, and things.

Since June 2020, in collaboration with unerry Inc., which operates the “Real Behavior Data Platform” NTT DATA has been developing “Mobility Commerce Service*2,” which provides users with a new travel experience to enjoy trips en route to their destination. The verification test used unerry’s people flow data *3 and algorithms, which are part of the above service.
DENSO and NTT DATA found advantages in working together to provide services that connect people’s trips using mobility systems and their destinations. The two companies therefore conducted a verification test to innovate the mobility experience based on vehicle and people flow data.
Concept of the service
Identifying how people move based on data gathered from in-vehicle devices and their smartphones and analyzing the characteristics of their driving and movement, in order to provide timely and personalized content and recommendations to improve travel experiences and deliver better services when traveling with or without a car. The service is also intended to offer new values to service providers, such as helping them attract potential customers amid changing behaviors.

Verification test
■ Details
The following verification tests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized recommendations by identifying NTT DATA app users’ movements based on their vehicle and people flow data.

• Recommending*4 interesting stores at effective timings by analyzing users’ preferences based on data on drivers’ driving characteristics and driving situations gathered from in-vehicle devices, and on their movement characteristics gathered from the GPS in their smartphones and beacon detection logs
• Analyzing the relationship between the recommendations and participants’ evaluations of them

■ Test period
 June 2020 to end of March 2021
 (Verification using cars: June to August; Analysis and verification as a business model: September to late March)
 * People’s movements by car were analyzed after the COVID-19 emergency declaration issued in April 2020 was lifted.


■ Test results
The analysis of users’ evaluations of 2,217 facilities recommended during the three-month verification period using cars showed that the more closely the recommendations matched their preferences and driving situations, the more highly the users valued them.

The test showed that it is technically possible to add value to people’s mobility experience by combining vehicle and people flow data.


Future plan
The test showed that mobility businesses can expect to attract new customers by improving their mobility experience and using vehicles as a means of gaining new sources of income. Service providers can expect to expand into new markets where their services are used in vehicles and attract new customers amid changing behaviors.

The two companies will continue to work together to create various customer touch points including next-generation cockpits and smartphone services. They will also collaborate with mobility businesses and service providers to explore the possibility of providing user experiences and content by identifying users’ behavior based on their vehicle and people flow data.

*1  This verification test is being conducted with the consent from the monitors to obtain and use their personal information for the purpose of this verification test.
*2  News release issued on June 18, 2020. “NTT DATA and unerry Forms Capital and Business Alliance to Provide ‘New Travel Experience’”
https://www.nttdata.com/jp/ja/news/release/2020/061801/
*3  Uses unerry’s Beacon Bank, the offline behavior data platform. (unerry has formed a capital and business alliance with NTT DATA)
*4  For users’ safety, providing recommendations by audio so as not to interfere with their driving

About DENSO
DENSO – a $44.6 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 200 facilities to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company’s 168,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 10.0 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global

About NTT DATA
NTT DATA – a part of NTT Group – is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, digital & IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables them, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients’ long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries around the globe. Visit us at nttdata.com.

Media Contact
DENSO Corporation
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NTT DATA Corporation
Public Relations Department
Email: pr-team@kits.nttdata.co.jp

Business Consulting Section Business Consulting ＆ Marketing Division Manufacturing IT Innovation Sector
Matsushita, Yonemura
Tel: +81-50-5546-9530
E-mail: cnm-tt@kits.nttdata.co.jp