RELEASE
2015.08.27Release
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8/27/2015
OPTiM Corporation
OPTiM, Saga University and Saga Prefectural Government
announce a three-party agreement for IT Agriculture
Towards fun, cool and profitable agriculture
SAGA, Japan (August 27, 2015) – OPTiM (TSE Mothers: 3694), along with Saga prefectural government's Production Promotion Department and the Faculty of Agriculture of Saga University, a national university corporation, proudly announce a three-party cooperation agreement for the use of IoT, drones, network cameras, wearable devices, etc. in the agricultural IT field. With this agreement among industry, academia and government, the research and development for the IT agriculture field will be propelled forward, intellectual property will be developed, and there will be a level of open cooperation among industry, academia and the government like never before. Furthermore, the Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University provides fundamental scientific expertise of agriculture, and the Saga Prefectural Government provides practical agricultural know-how and knowledge. When combined with OPTiM's IoT technology, the three aim to be the world's #1 in IT agriculture.
Saga Prefecture has an admirable agricultural system, resulting in numerous achievements, such as the number two specialized strawberry field in Japan in 2014, the number one production yield of greenhouse cultivated tangerines in Japan in 2014, and the largest volume shipment of Saga Beef to the Osaka Chuo Wholesale Market in 2013. On the other hand, agriculture is facing various issues, including the aging and reduction of the number of people involved in the field, stagnant earnings, and continuing threats from pests.
The Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University and the Saga prefectural government are working to solve these problems in order to develop the future of Saga's agriculture, and for that, increasing production and having a smooth transition to next-generation technology is paramount. To accomplish this, effective uses of IT were considered, and research and development continued. In addition, since 2014, OPTiM has conducted research and development not just for computers and smartphones, but also IoT, drones, network cameras and wearables, and the remote control, image analysis and big data analysis technologies for those devices.
As such, the three parties among industry, academia and government have reached a cooperation agreement, expecting to realize a framework for manufacturers to steadily adopt the practical technology by incorporating each group's capability with efficiency, acceleration and sophistication. With this, the three parties are working to having Saga producing "Fun, cool, and profitable agriculture."
OPTiM, Saga University's Faculty of Agriculture and the Saga prefectural government's Production Promotion Department are cooperating to achieve the following three visions necessary to help Saga become the world's #1 in IT Agriculture.
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Striving to be the world's #1 area in agricultural big data
With the land that the Saga government possesses for agricultural research, and the land belonging to the Faculty of Agriculture in Saga University, drones, IoT and wearable devices can be used, and the resulting data can be stored on the cloud.
Operating drones can perform digital scans of agricultural land below from the sky, and that data analysis service, SkySight, stores the data on the cloud, and that data is then analyzed to easily perform operations such as inspection for insect damage to plants or growth management. With this kind of functionality to help with staff deficiencies and procedure optimization (such as fertilizing, weeding, pest control, harvesting and so on), we strive for Saga to be the world's #1 in agricultural big data.
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Striving for the world's #1, fun, cool agriculture area connected with wearables
Some of the problems that agriculture is facing include declining numbers of people in the agricultural workforce, a lack of successors for certain jobs and difficulty in passing down techniques to new workers. To help solve these issues, we are offering wearable technology support tools and platforms so that farmers can transmit essential information. This includes the remote operational work dedicated smart glass, Remote Action. With these solutions, we strive to develop the world's #1, fun, cool agriculture area.
※OPTiM's remote operational work dedicated smart glass, Remote Action, use image
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Striving to be the world's #1 area for IoT-enabled delivery of safe, delicious produce
With utilizing IoT, crop conditions can be managed with the goal of supplying produce of the highest quality. We strive to be the world's #1 provider of safe and delicious produce though using IoT.
In addition to the three objectives above, we will face the following challenges.
■Creating intellectual property for the agricultural IT field
The faculty of agriculture of Saga University, the Saga Prefectural Government, and OPTiM are working to create intellectual property relevant to the agriculture IT industry. OPTiM values innovation above all else, and focuses on research and development. And with those efforts, through acquiring patents and developing intellectual property, creating brand-new services and products, and finding our products rise to predominance, we have always worked towards giving our valued customers a secure experience. With this business union, the academic expertise and know-how of Saga University's Faculty of Agriculture and the Saga prefectural government Production Promotion Department are integrated with OPTiM's research and development to create technology as a base for our goal of creating intellectual property for the agricultural IT field. We are striving to put these into practice in actual work situations.
■Worker training in the agricultural IT field
The faculty of agriculture of Saga University, the Saga Prefectural Government, and OPTiM will utilize the agricultural science knowledge of experienced workers. Shunji Sugaya, CEO of OPTiM, has become a specially-appointed professor for Saga University, and will hold lectures about IT and starting venture companies.
About OPTiM
Based in Tokyo, Japan, OPTiM provides internet-based services that improve its clients’ interactions with technology in all aspects of daily life, "We make the net as simple as breathing." Our services include Optimal Biz, a cloud device management service; Optimal Remote, a remote management service; Optimal Support, a setup support service; and the Unlimited content and software suite series.
【Copyright/Trademark】
※The corporate names and product names mentioned above are registered trademarks or trademarks.
※The information presented in this press release is subject to change without notice.
Saga Prefecture Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Commerce and Industry
Planning and Management Group
TEL: 81-952-25-7257 FAX: 81-952-25-7290
E-Mail: nousuishou-g@pref.saga.lg.jp
Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University General Affairs
TEL: 81-952-28-8713 FAX: 81-952-28-8709
E-Mail: nosomu@mail.admin.saga-u.ac.jp
OPTiM Corporation Marketing/Promotion Team
TEL: 81-3-6435-8570 FAX: 81-3-6435-8560
E-Mail: press@optim.co.jp
