Completion of the demonstration experiment for winter whiteout prediction technology.

AGC, the Japan Meteorological Association, and Tsukigata Town in Hokkaido have completed a demonstration experiment on winter whiteout prediction technology.

AGC (AGC Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, President: Yoshinori Hirai), the Japan Meteorological Association (General Incorporated Foundation Japan Meteorological Association, headquartered in Tokyo, Chairman: Kazuhiro Watanabe), and Tsukigata Town in Hokkaido (Mayor: Ryuichi Uesaka) concluded a demonstration experiment (hereinafter referred to as this experiment) on the prediction of whiteout occurrences and real-time information dissemination technology in Tsukigata Town, which was announced in December 2024, on March 31, 2025. A post-implementation survey confirmed changes among local residents, including those in Tsukigata Town, regarding alterations in travel plans and heightened awareness of safe driving, revealing that this initiative contributed to reducing the risk of traffic accidents during winter. In this experiment, the following initiatives were undertaken to reduce the risk of winter traffic accidents caused by whiteouts: 1) Real-time image data acquisition of the target section using AGC's window-mounted camera "Mihalmo." 2) Based on the data from 1), an AI developed by the Japan Meteorological Association determined visibility (the distance one can see) within the past hour every 15 minutes. 3) Combining the visibility information from 2) with the latest weather information, the Japan Meteorological Association predicted visibility up to six hours ahead on an hourly basis. 4) The information from 1) to 3) was disseminated through digital signage at two public facilities in Tsukigata Town.

Security cameras and surveillance systems