FISHPASS Inc. (Headquarters: Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture; CEO: Shigehiro Nishimura), operator of an online recreational fishing ticket sales system, announced on December 12 that it will conduct a field trial on Monday, December 15, for a "Person Detection System" using AI and Local 5G, jointly developed with the University of Fukui (President: Hironobu Naiki).
This experiment will be conducted on the Hino Riverbed in Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture, with the cooperation of the Hino River Fisheries Cooperative, aiming to build a foundational system for sustainable river environment conservation.
In river management, the vulnerability of operational structures due to a decrease in cooperative members and an aging workforce has become a major issue.
This system adopts "HYPERNOVA," a portable Local 5G system developed by NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation and the University of Tokyo. It creates a "high-speed, high-capacity" and "ultra-low latency" communication environment simply by turning on the power, enabling high-definition video transmission even on riverbeds where communication infrastructure is difficult to establish.
The received video is analyzed using an AI model (YOLOv8n) to automatically detect people. By recording only the detection results and images, the system automates and saves labor in surveillance tasks such as preventing illegal dumping and safety management, while respecting privacy.
FISHPASS and the University of Fukui aim to further develop this system and proceed with the construction of a "River Environment Conservation Platform Using Multi-stage Federated Learning," developed under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' FORWARD commissioned research, establishing a digital infrastructure to pass on rich rivers to the future.
■ ICT Startup League
This support program started in FY2023, triggered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Startup Creation-type Germination Research and Development Support Project."
The ICT Startup League supports startups through four pillars:
① Research & Development Funding / Hands-on Support
Up to 20 million yen in R&D funding is provided as a grant. Additionally, in hands-on support, the evaluation committee members involved in the selection of league members continue to stay close after selection to promote growth. For companies that committee members "absolutely want to select," a support system similar to "dedicated advocacy" (oshi-katsu) is built, where the evaluators themselves provide continuous support, such as advice on business plans and providing growth opportunities.
② Discovery & Development
We provide opportunities for learning and networking to promote the business growth of league members.
We also expand the scope by discovering those aiming to start businesses in the future.
③ Competition & Co-creation
It serves as a place for positive competition like a sports league, where startups learn together and improve themselves to win the necessary funds (up to 20 million yen). We also provide a place for co-creation where league members collaborate to expand their businesses through various opportunities such as sessions with evaluation committee members.
④ Dissemination
We will disseminate the initiatives of league members in cooperation with the media! By letting many people know about the businesses, we aim to expand the field for new matching and opportunities.
■ Related Websites
ICT Startup League
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FISHPASS Inc. (LEAGUE MEMBER)
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FISHPASS Inc. (Official Site)
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University of Fukui (Official Site)
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Original Press Release
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For more details on STARTUP LEAGUE's startup support, please see here.
