Greetings from the founder

WIDE Project 2011
While the year 2011 will be remembered as a year of historic natural disasters, it is also recognized as the year in which the number of Internet users exceeded 2 billion people. It is still fresh in the minds of people that 2011 was also the year that the global human population exceeded 7 billion people. The human environment in 2011 was one characterized by a world in which 2 billion people out of a population of 7 billion were connected to the Internet. This was also the catalyst to raging debates about the future of the Internet. When we consider that it has taken 20 years to reach 2 billion Internet users, the fact that a terminal such as the smartphone, a technology not even envisioned at the time of the development of the Internet, would become mainstream among Internet users and that the percentage of Internet users has exceeded 80% in a country such as Japan where the spread of the Internet is, well steady, it will not be long before the global Internet population reaches 5 or 5.5 billion. I also expect that it will reach this number in less than half the time. In other words, it is necessary to expect that the number of Internet users will reach close to 5 billion by 2020.
It was demonstrated in the recent natural disaster that 80% of the population of Japan is connected to the Internet by analyzing how the Internet and other digital communication media were used in the wake of the disaster. On the other hand, we also realized just how difficult it was to reach the other 20%. In designing the infrastructure for the Internet, something that has become a social platform, and the age of digital information for the next 10 years will require a different approach and vision of that to date. Let’s look at several technological developments that are currently booming on the fringe of Internet technologies. The concept of projects linking automobiles to the Internet, something WIDE project has been involved in since the 1990s, was to use sensors, mobile phones and positional information to collect a range of data to scale. This has been developed into an information system for probe cars and has contributed to providing real time data for the transportation of relief materials in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The sensors include battery sensors to collect data from batteries in the rapidly increasing number of electric cars and sensors in smartphone devices in the vehicle to complete a massive network of sensors, a cyber-physical system and an environment in which huge amounts of data can be created in an instant.

Social-based activities conducted by the Wide project since 1999 include the promotion of the transition from analogue communications, realized for telephone communications and television broadcasting, to communication and broadcasting over the Internet. These initiatives have made a significant contribution to the creation of an IP-based era of communication. March 31, 2012 is the scheduled date for the end of terrestrial analogue broadcasting for three prefectures in the Tohoku region. This was originally scheduled for July 24, 2011, however was revised due to the earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan on March 11, 2011. With the full transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, television sets are also going digital, which has sparked the rapid development of television sets that also double as Internet terminals, such as the smart televisions etc. The impact of this will result in changes to the way we live our lives and the media content market and implies that data streams exceeding 100Mbps will be available at the consumer level as basic digital communication technology. WIDE project has focused its research themes on the development of basic technologies and platforms, which will provide this digital technology infrastructure and sees itself as having 2 key roles in this ever-changing data environment.

One role is that of a platform architect. This refers to the development of an open platform architecture, which will enable this entire environment to be viewed as a globally distributed data processing environment. In order to ensure the healthy development of this technology, it is important that we create an environment for creative researchers with new ideas to take on this challenge. The essential mission of WIDE is to promote platform architecture which is truly global and enables these researchers to participate freely and easily in its development.

The other key role of WIDE project is that of a trailblazer. Ideas and proposals for this WIDE architecture must not be limited to technological recommendations, but must be followed up with strong conviction, future potential and viability to make a contribution to industry, society and the world around us. Although the situation surrounding the market for smartphones, motor vehicles and televisions mentioned earlier may seem to be dependent on market trends, in the background, we are assuming the role of trailblazers working to establish an environment conductive to development in Japan born from years of collaboration between industry, government and academia. Dramatic changes are, for the first time in years, predicted for the future of telecommunications and the platforms which these depend on. WIDE project is committed to continuing its activities together with its strong collaboration with industry, government and academia and would like to take this opportunity to once again ask for your continued support and understanding.

March 2012
Jun Murai