January 2011 Vol. 9 No. 1

View from the Top

• Noritaka Uji, NTT Representative Director and Senior Executive Vice President

  

  No Longer Just a Japanese Telecom Operator––Becoming a Global ICT Service Company

  Overview
  For our opening interview of 2011, we had the pleasure of talking again with Noritaka Uji, NTT Representative Director and Senior Executive Vice President, who has been a great promoter of service creation in the NTT Group. We asked him about NTT's global expansion, which has already begun, and this year's strategy for the NTT Group, which supports the development of a ubiquitous broadband society.

Feature Articles: Platform Technologies for Services that Utilize Lifelogs

• Trends in Lifelog Applications and Progress at NTT R&D

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we describe our view of the advantages of lifelogs and survey current services that utilize lifelogs. We also outline research and development (R&D) efforts in lifelog technologies at NTT Laboratories by introducing the other six feature articles in this issue in terms of lifelog processing steps.

• Personal Computer Operation History Data Collection System—Memory Retriever

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we introduce our system called Memory Retriever, which automatically collects the history of a user’s operations on a personal computer and explain its functionalities.

• Lifelog Remote Control for Collecting Operation Logs Needed for Lifelog-based Services

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we describe our concept of using personal remote controls to collect data for subsequent utilization and the remote control’s user interface design, focusing on the technology that makes it possible, for the first time, to collect truly useful lifelogs.

• Data Stream Management Technology for Accumulating and Processing Lifelogs

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we describe our data stream managing and processing technology, which accumulates and manages streaming log data sent from sensing devices and personal cellular phones and processes it nearly in real time. We also introduce the architecture of our Lifelog Management System (LLMS), which provides the technologies needed to support lifelog-based services.

• Social Science Research Approach for Lifelog Utilization

  

  Abstract
  This article describes privacy issues related to the use of lifelogs. After mentioning legal systems for privacy, it introduces privacy preserving data utilization technologies. It also describes research trends for major techniques such as data anonymization and secure function evaluation. Some important aspects of lifelog utilization are cooperation among service design, legal system preparation, and privacy preserving data utilization technologies.

• Restaurant Recommendation Service Using Lifelogs

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces a service that presents information about restaurants according to time, place, and occasion by using user preferences and behavior history. To make this service a reality, we have developed a variety of technologies, including technology for automatically obtaining user preferences from a record of terminal operations, GPS-based technology for automatically determining who, if anyone, is accompanying the user, and technology for automatically predicting the user’s destination from his or her behavior history (GPS: global positioning system). We describe the construction of a restaurant recommendation system for smartphones equipped with these lifelog processing technologies and present the results of field experiments targeting general users.

• Prospects for Using Lifelogs in the Medical Field

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we introduce studies being conducted in cooperation with Kyoto University Hospital in relation to new medical and healthcare services that make use of various lifelogs in every-day life as well as medical information obtained within medical facilities.

Regular Articles

• Complex Data Analysis Using Mixture Models

  

  Abstract
  In this article, I discuss mixture models, which are very popular for the analysis of complex data. A mixture model represents the given data as a mixture of K components, each of which has different characteristics. First, I explain a standard mixture model, which requires K to be specified. Then, I introduce a nonparametric Bayes-extended mixture model that avoids this shortcoming and describe its effectiveness, which was briefly assessed in a small simulation experiment. Finally, I present an application of the mixture model for understanding movie scenes.

Global Standardization Activities

• Standardization Trends for Optical Transport Network Technologies in ITU-T

  

  Abstract
  In this article, we explain recent standardization trends in ITU-T SG15 WP2 (International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Standardization Sector; Study Group 15; Working Party 2) for optical transport network technologies such as optical transmission and optical fibers and cables to support the increase in data traffic resulting from new services using the optical broadband network and the evolution of high-speed Ethernet.

Information

• The Green Vision 2020––The New Vision for Environmental Protection Pursued by the NTT Group

  

  Abstract
  Under the NTT Group Global Environment Charter, we have been pursuing conservation of the global environment and will be achieving all the targets we promised by the end of 2010 in the three important issues, namely, global warming prevention, reduction of waste, and reduction of paper consumption. Now, we have established the new Green Vision 2020 that includes "conservation of biodiversity" in addition to the basic policy of the NTT Group Global Environment Charter. From now on, all members of the NTT group will make concerted efforts together to achieve The Green Vision 2020.
  * The details of The Green Vision 2020 will appear as Feature Articles 2 in the April 2011 issue of the NTT Technical Review.

External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings

• External Awards/Papers Published in Technical Journals and Conference Proceedings