*This is a machine-translated text of the original article.

It was announced that Yahoo Japan Corporation’s “Yahoo! Transfer Guidance” (Android and iOS versions), a transfer search app, has started offering a “station congestion prediction function” that displays a predicted congestion condition in three stages in real time when stations become congested or entrance restrictions due to driving postponements, stormy weather, events, etc.

*Yahoo!Transfer app adds new function: forecast of crowded time at train stations.

The station congestion prediction function compares the number normally searched in the app with the number searched in the day in units of 10 minutes, and detects that station as a congestion when the number of searches in the day becomes obviously larger than the number of searches in the ordinary day.

It also detects postings on the SNS relating to station entry restrictions and combines them with the number of searches to improve prediction accuracy.

Based on these detection results, the route search results screen displays three levels of “slightly more congested than usual,” “considerably more congested than usual,” and “possibility of entrance restrictions.”

In addition, by transitioning from the “tweet about this station” button, it is possible to check the congestion situation of stations posted on the SNS.

The company said it plans to add a push notification function in the future.

In February 2018, Yahoo! Transfer Guidance App released an “abnormal congestion forecast” to predict congestion due to events such as sporting events and concerts to be held in the future on 74 routes centered on the Tokyo metropolitan area.

In addition to restrictions on entrance due to train malfunctions, personal injury, and rough weather, it also aims to avoid congestion at stations around the stadium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games held this year.

Original Text: https://ampmedia.jp/2020/03/06/yahoo-23/