Information providing method and information providing server

Abstract

An information providing method that provides information indicating a distribution of addresses of individuals, and includes: pre-storing, as a database, information from which addresses can be recognized at least partially, in association with predetermined attributes for a plurality of individuals (step S112); extracting an individual having a predetermined attribute satisfying a predetermined condition from the database (step S122); creating information indicating a distribution of addresses of the extracted individuals (steps S123 and S124); and providing the created information indicating the distribution to the user (step S125). During creation of the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in a manner that prevents identification of an individual address. Accordingly, the identification of the personal address can be prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information providing method and an information providing server, and in particular, to an information providing method and an information providing server that provide information indicating the distribution of addresses of individuals. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, on a map displayed on a screen, symbol images may be displayed at locations of facilities such as stores, and symbol images indicating a collective display may be displayed where facilities are densely packed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-173154). Summary of the invention

[0003] A method of displaying information on a map, such as the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-173154, can be applied to display the addresses of individuals. When a single symbol image is displayed at a location where individuals of interest are densely packed, it is not easy to identify the address of each of these dense individuals. On the other hand, when a single symbol image is displayed at a location where individuals of interest are not densely packed (for example, at a location where one person or one family is located), the addresses of these individuals may be known to other people viewing the screen. Therefore, when information related to an individual's address is displayed on a map, there is a risk that the individual's address may be identified.

[0004] The present disclosure provides an information providing method and an information providing server capable of preventing an individual's address from being identified.

[0005] According to the information providing method of the present disclosure, information indicating the distribution of addresses of individuals is provided, and includes: for a plurality of individuals, pre-storing information from which addresses can be at least partially identified in association with predetermined attributes as a database; extracting individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions from the database; creating information indicating the distribution of addresses of the extracted individuals; and providing the created information indicating the distribution to a user. In the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in a manner that prevents the addresses of individuals from being identified.

[0006] According to such a configuration, from a database in which information from which addresses can be at least partially identified is pre-stored in association with predetermined attributes for a plurality of individuals, individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions are extracted; information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in a manner to prevent the addresses of the extracted individuals from being identified; and the created information indicating the distribution is provided to a user. As a result, an information providing method capable of preventing the addresses of individuals from being identified can be provided.

[0007] In creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution may be created by excluding clusters including a predetermined number of individuals or less among the address clusters.

[0008] According to such a configuration, even when an address cluster contains a predetermined number or less of individuals, it is possible to prevent the addresses of individuals from being identified.

[0009] The information indicating the distribution may be an image, and in the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution may be created so that the position of the image indicating the summary information of each address cluster does not overlap with the position of the address of the individual included in the cluster.

[0010] According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the address of an individual from being recognized by the position of the image indicating the summary information of each address cluster.

[0011] In the process of creating information indicating distribution, the information indicating distribution can be created by: when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family residence, these individuals are regarded as one person, and when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family residence, these individuals are regarded as several individuals with the same address.

[0012] According to such a configuration, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family residence, these individuals are likely to belong to the same family, so these individuals are regarded as one family (one person) rather than multiple different people, thereby allowing information indicating distribution to be created in a manner that prevents the address of the family from being identified. In addition, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family residence, the number of these individuals can be accurately counted.

[0013] The information indicating the distribution may be an image indicating the distribution. The information indicating the distribution may be a list indicating the distribution.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an information providing server provides information indicating the distribution of addresses of individuals. The information providing server includes: a storage unit that stores information from which addresses can be at least partially identified in association with predetermined attributes for a plurality of individuals in advance as a database; and a processor. The processor extracts individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions from the database; creates information indicating the distribution of each address cluster of the extracted individuals in a manner that prevents the addresses of the individuals from being identified, and provides the created information indicating the distribution to a user.

[0015] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an information providing server capable of preventing an individual's address from being identified.

[0016] The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the configuration of the information providing system according to the present embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 : is a flowchart showing the personal distribution presentation process executed by the server of the information providing system in this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary personal information database in the present embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4 is a first diagram showing an exemplary transition of an image presented on the display of the output unit of the terminal device in the present embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 is a second diagram showing an exemplary transition of an image presented on the display of the output unit of the terminal device in the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the configuration of the information providing system 1 according to the present embodiment. Figure 1 The information providing system 1 includes a server 100 and terminal devices 500A to 500C (hereinafter, representatively referred to as "terminal devices 500") of a plurality of users. The server 100 and the terminal devices 500 can communicate with each other via a communication network 900. The communication network 900 includes a private network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and a public network such as the Internet, a public circuit, or a public wireless LAN.

[0024] The server 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 120, a storage device 150, and a communication unit 190. The CPU 110, the memory 120, the storage device 150, and the communication unit 190 are connected to each other via a bus 180.

[0025] The memory 120 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area required for the CPU 110 to execute a program and a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing a program to be executed by the CPU 110. In addition, a program and data for executing a predetermined process are read from the ROM or the like and stored in the RAM.

[0026] The storage device 150 is implemented by a hard disk drive, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) drive, or a memory card reader / writer, etc. The storage device 150 magnetically, optically, or electrically records predetermined data or programs received from the CPU 110 on a recording medium 151, and reads data or programs from the recording medium 151 and provides them to the CPU 110. Examples of the recording medium 151 include magnetic disks such as hard disks, optical disks such as DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), memory cards, and USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories.

[0027] The communication unit 190 transmits and receives data to and from an external device (e.g., the terminal device 500) via the communication network 900. The communication unit 190 transmits data received from a device such as the CPU 110 connected to the bus 180 to the outside, and provides data received from the outside to a device such as the CPU 110 connected to the bus 180.

[0028] The CPU 110 controls the memory 120, the communication unit 190, and the storage device 150, performs predetermined processing according to the program and data stored in the memory 120, processes the data received from the communication unit 190 and the storage device 150, and causes the processed data to be stored in the memory 120, output from the communication unit 190 to other devices, and stored in the recording medium 151 of the storage device 150.

[0029] Although the server 100 does not include an operation unit and a display unit in the present embodiment, the server 100 is not limited thereto, and it may be configured to include an operation unit and a display unit. The operation unit may include a keyboard and a mouse, and an operation signal indicating the operation content input to the server 100 by operating the keyboard and the mouse of the operation unit may be provided to the CPU 110. The display unit may include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, the LCD may display an image corresponding to the image data received from the CPU 110.

[0030] The terminal device 500 includes a CPU 510, a memory 520, an operation unit 530, an output unit 540, an external storage device 550, and a wireless communication unit 590. The CPU 510, the memory 520, the operation unit 530, the output unit 540, the external storage device 550, and the wireless communication unit 590 are connected to each other via a bus 580. Since the CPU 510 and the memory 520 are the same as the CPU 110 and the memory 120 of the server 100, the same description will not be repeated.

[0031] The external storage device 550 is implemented by a memory card reader / writer. The external storage device 550 electrically records predetermined data or programs received from the CPU 510 on a recording medium 551 such as a memory card or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and reads data or programs from the recording medium 551 and provides them to the CPU 510. The external storage device 550 can be implemented by a storage device such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, an MO (Magneto-Optical disk) drive, a CD (Compact Disc) drive, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) drive.

[0032] The operation unit 530 includes a touch panel and operation buttons for inputting numbers, letters and other characters such as telephone numbers and various data. The operation unit 530 may include a portion for other operations. The operation unit 530 is operated by the user so that an operation signal corresponding to the operation is transmitted from the operation unit 530 to the CPU 510. The CPU 510 controls each unit of the terminal device 500 in response to the operation signal from the operation unit 530.

[0033] The wireless communication unit 590 is controlled by the CPU 510 to receive wireless signals from other terminal devices 500 or a landline telephone making a call via a common circuit and an antenna, convert the received wireless signals into audio signals, and transmit the converted audio signals to the audio input / output unit, and convert the audio signals from the audio input / output unit into wireless signals, and transmit the wireless signals to other terminal devices 500 or a landline telephone making a call via an antenna and the communication facilities of a telecommunications operator.

[0034] The wireless communication unit 590 is also controlled by the CPU 510 to receive wireless signals from a device capable of data communication (such as a server 100 or other terminal device 500) via a common circuit and an antenna, convert the received wireless signals into data and store them in the memory 520 or transmit the converted data to the output unit 540 to display the data, and convert the data to be transmitted into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals to the server 100 or other terminal device 500 to which the data is to be communicated via an antenna and the communication facilities of a telecommunications operator.

[0035] The wireless communication unit 590 is also controlled by the CPU 510 to exchange data with other devices capable of network communication (eg, the server 100 and other terminal devices 500 ) via a public wireless LAN or a private network wireless LAN.

[0036] The output unit 540 includes a display and a speaker. The output unit 540 is controlled by the CPU 510 to display the image signal on the display as an image and output the audio signal from the speaker as sound. The image signal and the audio signal are obtained by the CPU 510 converting the information received by the wireless communication unit 590, the information stored in the memory 520, or the information read from the recording medium 551 in the external storage device 550.

[0037] Although the terminal device 500 has been described as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, the terminal device 500 is not limited thereto and may be other information processing devices such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a tablet computer.

[0038] Conventionally, on a map presented on the display of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500 , a symbol image may be displayed at the location of a facility such as a store, and a symbol image indicating a collective display may also be displayed where facilities are densely packed.

[0039] This method of displaying information on a map can be applied to displaying an individual's address. When a single symbol image is displayed at a location where individuals of interest are densely packed, it is not easy to identify the address of each of these dense individuals. On the other hand, when a single symbol image is displayed at a location where individuals of interest are not densely packed (for example, at a location where one person or one family is located), the addresses of these individuals may be known to other people viewing the screen. Therefore, when information related to an individual's address is displayed on a map, there is a risk that the individual's address may be identified.

[0040] Therefore, the information providing method may include: pre-storing information from which addresses can be at least partially identified as a database in association with predetermined attributes for a plurality of individuals; extracting individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions from the database; creating information indicating the distribution of addresses of the extracted individuals; and providing the created information indicating the distribution to a user. In the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution of each address cluster may be created in a manner that prevents the addresses of individuals from being identified.

[0041] Accordingly, from a database in which information from which addresses can be at least partially identified is pre-stored in association with predetermined attributes for a plurality of individuals, individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions are extracted; information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in such a manner as to prevent the addresses of the extracted individuals from being identified; and the created information indicating the distribution is provided to a user. As a result, the addresses of the individuals can be prevented from being identified.

[0042] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart showing the personal distribution presentation process executed by the server 100 of the information providing system 1 in this embodiment. Figure 2 , the personal distribution presentation process is called from a higher-level process and executed by the CPU 110 of the server 100.

[0043] The CPU 110 determines whether personal information has been received from an employee or an individual of an operator, which is a legal entity operating the information providing system 1, via the communication unit 190 (step S111). The personal information includes the residence of the individual and the attributes of the individual. When it is determined that the personal information has been received (yes in step S111), the received personal information is added to and stored in the database stored in the storage device 150 of the server 100.

[0044] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary personal information database in this embodiment. Figure 3 , the database stored in the storage device 150 of the server 100 stores information related to the residence of the individual and information related to the attributes of the individual in association with each other. Although the information related to the residence of the individual used herein includes the postal code and the address, other information related to the residence of the individual may also be included in addition or in lieu thereof. Although the information related to the attributes of the individual includes the name, age, gender, family structure, information indicating whether the individual owns a car, information indicating whether the individual has a driver's license, and average annual income, other information related to the attributes of the individual may also be included in addition or in lieu thereof.

[0045] Figure 45 is a first diagram showing an exemplary transition of an image presented on the display 541 of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500 in this embodiment. Figure 4 The personal distribution presentation application is an application provided by the operator of the information providing system 1 and is installed and used in the terminal device 500 of the requester to provide the distribution of residences of individuals who meet the conditions of predetermined personal attributes from the operator of the information providing system 1 to the requester.

[0046] When the personal distribution presentation application is started in the terminal device 500 to perform an operation for starting a distribution search, the personal distribution presentation application is presented on the display 541 of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500. Figure 4 The screen shown in (A). Figure 4 The screen shown in (A) includes: characters "Personal distribution presentation application" as the name of the present application; text prompting to select a condition of personal attributes and press a search button; selection buttons 5411A to 5411J for selecting personal attributes; and a search button 5412. Figure 4 Other information may additionally or alternatively be included in the screen shown in (A).

[0047] When, for example, Figure 4 On the screen shown in (A), when the "age" selection button 5411A is pressed, the display 541 of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500 appears. Figure 4 The screen shown in (B). Figure 4 The screen shown in (B) includes: characters "age selection screen" as the name of this screen; a plurality of radio buttons 5421 for selecting a desired option from among the options of the condition of the age of the individual for which distribution is desired to be searched; and an OK button 5422 for confirming the selection. For example, Figure 4 As shown in (B), by pressing the radio button 5421 corresponding to the "20 to 29 years old" option and the "30 to 39 years old" option, these options will change from a non-selected state (white circle state in the figure) to a selected state (black circle state in the white circle in the figure). Pressing the OK button 5422 in this state will confirm the conditions for selecting the "20 to 29 years old" option and the "30 to 39 years old" option.

[0048] When, for example, Figure 4 On the screen shown in (A), when the "target name" selection button 5411J is pressed, a target name is displayed on the display 541 of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500. Figure 4(C) The screen shown in the figure. The target name is a name indicating a target including a combination of multiple types of individual attributes. For example, "young family" is a name of a target that is a young generation (e.g., 20 to 29 years old) and has family members such as a spouse and children. "Mature couple" is a name of a target that indicates an older generation (e.g., over 60 years old) and consists of only a spouse.

[0049] Figure 4 The screen shown in (C) includes: characters "target name selection screen" as the name of this screen; a plurality of radio buttons 5421 for selecting a desired option from among the options of conditions for which a distributed personal target name is desired to be searched; and an OK button 5422 for confirming the selection. For example, Figure 4 As shown in (C), by pressing the radio button 5421 corresponding to the "young family" option, the option changes from a non-selected state (white circle state in the figure) to a selected state (black circle state in the white circle in the figure). Pressing the OK button 5422 in this state confirms the condition of selecting the "young family" option.

[0050] In already Figure 4 (B) and Figure 4 After confirming the selection of the personal attribute conditions on the screen shown in (C), return to Figure 4 The screen shown in (A). Figure 4 On the screen of (A), after the condition of any personal information has been confirmed, the selection button corresponding to the personal attribute for which the condition has been confirmed (in this example, selection buttons 5411A and 5411J) is displayed in a manner different from the selection buttons for other personal attributes for which the condition has not been confirmed (in this example, with diagonal lines).

[0051] exist Figure 4 On the screen shown in (A), the "social group" of the selection button 5411D refers to the social group to which the individual belongs. As an option of the condition, the social group includes groups in which regularity and persistence are observed in human interactions and mutual relations, for example: company employees (a group whose occupation is company employees), farmers (a group whose occupation is agriculture). The "degree of urbanization" of the selection button 5411G refers to the degree of regional urbanization of the place of residence, for example, indicated by the level of population density. The "degree of wealth" refers to the degree of wealth of the family, for example, indicated by the level of family income.

[0052] When Figure 4When confirming the condition of the personal attribute for which the search is desired to be performed on the screen of (A), the requester presses the search button 5412. When the search button 5412 is pressed in the terminal device 500, the CPU 510 executing the personal distribution presentation application controls the wireless communication unit 590 to transmit the confirmed condition of the personal attribute for distribution search to the server 100 via the communication network 900.

[0053] Back to Figure 2 , when it is determined that no personal information has been received in the server 100 (No in step S111), and after step S112, the CPU 110 determines whether personal attribute conditions for distributed search have been received from the requester's terminal device 500 at the communication unit 190 via the communication network 900 (step S121).

[0054] When determining that the personal attribute condition has been accepted (YES in step S121), the CPU 110 Figure 3 In the database shown in , individuals matching the accepted personal attribute conditions are extracted (step S122). When the accepted personal attribute conditions include the condition of being 40 to 49 years old and the condition of the individual owning a car, for example, an individual with the name A matching these personal attribute conditions is extracted.

[0055] Then, the CPU 110 reads the residence of the extracted individual (step S123). For example, the postal code and address of the individual named A are read.

[0056] The CPU 110 creates a map showing the distribution of each cluster of the read residence in a manner that prevents the address of the individual from being recognized (step S124). The CPU 110 controls the communication unit 190 to transmit the created map to the terminal device 500 of the requester via the communication network 900 (step S125). When it is determined that the personal attribute condition is not accepted (No in step S121), and after step S125, the CPU 110 returns the processing to be executed to the higher-level processing that called the personal distribution presentation processing.

[0057] Figure 5 5 is a second diagram showing an exemplary transition of an image presented on the display 541 of the output unit 540 of the terminal device 500 in this embodiment. Figure 5 In the terminal device 500, when the created map is received from the server 100 by the wireless communication unit 590 via the communication network 900, the CPU 510 controls the display 541 of the output unit 540 to display the received map on the Figure 5 The screen shown in (A).

[0058] Figure 5The screen shown in (A) includes: characters "Search Results" as the screen name; an image 5431 displaying the received map; a zoom-in button 5433 for zooming in the map; a zoom-out button 5434 for zooming out the map; and move buttons 5435 to 5438 for moving the map up, left, right and down, respectively.

[0059] Figure 5 Image 5431 in (A) shows the distribution of individuals in each residence cluster matching the personal attribute condition selected by the requester in the area centered on Aichi Prefecture. Figure 5 In the image 5431 of (A), the range of the cluster is, for example, a rough range determined by dividing the prefecture into several areas such as Aichi Prefecture East, Aichi Prefecture Central, and Aichi Prefecture West. In this case, each icon 5432 of the summary information of each cluster is an image containing in a circle the number of individuals who match the personal attribute conditions and belong to the cluster. For example, Figure 5 In (A), icon 5432 of summary information for each cluster indicates that 156 individuals matching the personal attribute conditions selected by the requester live in eastern Aichi Prefecture, 234 matching individuals live in central Aichi Prefecture, and 111 matching individuals live in western Aichi Prefecture.

[0060] When Figure 5 When the zoom button 5433 is pressed on the screen of (A), the image 5431 is displayed in the zoom mode. When this zoom display is repeated several times, the image 5431 is displayed in the maximum zoom mode, such as Figure 5 (B) is indicated by the screen shown. Figure 5 In the image 5431 of (B), the range of the cluster is the area surrounded by roads. Figure 5 In (B), icons 5432 of summary information for each cluster indicate that 2, 6, 4, 5, 3, 6, 7, and 9 individuals matching the personal attribute criteria selected by the requester reside in the respective cluster.

[0061] exist Figure 5 In image 5431 of (B), when icons 5432 in which the number of individuals matching the personal attribute conditions and belonging to the cluster indicated by the number of icons 5432 summarizing information is equal to or less than a predetermined number are displayed, and when the number of these individuals substantially matches the number of residences belonging to the cluster, there is a high possibility that individuals having these personal attribute conditions are identified as living in these residences. Figure 2In step S124, the map is created so that the image 5431 does not include any icon 5432 in which the number of individuals matching the personal attribute condition and belonging to the cluster is equal to or less than a predetermined number, as indicated by the number of icons 5432 summarizing information. The predetermined number may be determined in consideration of population density, building density, or urbanization.

[0062] exist Figure 5 In image 5431 of (B), when icon 5432 of summary information overlaps with the location of residence of an individual who matches the personal attribute condition and belongs to the cluster, there is a high probability that the individual is identified as living in the overlapping location. Figure 2 In step S124, the map is created so that the icon 5432 of the summary information is shifted so as not to overlap with the location of the residence of the individual who matches the personal attribute condition and belongs to the cluster, or so that the icon 5432 is displayed at a location without a building.

[0063] exist Figure 2 In step S124, a map is created by treating multiple individuals as one person when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family home, and treating multiple individuals as several individuals with the same address when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family home. Accordingly, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family home, the individuals are likely to belong to the same family, so the individuals are treated as one family (one person) rather than multiple different people, which allows the map to be created in a manner that prevents the address of the family from being identified. In addition, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family home, the number of these individuals can be accurately counted.

[0064] [Modifications]

[0065] (1) In the above embodiment, the information indicating the distribution is an image 5431 such as a map. Figure 5 However, the information indicating the distribution is not limited thereto and may be a list. The list may include information identifying clusters associated with each other and the number of individuals matching the personal attribute conditions of each cluster.

[0066] (2) In the above embodiment, the range of the cluster is approximately the range determined by dividing the county into several areas and the areas surrounded by roads, such as Figure 5 However, the range of the cluster is not limited thereto, and it may also be a range of the same postal code, a range of the same county, a range of the same city, district, town or village, a range of the same telephone number area code, or a range predetermined by the operator of the information providing system 1.

[0067] (3) In the above embodiment, in step S124, the map is created in a manner that prevents the identification of an individual's address, such as Figure 2 The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the application side of the terminal device 500 may also operate in a manner that prevents the address of an individual from being identified. For example, when the image 5431 is enlarged, the CPU 510 may control the output unit 540 to not display an icon 5432 of summary information of any cluster in which the number of individuals matching the personal attribute condition and belonging to the cluster is equal to or less than a predetermined number.

[0068] (4) In the above embodiments, the residence of an individual is identified by address, e.g. Figure 3 However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the residence of an individual may also be identified by other information, such as latitude and longitude. In this case, the range of the cluster may be determined by latitude and longitude.

[0069] (5) The above disclosure may be regarded as disclosure of the information providing system 1, the information providing server (such as the server 100) or the information processing device (such as the terminal device 500), such as Figure 1 as shown in ; can be regarded as the disclosure of the information providing method performed by the information providing server and the information processing device in the information providing system 1; can be regarded as the disclosure of the information providing program performed by the information providing server or the information processing device; and can be regarded as the disclosure of the computer-readable recording medium 151 and 551 having the information of the providing program recorded thereon, as shown in Figure 2 as shown in .

[0070] [Summarize]

[0071] (1) Figures 1 to 5 As shown in , the information providing method provides information indicating the distribution of addresses of individuals. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in , the information providing method includes: for a plurality of individuals, pre-storing information from which addresses can be at least partially identified and predetermined attributes in association with each other as a database (e.g., Figure 2 Step S112). Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown in , the information providing method includes: extracting individuals (e.g., Figure 2 Step S122); creating information indicating the distribution of the addresses of the extracted individuals (e.g., Figure 2 Steps S123 and S124); and providing the user with the created information indicating the distribution (e.g., Figure 2 Step S125). Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown in step S124 of , in the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in a manner that prevents the address of an individual from being identified.

[0072] Accordingly, from a database in which information from which addresses can be at least partially identified and predetermined attributes are pre-stored in association with each other for a plurality of individuals, individuals having predetermined attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions are extracted; information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in such a manner as to prevent the addresses of the extracted individuals from being identified; and the created information indicating the distribution is provided to a user. As a result, the addresses of the individuals can be prevented from being identified.

[0073] (2) Figure 2 As shown in step S124 of , in the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution may be created by excluding clusters including a predetermined number or less of individuals from among the address clusters.

[0074] Accordingly, even when an address cluster contains a predetermined number or less of individuals, it is possible to prevent the addresses of individuals from being identified.

[0075] (3) Figure 2 As shown in step S124, the information indicating distribution may be an image, and in the process of creating the information indicating distribution, the information indicating distribution may be created so that the position of the image indicating the summary information of each address cluster does not overlap with the position of the address of the individual contained in the cluster.

[0076] Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the address of an individual from being recognized by the position of the image indicating the summary information of each address cluster.

[0077] (4) Figure 2 As shown in step S124, in the process of creating information indicating distribution, the information indicating distribution can be created by: when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family residence, these individuals are regarded as one person, and when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family residence, these individuals are regarded as several individuals with the same address.

[0078] Accordingly, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family residence, these individuals are likely to belong to the same family, so these individuals are regarded as one family (one person) rather than multiple different people, thereby allowing information indicating distribution to be created in a manner that prevents the address of the family from being identified. In addition, when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family residence, the number of these individuals can be accurately counted.

[0079] (5) Figure 5As shown, the information indicating the distribution may be an image indicating the distribution.

[0080] (6) As described in modification (1), the information indicating the distribution may be a list indicating the distribution.

[0081] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in every aspect. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

Claims

1. An information providing method for providing information indicating the distribution of addresses of individuals, the method comprising: For a plurality of individuals, pre-storing information from which addresses can be at least partially identified and predetermined attributes in association with each other as a database; extracting from the database an individual having predetermined attributes satisfying predetermined conditions; creating information indicating a distribution of the extracted addresses of the individuals; as well as providing the created information indicative of the distribution to a user, wherein In creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution of each address cluster is created in a manner that prevents the address of the individual from being identified.

2. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein: In creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution is created by excluding clusters including a predetermined number of individuals or less among the address clusters.

3. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein The information indicative of the distribution is an image, and In creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution is created so that the position of the image indicating the summary information of each address cluster does not overlap with the position of the address of the person included in the cluster.

4. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein: In the process of creating the information indicating the distribution, the information indicating the distribution is created by: when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a single-family residence, these individuals are regarded as one person, and when multiple individuals have the same address and the house at the address is a multi-family residence, these individuals are regarded as several individuals with the same address.

5. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein: The information indicating the distribution is an image indicating the distribution.

6. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein: The information indicating the distribution is a list indicating the distribution.

7. An information providing server providing information indicating distribution of addresses of individuals, the server comprising: a storage unit that stores information from which addresses can be at least partially identified in association with predetermined attributes in advance as a database for a plurality of individuals; processor, where The processor extracting individuals having predetermined attributes satisfying predetermined conditions from the database, creating information indicating the distribution of each cluster of addresses of the individual extracted in a manner that prevents identification of the address of the individual, and The created information indicative of the distribution is provided to a user.

Images