DEA, GRG, and Mitsubishi Electric Announce Results of the First Citizen-Participatory Infrastructure Inspection PoC for Municipalities Using 'PicTrée' in Niigata City

Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & Chairman: Naoto Yoshida; Representative Director & President: Kozo Yamada; hereafter 'DEA'), Growth Ring Grid Pte. Ltd., which develops and operates the citizen-participatory social contribution game 'PicTrée' (Headquarters: Singapore; Representative Director & President: Fumi Fukuda; Co-Representative Director: Kazuki Kito; hereafter 'GRG'), and Mitsubishi Electric, which received support from the 'Niigata City Digital Innovation Creation Promotion Subsidy', announced on Wednesday, March 18, via Niigata City the details of a proof-of-concept (PoC) experiment utilizing the citizen-participatory infrastructure inspection app 'PicTrée'. This project was selected as one of the six advanced technology demonstration projects implemented in Niigata City in FY2025. This initiative in Niigata City was the first PoC conducted with the cooperation of a local government, and it achieved certain results in promoting the DX (Digital Transformation) of the municipality. Moving forward, we will continue to promote the construction of infrastructure maintenance and management systems throughout Niigata and eventually nationwide. 1. Background In Niigata City, the maintenance and management of road auxiliary facilities (such as curve mirrors) requires maintaining a massive number of infrastructure facilities with limited budgets and personnel. Therefore, we conducted a PoC utilizing 'PicTrée' where citizens and users share the inspection work while having fun in their daily lives through gamification. 2. Proof of Concept Results * The facility coverage rate exceeded the initial target of 90%, covering 100% of the targeted facilities. * Results were achieved in a short actual working period of just 10 days. * A total of 9,000 inspection photos were taken and collected by 26 participating citizens. Project Name: Practicality verification evaluation of a system where citizens participate to collect inspection data targeting curve mirrors managed by Niigata City, utilizing the utility pole inspection record app 'PicTrée'. Area Held: Niigata 2km (*The central city area connecting Niigata Station, Bandai, and Furumachi) Targets: 149 curve mirrors registered in Niigata City within the target area (of which 147 are managed by Niigata City). Implementation Details: Citizens and users utilize 'PicTrée' to take photos of curve mirrors in the city and collect inspection data. Verified whether the data could be utilized for the municipality's infrastructure inspection from both accuracy and efficiency standpoints. Implementation Period: 10 days from Friday, January 9 to Sunday, January 18, 2026. 3. Future Outlook Based on the results of this PoC, we plan to deepen the initiative in Niigata City from 2026 to 2027, expand it to the entire Niigata Prefecture after 2027, and roll it out nationwide from 2028. To continue expanding the system for efficient infrastructure maintenance, we plan to promote this alongside Mitsubishi Electric to 150 municipalities nationwide facing similar challenges. If you are interested in measures utilizing 'PicTrée', please contact us at the details below. Digital Entertainment Asset / PicTrée Representative | E-mail: pictree_cs@dea.sg What is PicTrée? (Content omitted beyond this point)