The use of high speed data transmission service with PHS terminals has expanded dramatically in recent months. 32kbit/s PHS data access is a norm for data-oriented users of PHS through which they can access the world wide web, corporate databases, location services and a myriad of other handy information while on the move. And now, the world's first 64kbit/s service is available to PHS customers. One form of this service, PHS location information service, is drawing widespread attention because of its versatility. The following are two notable examples of PHS location information service.

Location information service for school excursions
In typical Japanese high schools and junior high schools, classes have a tradition of taking overnight excursions to other cities once or twice over the course of a year. In the past, students traveled in large groups on tour buses to distant cities. However, the patterns of these overnight excursions have changed dramatically in the recent years. Over the last few years, the trend has been for students to be divided into 20 to 30, and sometimes 50 groups of five to seven students, with each group choosing a separate research theme. And while they stay in the same accommodation in the evening, the groups conduct their activities according to their own agenda. Students in Japan generally wear uniforms, but because students are not required to wear uniforms during excursions, teachers often have difficulty spotting their students in crowds, and students often loose their way in unfamiliar surroundings. The safety of the students during these trips is a very important issue for schools. Location information service is a vital tool in assuring the safety of students.
Fig1: Typical use for Location Detection Service
Japan Travel Bureau Inc. (JTB) introduced a PHS location information service for school excursions in order to monitor the whereabouts of student groups and to ensure their safety.
In this service, all group leaders are given PHS terminals that are automatically tracked by the service, which allow administrators/teachers to check students' locations on an electronic map display. With only a 100 meter or so error margin, the PHS location information system provides wide coverage, including shopping malls and areas near stations. Even when the terminal is in a weak signal reception zone, such as inside parks and buildings, the service indicates the terminal's latest locations, showing where all groups are/were as well as their travel paths, in an accurate fashion. Teachers and students both appear to be appreciative of this kind of service.
PHS terminals are light, compact, and easy to operate. They can operate for four to five consecutive days - the average length of a school excursion - without the need to recharge the battery. Students can also use the PHS terminals through the public network in emergency situations.
JTB is considering expanding the availability of this service to more tourist sites, and is asking PHS carriers to expand their service coverage to suburban areas, parks, and other areas frequently visited by tourists.

Location information service at the Sanja Festival in Asakusa, Tokyo
Asakusa Sanja Festival is one of Tokyo's largest festivals, where spectators enjoy the nostalgic, neighborly atmosphere of Tokyo's "downtown" area, an old commercial and residential district around Asakusa. The festival is held annually from May 14 to 17, and draws a crowd of about 1 million people each year.
Fig 2: Location Detection screenshot from the Asakusa Sanja Festival
Three portable shrines, "san-ja" in Japanese, are carried around for 18 hours in Asakusa, an area encompassing a several square kilometer area. In the Sanja festival, the portable shrines are carried by one group of people after another, each representing a different community within the district. Festival staff need to continuously track the location of the shrines and the spectators also want up to the minute information on the best spots to observe the passing shrines. To accommodate these needs, festival staff used the "Ima doko (Where Now)" PHS location information service and the Internet during the festival last year.
A "Dorae-phone," a PHS terminal model designed for this service, was attached to each shrine. The PHS location information system then identified the location of each terminal (shrine) at five minute intervals, and displayed the information on the screen. In this way, the festival staff were able to follow the whereabouts of the three shrines throughout the festival.
The staff also did a webcast the festival via the Internet. Prior to the festival, organizers worried that the location detection system, with 100 meters or so aberration, might not be up to the task, because the shrines were to be carried through streets hemmed in by tall buildings on both sides, a challenging signal propagation environment. It turned out, however, that the system was highly appreciated by all festival goers.
PHS data transmission service is very popular not only for business purposes such as in the examples above, but are also expected to become central to a variety of other activities and operations. Demand for the service is expected to see great growth in the years to come.


(Reprint from the Electronic Magazine by Ohm Publishing Co., Ltd.)