University of Aizu students and a staff member won prizes including the Grand Prize at the Aizuwakamatsu City's "Let's Build an Open City! ~Aizuwakamatsu City Open Data Contest~" (*1). The contest, which called for entries of works related to open data, was held from October 6 (Monday), to December 12 (Friday) with the objective of promoting the utilization of open data.

The winner of the Grand Prize, Ms. Morino, took inspiration from her experiences of having a difficult time shopping when she studied abroad and developed a shopping support app for foreign visitors to Japan called "Shopping & Translate" (*2). The app reads product barcodes and translates the information into twelve languages. It can also display information on Aizu's local specialties and sightseeing areas.

The Idea Division prize was won by UoA Research Administrator (RA) Mr. Fujii. His smartphone app "All Around" provides users with information that suites their needs. The app shows the potential to reach an audience that traditional advertisements such as newspaper inserts and local information magazines, etc. cannot.
Mr. Hayashi, who won the Activity Department, represents "Open App Lab," a group composed primarily of UoA students that creates web applications. The Aizuwakamatsu City Fire Hydrant Map (*3) and Ms. Morino's Grand Prize-winning application were also born from the group's activities.

The award ceremony was held on Friday, January 16, 2015 at the University of Aizu University-Business Innovation Center (UBIC). Presentations were given by Ms Morino, Fujii RA, and the other award winners. Their highly original ideas amazed the judges and the participants.

Award Division Awardees Work
Grand Prize Apps and Services Ms. Misato Morino
(Undergraduate 2nd Year)		 Shopping&Translate
Excellence Prize Idea Mr. Yasushi Fujii (UoA RA) All Around
Division Prize Activity Mr. Tatsuhiko Hayashi
(Undergraduate 4th Year)		 Open App Lab

Comments from the awardees:

  • Ms. Morino: "From my own experience as a short-term study abroad student, I felt study abroad students and other foreigners visiting Japan must have an even harder time here in Japan, because of the difficulty of the Japanese language. The Aizu area is a indispensible part of Japanese history, and I would like to help deepen its ties with its foreign visitors."
  • Fujii RA: "Thanks to all the support I've gotten, I was able to win the Idea Division Excellence Prize. Being an instructor, I can't afford to lose to students, so I am relieved to get this result."
  • Mr. Hayashi: "This award is a big honor for me. This is the second year I've been engaged our group, and although some challenges remain, this award has encouraged me. I would like to continue to develop more activities in the future. "

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Presentations by Ms. Morino (left) and Fujii (right)

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From left: Mr. Hayashi, Ms. Morino, Fujii RA

*1　Let's Build an Open City! ~Aizuwakamatsu City Open Data Contest~ Call for Entries!
Aizuwakamatsu City Open Data Contest Introduction of Entrered Works
Related link: DATA fot CITIZEN (Aizuwakamatsu City's open data and application provision site)

*2　"Ms. Morino's study abroad report can be find here. News article on Ms. Morino's previous award: A Team of University Students Including a UoA Student Won a Prize in "Future Prediction Award 2014" IT Hackathon

*3　Code for AIZU releases "Aizuwakamatsu Fire Hydrant Map" application

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