An ESG metaverse company engaged in a new business domain by providing digital map contents based on its proprietary map-creating technologies, and by combining big data such as location information and people flow data with state-of-the-art technologies, GeoTechnologies, Inc. (headquartered in Bunkyo District, Tokyo, President & CEO Hiroshige Sugihara), is pleased to announce that on May 31, it entered a strategic partnership with X-Locations Inc. (headquartered in Shibuya District, Tokyo, Representative Director Kazusuke Obi) through a capital and operational partnership agreement aiming to develop location-tech-related businesses. X-Locations is a company providing internally developed location information big data analysis engine “Location Engine™,” and a cloud platform based on its features “Location AI Platform® (“LAP”).”

Instantly accessible map information has become essential in people’s lives, as car navigation and smartphone map apps have become readily available. As a result, services based on location information from mobile phones have spread, becoming increasingly more convenient, used in more diverse ways. At the same time, people flow data is beginning to be used in many scenes, such as for marketing, store development, public services, transport, and disaster prevention, as people’s movement in the real world can be visualized with such data.

The new technology that integrates and analyzes these new “digital map data and location information data” with technologies such as AI, will go along with our Geo-Prediction strategy to bring a more predictable world by combining diverse and large amounts of big data we GeoTechnologies provide, with state-of-the-art technologies.

This time, GeoTechnologies will enter a capital and operational partnership with X-Locations by obtaining part of the new shares issued by X-Locations. X-Locations will improve the accuracy of its app by using GeoTechnologies’ diverse and large amounts of big data, such as location information and people flow data, and up-to-date, high-definition, high-quality maps. GeoTechnologies will improve the value of its big data by using the advanced big-data-processing technologies and AI technologies of X-Locations’ main product Location AI Platform®. This will enable both parties to mutually further advance their products and services.

These will strengthen our Geo-Prediction features, and location information and solutions based on people flow data that we provide to companies, which will result in not just developing both parties’ businesses, but in solving diverse social issues as an ESG Metaverse Company.

I am very pleased with this capital and operational partnership. I am convinced that X-Locations’ “Location Tech”, the advanced big-data processing technologies and AI technologies, will be able to provide solutions for social issues such a regional revitalization, decarbonization, and declining birthrate and aging society by taking advantage of our map, location information, and people flow data.

Through this partnership, and with our corporate philosophy that stipulates that “We tackle environmental and social challenges with the power of technology for all living things, for a sustainable society, and the joy of people”, we will promote the utilization of big data of people flow and location information.

Having GeoTechnologies take on our new shares at this timing, and being able to bring about the joint business that will connect our mutual resources on a deep level, will be an opportunity to provide people flow data, which is the “data on people’s movement in the real world that was not visible before” that became more widely recognized by COVID-19 pandemic, to an even wider economic, social, and lifestyle domains.
We are committed to further develop technologies and products so that our technologies and products will be useful in various fields, such as effective use of resources, environmental conservation, and creation of new business opportunities.

I would like to convey my deep gratitude to President Sugihara and the management of GeoTechnologies for having decided to enter the strategic partnership with us.