Second PoC launched in Niseko Town, utilizing Edge AI Technology

AWL, Inc. (“AWL”, Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, President: Muneharu Kitade), a Hokkaido University-Certified Venture Company and a leading edge AI camera solutions provider, hereby announces the launch of second PoC, using "AWL Lite", which enables AI video analysis while taking into consideration the protection of personal information. The PoC is conducted in two locations: "Michi-no-eki (Roadside Station) Niseko View Plaza" and "Niseko Ekimae Spa Kirnaoyu” in Niseko Town, Abuta County, Hokkaido.

This is the second PoC followed by the first phase conducted from November 22, 2022 to February 28, 2023 at Niseko View Plaza, under the "New Hokkaido Style Digital Innovation Program" sponsored by Hokkaido Government, which matches local governments or businesses facing various issues in Hokkaido with startup companies that possess digital technology and solutions to solve them.

■The Overview of the PoC
At the first phase of PoC started from November 2022, under the theme of "Enhance Profitability of the Popular Resort from its Gateway!", camera-equipped tables with AWL's AI solution “AWL Lite”, were installed to obtain data such as number of visitors during the winter season at Niseko View Plaza, a roadside station that boasts 750,000 visitors per year. This enabled to visualize the number and attributes of the restroom users and those who visit the sections of local specialties and products. Moreover, the strategies implemented effectively directed the visitors towards the retail section by means of the displayed advertisements, resulting in a boost in sales.

At the second phase, AWL will conduct PoC at Niseko View Plaza, a roadside station, and Kairanoyu, a public facility in Niseko Town, throughout the summer season. The objective is to visualize the customer attributes and assess the impact of tablet advertisements on visitors, in which ultimately shaping their behaviors.

PoC period：July 15th, 2023 to September 29th, 2023 (Estimated)
Place：Niseko View Plaza and Niseko Ekimae Spa Kirnaoyu
Number of devices：2 each, total of 4 Edge AI camera
Activity：Conduct video analysis using edge AI cameras to take statistics on visitors
　　　　　and with those aggregated data to improve customer satisfaction.
　　　　　※The information obtained with edge AI camera.
　　　　　・Gender and age
　　　　　・Dwell time
　　　　　The information is discarded right after the analysis at the terminal and
　　　　　the attribute information mentioned above is not personally identifiable.

【About AWL, Inc】

Established in 2016. A Hokkaido University certified venture that has accumulated cutting-edge AI and Deep Learning-based video analytics with a wealth of experience in IoT utilization and implementation. A global team consisting of members from more than 20 countries. AWL provides AI solutions that can be used in actual operations at a low price, based on repeated in-store PoC under the partnership with the Hokkaido-based drugstore chain SATUDORA.