The document outlines plans for a Tokyo Metro app project team to develop a web app using train and station data from Tokyo Metro for a contest. It discusses opportunities for team members to gain startup experience through participating. The app aims to make Tokyo Metro users' lives more convenient. Two preliminary app concepts are described - a metro app targeted at foreigners to make travel easier, and a metro social networking app to share travel experiences. Features of each concept are listed, including profile-based interactions and anonymous local sharing for the SNS app.

1. Tokyo Metro App Project
October 03, 2014
Tokyo Metro App Project Team
Overview
UPDATED DRAFT
AS OF
2014/10/03

2. Challenge 'Tokyo Metro 10th app contest' together
What are we going to do?
Purpose
Develop a Web app with trains/stations data provided by Tokyo Metro
and data from any other 3rd parties if necessary
Criteria
App making Tokyo Metro users' life more convenient and comfortable
=「もっとうれしいアプリ」
Time Span From today to 11/17(Mon), Roughly 8 weeks

3. Opportunity to gain start-up experience
Why should we do that?
Short term merits during the contest
• Chance to win grand prix: 1 million yen
• Learning experience for beginners
– complete process from idea to MVP
– various challenges: function definition,
development, etc.
• Almost risk-free start-up opportunity for
full-time employees
– moonlighters welcomed
– competition within a roughly defined
boundary: only limited cost and energy
needed
Long term merits after the contest
• Possibility to start a real business
– improve the MVP with the support from
Tokyo Metro or other train companies
– Expand geographically: from Tokyo to
other cities with metro system
• Shape partnership to chase bigger ideas
– work in a team with common achievement
and bonds
– consider and realize other start-up ideas
together
It can become a good start for entrepreneur career

4. Now
4 major tasks to be handled within 2 months
How should we do that?
week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4 week 5 week 6 week 7 week 8
9/22 9/29 10/6 10/13 10/20 10/27 11/3 11/10 11/17
team building
and concept
design
data analysis
and
processing
back end
development
front end
development
member
recruiting
concept
discussion
Tokyo Metro data
analysis and processing
benchmark
pre-study
3rd party data analysis
and process
*if necessary
first cut development
first cut development
debug and update
user test
and update
MVP
final test
and output

5. Application Features
The features will be prioritized based on minimum requirements for contest to team image
Write
Search
Read
Profile
Minimum Features Expected Features Full Features
• Post a message
• Tag by location
• Tag by category
• Sort by time
• Sort by category
• Sort by distance
• Keyword search
• Comment on post
• Train notification
space
• All users and posts
are anonymous
• Tag by user input
• Attach photos to
post
• Sort by popularity/
“likes”
• Search by user
profile
• “Like” button
• User profile page
• Input user profile
• Link profile to
posts
• “Flag” button for
inappropriate
content
• Messaging by
profile
• Connect profile to
Facebook API
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +

6. Current business issues of TM in regard to 2020 Tokyo Olympics
What are the concepts and features of the app?
Tokyo Metro 'Radiating Charm Project'（“魅力発信”プロジェクト）
• To improve service quality and safety
• To make the experience of using metro more fun
• To promote the charm of Tokyo and Tokyo Metro
(safe, care free and fun)
Initiative of
Tokyo Metro
Key words/directions
Connect with areas along metro lines to
make staying Tokyo more fun
More accessible, more convenient
Tokyo Metro
World-leading safety level
Example of major measures
• Weave travel info into metro map
• Local event around stations
• Station reformation
• Navigation/info anywhere in metro
• Multi-language display/voice guide
• In-car infotainment
• Infrastructure examination and
improvement
relevant

7. Preliminary ideas for discussion: 1. 'Metro app for foreigners'
What are the concepts and features of the app?
Target/
Background
Concept:
metro app for foreigners Specific Features
Promotion to travelers
/foreigners becomes a
strategic focus of TM
Increasing number of
foreigners traveling in
Tokyo
As foreigners, we have
direct experience of
needs that lead to ideas
of functions/features
more convenient
traveling on Tokyo Metro
easy transit route search
• shorter walk distance
for transit
• transit at station with
elevator/escalator
purpose-based
route search
• example: search by
'museum in 30 minutes'
or 'shrine festival in 15
minutes'
locate interesting
place/event intuitively
Target: foreign travelers

8. Preliminary ideas for discussion: 2. 'Metro SNS'
What are the concepts and features of the app?
Target/
Background
Concept:
Metro SNS Specific Features
SNS profile for metro users
Profile-based user
interaction
• (illustrated on following
pages)
Personal information based
navigation
Metro-based SNS
• (illustrated on following
pages)
On-board SNS app
• (illustrated on following
pages)
Anonymous, location-based
posting and sharing
Target: Tokyo residents
Making traveling in metro
more fun according to
TM's initiative
People traveling on
subway have common
background and
experience, a good
condition for SNS
Big data collected by
SNS can be leveraged to
provide advanced service
1
2
3

9. Feature 2 : user profile and basic interaction between users1
Items of user profile Examples of user interaction
Basic
info
Metro
info
Preference
info
age, gender
thumbnail photo
participating events
tag of stations/lines
・
・
・
・
・
・
closest station to home/office
frequently using line
time of taking trains
• matching: finding people taking the
same train/at the same station
• adding friends/sending messages
• reminding friends of coming trains
• inviting people to events near stations
• sharing location when meeting at
stations
・
・
・
Potential doorway collecting user data for TM

10. Feature 2 : platform to share TM experiences anonymously
Source: Uber
Passengers can entertain
themselves at the station
by reading posts from
other local passengers
People can share
anonymously to nearby
passengers about
interesting events that
happen to them
Tokyo Metro can get
insights on how people
feel about their metro
experiences through this
forum
2

11. Feature 3 : Predictive Model for Tokyo Metro Destinations
Give personalized notifications for passengers based on predicted Metro destination points
Explanation
Recommendations and
notifications will be based
on the destination of the
user
Tokyo metro can use the
app as an advertisement
platform for nearby
merchants
Foreigners will have a
better experience
navigating Tokyo using
this app than Google
Maps as a tool to
enhanced tourism
Source: Uber
3

12. Appendix

13. Ref.) Detailed criteria of app contest
Japanese
「もっとうれしい」アプリ
東京メトロをご利用になるお客様の生活がより便利
でより快適になるようなアプリであるか
【アイディア】創造性、独創性、発展性、有益性などが
あるか
【完成度】実用性、操作性、安定性などがあるか
【デザイン】表現や、デザイン技法など
English
'App that makes people happier'
Is it an app that makes Tokyo Metro users' life
more convenient and comfortable?
【Idea】Creativity, uniqueness , scalability and
benefits to users, etc.
【Quality】Practical value, usability, stability, etc.
【Design】skill of design and visual expression

14. Ref.) Date provided by Tokyo Metro
Japanese English
東京メトロ全線の列車位置、遅延時間等に係るデータ
※データは1分ごとに配信
• 方向(どこ方面行きか)
• 列車番号
• 列車種別(各停、特急、急行、快速、臨時)
※非営業列車(試運転、回送)は公開しない
• 始発駅・行先駅
• 所属会社(どの鉄道事業者の車両か)
• 在線位置(ホーム、駅間の2区分)
• 遅延時間(5分以上の遅延を「遅延」として表示)
上記データに加え列車・施設に関する多様なデータ
（従前より東京メトロのホームページで公開している情報を、
データ形式を変えて提供）
• 列車情報（列車時刻表、運賃表、駅間所要時間、各駅の
乗降人員数、女性専用車両）
• 施設情報（バリアフリー情報、駅出入口情報、車両ごとの
最寄り施設・出入口案内）
Location and delay information of all trains on Tokyo
Metro lines
※updated every 1 minute
• Direction
• Train number
• Type(local, express, etc.)
• Starting/Destination
• Train owner company
• Location (in a station or between stations)
• Delay time (shown as delayed if delayed for >5mins)
Other data
(Currently provided on Tokyo Metro website. data format
changed)
▶ Train information (time table, price, running time
between stations, # of people getting on/off, location of
female car）
▶ Facility information (barrier-free, exits, closest
facilities/exits by car number)
Data format: JSON-LD