Ohdako Inc. Launches "Midokore" App to Transform Local Greenery into Community Tools

Ohdako Inc. is launching the smartphone application "Takashimadaira Greenery: Midori Collection" (abbreviated as "Midokore") in the Takashimadaira Green Space, Itabashi Ward, as an initiative to utilize the familiar local greenery as a resident participation-based community tool, in cooperation with Chiba Institute of Technology (Chairman: Osamu Setokuma).

"Midokore" is an app that allows users to create their own plant collection by "discovering, photographing, and collecting" wild plants and vegetation within the green space. It aims not merely to provide plant information, but to create small discoveries within daily walks and facility usage, fostering conversation among residents and attachment to the community.

Transforming Greenery from "Managed Objects" to "Community Assets"

Historically, plantings and green spaces in parks, housing complexes, condominiums, and gardens have been developed and managed as assets for landscape and environmental conservation. However, for daily users, they often become mere "passing scenery," or situations where they wish to know more but cannot.

Through its involvement in condominium planting management, park and green space operations, and community hub creation, Ohdako has believed that greenery possesses the power not only for landscape value but also to foster resident conversation, participation, learning, and attachment.

This "Midokore" is an initiative to materialize such ideas. By experientializing the "joy of discovery" and "realizations that make you want to talk to someone," rather than just "learning about plants as knowledge," it transforms local greenery into a catalyst for communication and an entryway to community formation.

A New Way to Use Greenery, Starting with Takashimadaira Green Space

The Takashimadaira Green Space is a valuable green space for the community, and also a green space close to daily life, used for commuting, school, and walks.

This initiative aims to transform the "green space you pass through" into a "place you want to walk in, a place you want to stay, a place you want to continue engaging with" by combining digital experiences through the app with the creation of real-world venues such as observation sessions and workshops.

Main Features of "Midokore"

Experience of "Discovering and Collecting" Familiar Plants Users can create their own collection by searching for plants while walking in the green space and taking photos.

Generate Your Own Plant Encyclopedia Photographed plants are recorded within the app and accumulated as a history of discoveries for each user.

Mechanism for Growth Through User Participation If a plant not registered in the app is discovered, it may be added to the collection in future updates through user submissions.

Creating Opportunities for Conversation and Interaction By sharing their collections, users are encouraged to communicate with other visitors and foster new connections.

Future Development

Ohdako will proceed with improving app functions and expanding content based on usage data and participant feedback obtained through operations at Takashimadaira Green Space.

Furthermore, Ohdako is considering expanding to other areas and facilities, utilizing greenery not only in parks and green spaces but also in housing complexes, condominiums, gardens, public facilities, and commercial facilities where people visit daily, as a mechanism to generate interaction among users and community participation.

Ohdako will also advance collaborations with municipalities, real estate developers, and facility operators who wish to utilize the greenery in their facilities not merely as objects of maintenance but as assets for creating touchpoints with users and enhancing community value.

Development Structure

The development of this application was conducted through a joint research project between Ohdako Inc. and the STEA Lab at Chiba Institute of Technology (Director: Shoichi Takeuchi, Center for Artificial Intelligence and Software Technology Research). STEA Lab has a track record of developing nature observation-based collection apps, including:

"Jindai Rose Collection" at Jindai Botanical Gardens

"Old Furukawa Rose Collection" at the Old Furukawa Garden

"Makino 100 Collection" at Makino Botanical Garden, Kochi Prefecture

Leveraging this expertise, the app has been designed to be suitable for the environmental characteristics of the Takashimadaira Green Space.

Inquiries Regarding Collaboration and Implementation

Ohdako is accepting consultations from municipalities, real estate developers, and facility operators interested in adding value to greenery in parks, housing complexes, condominiums, gardens, etc., fostering resident participation-based community formation, and promoting facility usage through "Midokore."

Download

iOS Version

https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/%E3%81%BF%E3%81%A9%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AC/id6760971917

Android Version

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.ac.it_chiba.hanacollection_TDG&pcampaignid=web_share

Contact Information: Ohdako Inc. Contact: Keisuke Yoshida [email protected]

070-9325-5553