Japan turns utility pole inspections into smartphone game, pays players for photos
MORIOKA -- A game in eastern Japan is paying players to snap pictures of utility poles with their smartphones, helping a telecommunications firm spot
In eastern Japan, a game called PicTree is paying players to take photos of utility poles to aid telecommunications companies in identifying aging infrastructure while boosting tourism and community involvement. The game, launched by Tokyo-based Digital Entertainment Asset Inc. (DEA) in cooperation with NTT East group company NTT ME, encourages players to take pictures of utility poles shown on a map.
Upon submission, these shots assist the company in early detection of problems and facilitate inspections and repairs on aging poles. Participants can earn rewards of 15 yen (around 10 cents) per pole, which can be exchanged for gift cards and other items. The regular season started on June 6, and by the end of August, 470,000 out of 810,000 utility poles in the targeted areas had been photographed.
However, the game's impact has been limited in mountainous and coastal regions compared to the Tokyo metropolitan area and areas near train stations. To incentivize more participation in these locations, the reward for 8 prefectures has been increased to 50 to 300 yen (approximately 30 cents to $2) per utility pole. The initiative aims to connect the game with tourism promotion and local community revitalization.
NTT ME's Atsushi Obokata emphasized the importance of leveraging citizens' help in maintaining and managing communications infrastructure.
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