No. 823: NTT DoCoMo markets traveling information collected from vehicles as big data (December 29, 2013)

Technology:

NTTDoCoMo will market traveling information of a vehicle, such as speed and location, collected from the in-car device as big data in 2014. The in-car device will be developed jointly with Pioneer that is Japan’s leading maker of the car navigation system. The device will be as small as a palm, and ti will incorporate the GPS, communication function, and a sensor that measures the moves of a vehicle. Attached to a vehicle, it collects the traveling information. Collected information will be integrated in the data center to analyze the moves of each vehicle and traffic jams it comes across. The in-car device will essentially be distributed to consumers for free through automobile supplies retailers and nonlife insurance companies. The former will be able to predict the timing to replace tires and oil, and the latter will be able to give advice on safety and energy-saving driving besides developing a new insurance suitable most to each insured figured out on the basis of his or her driving behavior analyzed by the big data.

Image of NTT DoCoMo's big data service

Big data combined with analysis are sold for more than 100 million yen per year, and NTT DoCoMo is considering offering several service alternatives depending on the volume of the big data to be supplied. NTT DoCoMo itself will utilize the big data for its own car navigation application, and it is confident of increasing the precision of its application with the help of the big data. A car navigation application is mostly offered for 300 yen per month at present, and NTT DoCoMo’s new application will be offered for almost the same monthly charge. Toyota and Honda have already introduced the technology to collect big data for their genuine car navigation systems, but the number of vehicles equipped with the function to analyze big data is about five million, only 7% of all vehicles travelling across the country. NTT DoCoMo focuses on the remaining 93% of the market. 

 NTT DoCoMo's map applicaiton vs.
Google's navigation application