The world today faces many pressing challenges. Climate-driven natural disasters, for example, are increasing in frequency and severity. SATO aims to mitigate disaster risks together with customers, providing tagging solutions based on our strengths in giving things and people identifiers and digitizing the data. We serve local governments that are seeking to manage natural disasters more efficiently.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Digital transformation: Pilot for tree disease management
In Japan’s Kawasaki City, around 2,600 trees were found to be infected with the fungal disease oak wilt in December 2021. Identifying and controlling the disease is very important in preventing flash flooding and falling trees during extreme weather. While park officers have been tracking oak wilt manually with a handwritten system, it had many limitations and created bottlenecks for information sharing.
Partnering with Senshu University, which came up with the idea of digitalizing tree management, SATO developed a solution using NFC tags that were printed with two-dimensional barcodes and tested on trees near the entrance at the largest park in Kawasaki City. During the trial, park visitors could tap or scan the tree tags to report problems via an online form.
We will study the guidelines on inspecting street trees published by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and work to create new, better solutions with our tree tagging technology to serve society.
