Fujitsu, Hexagon Forge Innovative Alliance to Empower Cities

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division and Fujitsu Limited have unveiled an innovative alliance to develop digital twin applications for the anticipation and alleviation of natural disasters and traffic incidents.

The collaboration underscores the ongoing commitment of both companies to establish resilient, disaster-resistant urban environments, stemming from their strategic partnership forged in June 2022.

To enhance disaster preparedness, the two entities are actively crafting a predictive model capable of assessing the magnitude and consequences of flooding using precipitation data.

This model visualizes flood extents and undertakes damage projection analyses. Leveraging these insights, municipalities can chart effective disaster response strategies.

Furthermore, in the realm of traffic safety, the partnership focuses on an application that identifies accident-prone zones due to heavy traffic and suboptimal road designs.

The application proposes remedial measures to enhance safety, empowering city planners and road administrators to cultivate robust and secure transportation networks.

In the coming phases, Fujitsu and Hexagon are set to conduct practical trials involving administrative, municipal, and transportation sectors. These trials will facilitate informed decision-making for optimizing urban environments, with a target to roll out global solutions by the close of fiscal year 2023 (ending March 2024).

Fortifying Urban Areas against Natural Calamities

In a world characterized by escalating unpredictability, safeguarding people and societal infrastructure necessitates seamless coordination and visualization of data across diverse domains such as medicine, transportation, energy, and the environment.

By harnessing Fujitsu’s Computing as a Service (CaaS) platform, which offers a suite of user-friendly services rooted in advanced computing and software technologies, alongside Hexagon’s M.App Enterprise real-time geospatial application, the partnership introduces ‘digital rehearsal’ technology.

This innovation enables preemptive analysis and validation of disaster vulnerabilities and optimal preparedness using a meticulously detailed digital twin that mirrors real-world conditions.

The combined solution amalgamates flood forecasting models and precipitation data for intricate calculations and visual representations of flooding.

It addresses challenges across sectors like medicine, finance, public services, and distribution.

The solution aims to predict infrastructure damage, devise disaster response strategies, and estimate the extent of damage.

Additionally, it leverages weather IoT sensors and forecast services to ensure secure evacuation routes and fortify infrastructure against inclement weather and natural disasters.

Mitigating Traffic Incidents

According to a 2022 report from the World Health Organization (WHO), an alarming 1.35 million fatalities and 50 million severe injuries result from traffic accidents annually.

Speeding, inadequate road guidance, and subpar road conditions contribute to many of these incidents.

Curbing traffic incidents requires identifying accident-prone areas, analyzing causative factors, and proposing remedies.

Employing Hexagon’s geospatial visualization tool, M.App Enterprise, in conjunction with Fujitsu’s infrastructure services, the partnership has crafted an application that visualizes accident-prone zones.

This application analyzes traffic density, road designs, signage, and other contributing factors.

It offers recommendations for minimizing accidents in alignment with the Road Safety Toolkit of the International Road Assessment Program.

For instance, if a location witnesses frequent accidents despite low traffic volumes, the application proposes cost-effective solutions such as speed controls, warning signs, and segregation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic through guardrails.

Sustainable and LivableUrban Landscapes

These proposals, benefiting city planners, road administrators, local governments, and consultancy services, contribute to safer communities and a reduction in traffic accidents.

Mladen Stojic, president of Government, Transportation, Defense, and Security for Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, lauds the ongoing partnership’s impact on cities.

He emphasizes how the collaboration empowers municipalities to proactively address challenges from pollution to congestion to flooding, thereby fostering sustainable and livable urban landscapes.

Yoshinami Takahashi, senior executive vice president and Head of Global Business Solutions at Fujitsu Limited, expresses enthusiasm about the partnership’s strides, noting its pivotal role in advancing Fujitsu’s vision of a Trusted Society.

The ambitious innovative alliance harnesses the combined strengths of both companies to tackle multifaceted societal challenges that defy conventional solutions. (amm)

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