How to Accelerate Innovation in the Social Infrastructure
Hitachi Integrates Operations and Information Technologies to
Build a Sustainable Society
VIRTUAL BIG DATA SOLUTION ROI FLEXIBLE DATA DRIVEN VIS
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Contents
Introduction 3
Energy Business 4
Demand Response 4
Transient Stability Control Systems 4
Water Business 5
Intelligent Water Systems 5 Intelligent Water Case Study 6
Mobility Business 7
Big Data Analysis Service 7
Cloud Services 7
Healthcare Business 8
Service Model: Providing Total Healthcare Solutions 8
Smart City Business 9
How to Accelerate Innovation in the Social Infrastructure
Introduction
At Hitachi, we set strong goals for our company: to bring the world’s ecosystems and people into harmony to reduce the load on the environment, and to increase comfort, safety, convenience and enjoyment. Hitachi believes that social infrastructure systems have a role in achieving these goals. In fact, we have incorporated these goals into the infra-structure that we have been building for many years.
Our vision is to continue and accelerate social innovation in our current and future infrastructures. We define the social innovation business as establishment of an IT-based, advanced social infrastructure that ensures a balance between the economy and the environment. We create value through the integration of operations technology, information technology (IT), control technologies and social infrastructure systems to help solve social and business issues.
By collaborating among these different types of infrastructure and social systems, Hitachi further harnesses the power of data to create new services and social innovations. Our endeavors to create new possibilities for people and companies are becoming more and more important for society.
Energy Business
Demand Response
To reach the right balance between supply and demand, the energy industry’s system to respond to energy demands needs to integrate user demand with electricity generation and storage. Hitachi uses the full scope of information technology to help make the most of electric company resources and facility operation rates, and eliminate excess capital investment (see Figure 1). Our demand response system optimizes the entire electricity system and contrib-utes to a safe, reliable, and green energy-demand and energy-supply business.
We have a proven track record and established expertise for safe, reliable power generation control, system control, and transmission and distribution systems. We developed our expertise along with electric companies in Japan, using Hitachi IT systems that collect and analyze large amounts of demand-side data.
As an infrastructure provider, we offer systems and expertise that add value to the global energy business. Our inno-vations include planning, financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance for a new IT-based electricity system (smart infrastructure) in collaboration with important partners. By using IT, Hitachi increases transfer capacity and regulates the power output of existing power grid systems.
Figure 1. Integration of Electricity Demand With Electricity Storage and Generation for Optimal Demand and Supply Balance
Transient Stability Control Systems
Hitachi is developing a next-generation transient stability control system that collects power system information on line, and includes wind and solar power generation. The system calculates the power system’s stability, plans steps for stabilization, if needed, and helps operators implement those steps at substations (see Figure 2).
These capabilities enable highly efficient operation, as seen in the increased total transfer capability of transmission facilities and the enhanced flexibility of power generators. The transient stability control system helps to stabilize the power supply, which is the mission of electricity companies. It can also help to reduce construction and opera-tion costs because it can use existing transmission lines to send the maximum power generated by efficient power generators.
Figure 2. Transient Stability Control System
Water Business
Intelligent Water Systems
The world’s population is plagued by many water-related issues, including river and sea pollution in urban areas, low-quality water, water supply leaks, and the need to secure water resources. An intelligent water system that integrates advanced water process and information control or collaboration systems can provide an optimal urban water envi-ronment. This kind of system can improve service operation efficiency, minimize the load on the environment, and make effective use of limited water resources.
We will help solve global water resource issues by participating in the water business as an infrastructure provider. As shown below in the Maldives project discussion, Hitachi is planning to use operations technology and IT in various water-related scenarios.
Figure 3. Intelligent Water Systems
Intelligent Water Case Study
The Maldives has a population of 300,000 people in a beautiful environment in the Indian Ocean. It is composed of small flat islands with a highest point of only 2.4 meters above sea level, so it is at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels caused by global warming. Much more urgent is the difficulty the Maldives has in securing water resources. As a social infrastructure service business, Hitachi has already deployed a symbiotic, autonomic water business based on deep-sea water. Current projects include improving facility management efficiency through AQUAMAP Hydrographic Services and improving monitoring efficiency through Island SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) construction. We are also constructing a deep-sea-water and sea-water conversion plant. We have water and sewage facilities under construction and we are participating in facility operations. We are also providing facilities for water intake, seawater conversion, and sewage treatment.
Mobility Business
Big Data Analysis Service
As the automotive market in developed countries becomes saturated, auto manufacturers are extending their sales channels to developing countries. These emerging economies can have harsh business environments. For example, in many of the markets, the majority of sales are low-profit, low-priced small cars. As a result of these conditions, auto manufacturers are exploring new ideas and have begun to collaborate with different industries and enter related markets. These new ideas include services supported by partnerships with insurance companies, and car sharing designed to re-stimulate interest in cars among people who do not have cars. On the positive side, strong social demand for reducing the car’s load on the environment increases the market share of electric vehicles and hybrid cars.
Hitachi coordinates partnerships and links data among industries, and provides services that create new value (see Figure 4). For these innovations, Hitachi accumulates and uses data generated by vehicles, such as vehicle diagnos-tics, vehicle usage, user behavior and schedules, and vehicle position. Hitachi derives value from this data by linking it to a wider range of data, forming a pool of big data, then developing information for use by the partnerships to develop and operate useful services.
Cloud Services
In addition to big data analysis, Hitachi provides highly reliable cloud services and data centers together with network products that allow rapid data exchange among them. By applying this infrastructure expertise to our expertise in diverse industries — we also build automotive electrical systems — we can turn the car data owned by auto manu-facturers into cloud services that can be applied to still other services.
Hitachi is establishing a business model that supports customers’ core businesses with cloud and big data analysis services, and outsources noncore businesses that build mutually rewarding relationships. By coordinating partner-ships among industries, we create new value.
Healthcare Business
Service Model: Providing Total Healthcare Solutions
It’s no secret that medical costs are increasing globally. They account for 17% of the GDP in the U.S., and 10% in other developed countries. Reduction of medical costs is a big challenge for developed countries experiencing finan-cial problems. In addition to these costs, other problems include health disparities between the rich and poor and among regions, an uneven distribution of doctors, and an aging population around the world. To achieve a sound society where most people enjoy healthy lives, we should advance medical technologies. Now is also the time to think about which medical costs are necessary and how to make healthcare decisions as effective as possible. To help solve some of these medical issues, Hitachi uses a wide range of medical technologies, ranging from hard-ware and softhard-ware to complete systems. We have medical equipment, such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as radiation measuring equipment, and clinical laboratory and analy-sis equipment. We also have medical information systems such as electronic health records and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), and security technologies, such as encryption and privacy protection. We provide them as a total solution. In addition to systems, we openly connect and circulate people, things, money and informa-tion to contribute to collaborainforma-tion, communicainforma-tion, the use of knowledge and resources, quality of life improvement, and regional economic growth (see Figure 5).
By managing and consolidating sensitive medical information efficiently and securely, Hitachi provides an environment in which extremely varied data (big data) can be used for preventive care and drug development. The data can also help to achieve a society in which more people enjoy healthy lives.
Smart City Business
A smart city is an environmentally friendly city that takes advantage of IT to efficiently use energy and other resources. It employs comprehensive measures for solving global environmental issues such as global warming and rapidly dwindling natural resources caused by a growing population, along with issues associated with rapid urbanization. Hitachi will establish sustainable, growing, next-generation smart cities that reduce the load on the environment and ensure security, safety and comfort for their residents. In addition to improving energy efficiency, we focus on satisfy-ing the needs and values of people livsatisfy-ing in the city, strivsatisfy-ing for a good relationship between people and the earth. We do this by connecting social infrastructure, people’s lives, and community services with an urban management infrastructure that is built around a system of information control and integration (see Figure 6).
Hitachi is promoting 3 efforts to establish smart cities:
■
■ Packaging Japan’s advanced infrastructure (as depicted in the case study below). ■
■ Participating in the project from the planning stage as a business entity, through public and private cooperation. ■
■ Developing relevant and innovative technologies and systems.
Hitachi is assembling these efforts into a business model and will consider deploying the business globally.
Smart City Business: Case Study
As a city that creates a vision of the future, Kashiwanoha Campus City will become a safe, secure and sustainable smart city in harmony with the natural environment. The city will have a healthy population with a long life expectancy, and it will create new industries.
Hitachi supports the city by building and providing an integrated IT platform to implement the information control and integration environment for area energy management and electronic vehicle systems (see Figure 7). In this manner, we support the smart, integrated management of all urban infrastructures that have traditionally been managed separately.
The smart city project is a joint venture of leading environmentally related companies, and it uses the various technol-ogies and expertise of Hitachi and other participant companies. By integrating such technoltechnol-ogies and expertise, we will establish a smart city model on Japan’s Kashiwanoha Campus City. We will demonstrate and promote it globally as a defacto standard.
Figure 7. Integrated IT Platform Acts as the “Operating System” of Area Management
Smart City Business: Global Initiative Projects
To achieve the smart city business ideas described above, Hitachi is now participating in various advanced projects all over the world (see Figure 8). This participation not only demonstrates our current technologies and develops expertise, new technologies, and a proven track record, but it also promotes urban development.
Figure 8. Participating in and Promoting Global Initiative Projects
Summary: Hitachi Works to Achieve a Sustainable Society
Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service offered or to be offered by Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
