Information processing apparatus and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus which can evaluate a relationship between a related population and a region in consideration of a substantive involvement between a user and the region.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus according to the disclosure includes: acquisition means for acquiring a residence time in a prescribed region by a user based on positional information of the user or acquiring a consumption amount consumed by the user for the prescribed region; and determination means for determining the degree of a relationship between the user and the region. The determination means determines the degree of the relationship between the user and the region with respect to the prescribed area based on a residence time for a specific use in the prescribed region within a specific period by the user or a consumption amount for a specific use with respect to the prescribed region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, remote work has become commonplace in many companies, and environments have been established for working outside the office. Due to these changes in the environment, activities in which employees working in a certain region stay in another region (such as a rural area) for a few days and work remotely (also known as workcation) are gaining attention. At the same time, it is expected that an increase in people will develop an interest in the region they are staying in as a result of their stay, and will continue to stay there, deepening their ties with the region through activities there.

[0003] The population of people who are involved in various aspects of a region is called the "related population." The term "related population" refers to people who are involved in various aspects of a region, not the "permanent population" who have immigrated, nor the "exchange population" who have come as tourists. Rural areas are facing the challenge of a shortage of people to carry out regional development due to population decline and aging, but in some regions, people who can bring about change, mainly young people, are beginning to enter the region, and it is hoped that these people from outside the region, known as the "related population," will take on the role of regional development leaders. Patent Document 1 proposes a technology to quantify the degree of interest that related population has in a region in order to evaluate related population. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7181657 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a message about a region is sent to users (users interested in a particular region) managed by a specified municipal service or regional service. Then, by analyzing the behavior of the users who received the message in response to the message (clicking on links included in the email, rating of articles posted on SNS, etc.), it is possible to measure the degree of interest of related population in the region. Although such technology can quantitatively grasp the degree of interest of users who come into contact with information, there are cases where an evaluation that takes into account a more substantial relationship between the user and the region is desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize technology that can evaluate the relationship between related population and a region, taking into account the actual relationship between the user and the region. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, for example, an information processing device of the present invention has the following configuration: That is, the information processing device has an acquisition means for acquiring a stay time of a user in a predetermined area or an amount of consumption by the user in a predetermined area based on location information of the user, and a determination means for determining a degree of a relationship between the user and an area, and the determination means determines a degree of a relationship between the user and an area based on a stay time of the user in the predetermined area for a specific purpose within a specific period of time or an amount of consumption by the user in the predetermined area for a specific purpose. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to evaluate the relationship between related population and a region by taking into account the actual relationship between the user and the region. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information providing server as an example of an information processing device according to the [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table for determining the degree of relationship between a user and a region according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] A flowchart showing a series of operations related to the information provision process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of display information for My Page according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of display information for a details screen according to the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of display information on a reward screen according to the embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of user information according to the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0011] <Regarding the degree of related population according to this embodiment> The information processing system according to this embodiment determines the degree of relationship between a user and a specific region (i.e., the degree of related population) and presents the degree of relationship to the user. That is, the related population degree in this invention means "the degree to which the related population continuously contributes to the local economy." The degree of relationship between a user and a region can be expressed, for example, by a rank (e.g., platinum, gold) as described below. In this way, by visualizing and providing the relationship between the user and a specific region in which the user is interested, the user is motivated to further improve the degree of relationship with the region.

[0012] The system also provides the user with information about rewards from local governments according to the degree of the relationship between the specific region and the user. Examples of rewards include offers such as accommodation vouchers and invitations to events in the region. The higher the user's rank (i.e., the degree of the relationship between the user and the region), the more luxurious or difficult the rewards may be to obtain or have opportunities for. This motivates the user to obtain a higher rank in a specific region (i.e., to deepen the degree of the relationship with the region).

[0013] The construction of a relationship between a user and a specific region may be initiated, for example, by an employee working in a city center staying in a rural area for a few days during a workcation. That is, a user may become interested in the region after staying there, and may deepen their relationship with the region through activities in the region by staying there repeatedly. If a user deepens their relationship with the region, it is expected that the occupancy rate of accommodation facilities and restaurants (e.g., during the off-season) will be improved and consumption by active urban consumers will be stimulated. For example, it is expected that an urban user staying at a local accommodation facility (e.g., an unused accommodation facility in a rural area) will use transportation outside the region, eat and drink at the accommodation facility, and participate in events. In this way, the system according to this embodiment provides a mechanism for connecting users with the local community, increasing the number of people related to the region, and revitalizing the region.

[0014] <Configuration of information processing system> An information processing system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information system 10 includes, for example, an information providing server 100, an external server 101, and a communication device 102. Each of these devices is connected via a network 104, and can communicate between the devices using, for example, a predetermined Internet protocol.

[0015] The communication device 102 is, for example, a portable terminal used by a user, and includes electronic devices such as a smartphone, a personal computer, and a tablet terminal.

[0016] The information providing server 100 is an example of an information processing device, and executes an information providing process described below. The information providing server 100 executes the information providing process to determine the degree of relationship between the user and a specific area, and provides information indicating the determined degree of relationship with the specific area to the communication device 102. In addition, the information providing server 100 provides a reward provided by a local government related to the specific area to the user's communication device 102 in accordance with the degree of relationship between the user and the specific area.

[0017] The services provided by executing a computer program in the information providing server 100 are managed, for example, by a service provider (also simply referred to as a relationship service provider) that provides various services based on the relationship between a user and a region. The information providing server 100 as hardware may be managed by the relationship service provider, or may be managed by another business that operates a data center or the like. The functions realized by the information providing server 100 may be realized in an edge node that may be placed between a server and a communication device. The edge node is also an example of an information processing device.

[0018] The external servers 101 are various servers operated separately by a provider or a local government other than the related service provider. The external servers 101a, 101b, ... are servers that may be operated by separate service providers. In accordance with the user's permission to use, the external servers 101a, 101b, ... provide the information providing server 100 with, for example, payment information by the user (e.g., credit card or electronic money usage history) and provide the information providing server 100 with history information on hometown tax donations by the user. When the external servers 101a, 101b, ... are not particularly distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as the external servers 101.

[0019] <Information server configuration> Next, referring to Fig. 2, a functional configuration example of the information providing server 100 as an example of an information processing device will be described. Each of the functional blocks described with reference to the figure may be integrated or separated, and the functions described may be realized by different blocks. Also, what is described as hardware may be realized by software, and vice versa. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the information providing server is a single device, but the information providing server may be configured by multiple devices, or may be configured as one or more virtual machines.

[0020] The communication unit 201 includes a communication circuit or a communication module capable of communicating with each of the external server 101 and the communication device 102 via a network.

[0021] The control unit 202 includes a processor 210 and a memory 211. The processor 210 may be composed of one or more processors. The control unit 202 controls the operation of each unit of the information providing server 100 by executing a computer program stored in the memory 211 or the storage unit 204 by the processor 210. In addition, the function of each unit included in the control unit 202 is realized, for example, by the processor 210 executing the program.

[0022] The memory 211 is a volatile storage medium such as a DRAM, and temporarily stores parameters and processing results for the control unit 202 to execute a computer program. The power supply unit 203 is a power supply for providing power for each unit of the information providing server 100 to operate.

[0023] The storage unit 204 includes a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and stores setting values ​​and computer programs required for the operation of the information providing server 100. The computer programs held in the storage unit 204 include an operating system and various applications for implementing the various functions of the information providing server 100. The storage unit 204 includes, for example, user information 220, stay time information 221, consumption amount information 222, and reward information 223.

[0024] The user information 220 includes information on users who are users of the system. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the user information 220 includes a user identifier 901, favorite setting information 902, and information 903 on the degree of relationship between the region and the user. The user identifier 901 is information for identifying a user. The favorite setting information 902 is information indicating a local government that the user has set as a favorite. The user can set multiple local governments as favorites. The information 903 on the degree of relationship between the region and the user includes information on the degree of relationship between the region and the user for each local government that has been set as a favorite. The information 903 on the degree of relationship between the region and the user is determined and set by an information provision process described later.

[0025] The staying time information 221 includes the staying time of the user in each area based on the user's location information. In the staying time information 221, for example, the staying time of the user is recorded for each area. The staying time information 221 may be, for example, the time obtained by measuring the time the user stayed in a geofence corresponding to the area. For example, when each area is associated with each municipality, the staying time information 221 may indicate the time the user stayed in each municipality. Alternatively, when the area of ​​the municipality is divided into a plurality of areas, the staying time information 221 may indicate, for example, the staying time of the user in each of a first area (center) and a second area (periphery) of the area of ​​the municipality. Note that the area of ​​the municipality can be divided in various ways, such as dividing into tourist destinations and non-tourist destinations.

[0026] The consumption amount information 222 includes the amount of consumption that the user has consumed in each region. The consumption amount information 222 includes, for example, the amount of consumption that the user has consumed in each region, and the amount of consumption by the user outside the region for goods sold or services provided by the local government corresponding to each region. In other words, the consumption amount information 222 can include the amount of consumption by the user on eating and drinking, lodging, etc. in the region when visiting the region, the amount of hometown tax donation to the region, and the amount of consumption at an antenna shop related to the region. For example, when each region is associated with each local government, the consumption amount information 222 can represent the amount of consumption that the user has consumed in each local government. Alternatively, when the area of ​​the local government is divided into multiple regions, the consumption amount information 222 may represent, for example, the amount of consumption by the user in each of the first and second regions of the area of ​​the local government.

[0027] The reward information 223 includes information on rewards provided by a local government in a specific region according to the degree of relationship between the user and the specific region. The reward information includes, for example, information on offers such as accommodation vouchers and invitations to events in the specific region.

[0028] The staying time acquisition unit 212 acquires the location information of the communication device 102 from the communication device 102 as the user's location information. In addition, the staying time acquisition unit 212 measures, for example, the time the user stays in a geofence corresponding to a region based on the acquired user's location information, and acquires the user's staying time in the region. The staying time acquisition unit 212 adds up the accumulated value of the staying time in the region already stored in the staying time information 221 and the newly acquired staying time. In this way, the staying time acquisition unit 212 can acquire the user's staying time in the region (a new accumulated value of the staying time). The staying time acquisition unit 212 can update the staying time information 221 with the accumulated value of the user's staying time in the region.

[0029] The stay time acquisition unit 212 can acquire the cumulative value of the stay time in any period (for example, by accessing the stay time information 221). For example, the stay time acquisition unit 212 can acquire the cumulative value of the stay time in the period from the beginning of the year to which the current time belongs to to the current time, or the cumulative value of the stay time in the year prior to the year to which the current time belongs (for example, the year 2022).

[0030] Furthermore, in the case where, for example, each region is associated with a local government in the stay time information 221, the stay time acquisition unit 212 can acquire the time that the user stayed in each local government. Alternatively, in the case where the area of ​​the local government is divided into a plurality of regions in the stay time information 221, the stay time acquisition unit 212 can acquire, for example, the user's stay time in each of a first region (center) and a second region (periphery) of the area of ​​the local government. As described above, the area of ​​the local government can be divided in various ways, such as dividing it into tourist destinations and non-tourist destinations, and the stay time acquisition unit 212 can acquire the user's stay time for each of the regions divided in various ways.

[0031] The consumption amount acquisition unit 213 acquires the amount of consumption that the user has consumed in the region. The consumption amount acquisition unit 213 can acquire the amount of consumption that the user has consumed in the region for eating and drinking, lodging, etc., from, for example, the external server 101a, and update the cumulative value of the consumption amount for each region in the consumption amount information 222. In addition, the consumption amount acquisition unit 213 can acquire the amount of hometown tax donations to the region and the amount of consumption at antenna shops in the region, for example, from the external server 101b or the external server 101a, and update the cumulative value of the consumption amount for each region in the consumption amount information 222. As described above with respect to the stay time acquisition unit 212, the consumption amount acquisition unit 213 can also acquire the cumulative value of the consumption amount for an arbitrary period for the amount of consumption by the user in the region, and the cumulative value of the consumption amount for each region when multiple regions are associated with a local government.

[0032] In addition to acquiring information from the external server 101, the consumption amount acquiring unit 213 can also acquire the amount of money that the user spent in a region from the communication device 102. For example, after the user stays at a hotel in a region and pays in cash, the hotel provides the user with a receipt. The communication device 102 can photograph the receipt and perform image recognition processing on the photographed image to acquire the amount of the payment, the name of the store or service provider (e.g., XX Hotel) and the time of the payment, and transmit the information to the information providing server 100. The consumption amount acquiring unit 213 can receive payment information from the communication device 102 and record the payment information as consumption amount information.

[0033] The relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of the relationship between the user and a region. Specifically, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of the relationship between the user and a region based on the user's stay time in the region within a specific period of time and the amount of consumption in the region.

[0034] The relationship degree determination unit 214 may determine the degree of the relationship between the user and the area using, for example, a table shown as an example in FIG. 4(a). That is, when the user's stay time in a certain area is 100 hours or more and the user's consumption amount in the area is 100,000 yen or more, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of the relationship between the user and the area to be silver rank. Similarly, when the user's stay time in a certain area is 150 hours or more and the user's consumption amount is 200,000 yen or more, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of the relationship to be gold rank. And, when the user's stay time in a certain area is 200 hours or more and the user's consumption amount is 300,000 yen or more, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of the relationship to be platinum rank.

[0035] In addition, the relationship degree determination unit 214 may refer to the table shown in Figure 4 (a) and determine that the relationship degree is silver rank if at least one of the user's stay in an area during a specific period of time and the amount of consumption in the area is equal to or greater than a value shown in the table (e.g., 100 hours or 100,000 yen).

[0036] The above-mentioned consumption amount may be determined for each consumption amount for a specific purpose, such as the consumption amount for lodging, the consumption amount for eating and drinking, and the consumption amount for souvenirs. The above-mentioned stay time may be determined for each stay time for a specific purpose, such as the stay time for lodging, the stay time for eating and drinking, and the stay time for shopping. In this case, for example, the relationship degree determination unit 214 may determine that the relationship degree is silver rank when at least one of the stay time for a specific purpose by the user in a region within a specific period of time and the consumption amount for a specific purpose in the region is equal to or greater than a value shown in the table (for example, 100 hours or 100,000 yen).

[0037] In addition, in the description of this embodiment, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the relationship degree between the user and a region by using the stay time in the region by the user within a specific period and the amount of consumption in the region. However, the relationship degree determination unit 214 may use other information in addition to the stay time and the amount of consumption. For example, the relationship degree determination unit 214 may further use at least one of the number of days of stay and the number of times of stay shown in FIG. 4(b) to determine the degree of relationship between the user and the region. By using the number of days of stay, the user is required to visit the region in parts (repeatedly) for a number of days or more that is set as a condition in order to improve the degree of relationship with the region. Similarly, when the number of times of stay is used, the user is required to visit the region in parts (repeatedly) for a number of times or more that is set as a condition in order to improve the degree of relationship with the region. In this way, by additionally using conditions such as the number of days of stay or the number of times of stay, it is possible to give the user a motivation to increase stays and consumption. The relationship degree determination unit 214 may determine the degree of the relationship between the user and the area by using at least one of the number of days of stay and the number of times of stay instead of the duration of stay. Also, the number of days of stay may be used instead of or in addition to the number of times of stay and the number of days of stay in FIG. 4(b).

[0038] On the other hand, instead of using a table, the relationship degree determination unit 214 may determine the degree of relationship between a user and a region by using a function with input parameters being the user's stay time in the region during a specific period and the amount of consumption in the region. For example, the function f(x, y)=ax+by may be used, where x is the user's stay time in the region and y is the amount of consumption in the region, coefficients a and b are appropriately determined, and a rank may be determined according to the value of f(x, y). Of course, the function is not limited to this example, and a higher-order function or a nonlinear function may be used.

[0039] Furthermore, as described above, when the multiple regions correspond to a local government, the relationship degree determination unit 214 can consider the stay time and the consumption amount in each of the multiple regions. For example, the relationship degree determination unit 214 applies different weighting to at least one of the stay time in each region and the consumption amount for each region for a first region and a second region among the multiple regions, and determines the degree of the relationship between the user and the region (local government). In this way, for example, if the weighting of the center is high in the first region (center) and the second region (periphery) of the area of ​​the local government, a higher rank is given to a user who has a longer stay time and / or consumption amount in the center. In other words, it is possible to motivate the user to stay in the center and consume in the center. In other words, it is possible to guide the user to a desired region among the multiple regions.

[0040] The relationship degree determining unit 214 may set an expiration date for the determined degree of relationship, and control the degree of relationship so that it decays over time after the expiration date.

[0041] The reward acquisition unit 215 acquires the above-mentioned reward information from the external server 101, records the information in the reward information 223, and updates the reward information 223.

[0042] The display information generating unit 216 generates display information to be displayed on the communication device 102. For example, the display information generating unit 216 generates display information for a My Page that displays the names of local governments that the user has individually set as favorites. The display information generating unit 216 also generates display information for a detail screen that displays the user's stay time and consumption amount for each region or each local government. The display information generating unit 216 also generates display information for a reward screen that displays information on rewards provided by the region or local government. The My Page, the detail screen, and the reward screen will be described in detail later. The display information generating unit 216 generates each piece of display information and transmits the display information to the communication device 102 via the communication unit 201. Instead of generating various screen information, the display information generating unit 216 may transmit information required to configure each screen to the communication device 102, and configure the display screen on the communication device 102 side.

[0043] <Communication device configuration> Next, a functional configuration example of the communication device 102 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a case where a smartphone is used as an example of a communication device will be described. Each of the functional blocks described with reference to the following figures may be integrated or separated, and the functions described may be realized by another block. Also, what is described as hardware may be realized by software, and vice versa.

[0044] The communication unit 301 includes, for example, a communication circuit and the like, and communicates with the information providing server 100 by connecting to the Internet via mobile communication such as LTE, or to a network via wireless LAN communication.

[0045] The control unit 302 includes a processor 310 and a memory 311, and controls the operation of each unit in the communication device 102 by, for example, causing the processor 310 to execute a computer program stored in the storage unit 307. The processor 310 includes one or more processors, and the memory 311 includes, for example, a volatile memory such as a DRAM.

[0046] The operation unit 303 includes buttons and a touch panel provided in the communication device 102, and accepts user operations on the buttons and GUIs for various operations displayed on the display unit 306. The power supply unit 304 provides power to each unit of the communication device 102.

[0047] The imaging device 305 is, for example, a camera mechanism including an imaging element, and can take an image in response to an instruction from the control unit 302. For example, after a user pays in cash for food and drinks or lodging at a place of stay, the user can take an image of a receipt. For example, the receipt lists the amount paid, details of the amount paid, the time of payment, etc., and the control unit 302 performs image recognition processing on the captured image of the receipt to obtain the amount paid, the name of the store or service provider related to the payment, and the time. The control unit 302 transmits the obtained information to the information providing server 100.

[0048] The display unit 306 includes a display device such as an LCD or an OLED. The display unit 306 displays a GUI based on display information received from the information providing server 100 in response to an instruction from the control unit 302. The control unit 302 executes, for example, a web browser or a dedicated application, and causes the display unit 306 to display the display information received from the information providing server 100.

[0049] The storage unit 307 includes a non-volatile memory such as a semiconductor memory, and stores programs and setting values ​​executed by the control unit 302. The computer programs stored in the storage unit 307 include an operating system and various applications for implementing various functions of the communication device 102.

[0050] Next, a series of operations of the information providing process executed in the information providing server 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. This process is realized by the processor 210 of the control unit 202 executing a computer program recorded in the storage unit 204.

[0051] In S501, the staying time acquisition unit 212 acquires the location information of the communication device 102 from the communication device 102 as the user's location information, as described above.

[0052] In S502, the control unit 202 determines whether the user has selected a particular local government (as a favorite). As described above with reference to Fig. 9, the user information 220 includes information 902 on favorite settings. If the user information 220 includes a local government selected as a favorite, the control unit 202 advances the process to S503, and if not, ends this series of processes.

[0053] In S503, as described above, the staying time acquisition unit 212 acquires the staying time of the user in the area by, for example, measuring the time that the user stayed in the geofence corresponding to the area, and updates the staying time information 221. The staying time acquisition unit 212 acquires (the cumulative value of) the staying time of the user in the predetermined area (within a specific period) from the staying time information 221.

[0054] In S504, the consumption amount acquisition unit 213, as described above, acquires the amount of consumption by the user in the region from the external server 101, and updates the cumulative value of the consumption amount for each region in the consumption amount information 222. The consumption amount acquisition unit 213 acquires (the cumulative value of) the consumption amount for a specific region (within a specific period) from the consumption amount information 222.

[0055] In S505, the relationship degree determination unit 214 determines the degree of relationship between the user and a specific area based on the user's stay time in the area during a specific period and the amount of consumption in the area, as described above. The relationship degree determination unit 214 records the determined degree of relationship in the user information 220 (information 903 on the degree of relationship between the user and the area).

[0056] In S506, the display information generating unit 216 provides information indicating the degree of the relationship between the user and the predetermined area together with the name of the local government as display information to the communication device 102. For example, the display information generating unit 216 can provide the communication device 102 with display information of My Page 600 shown in FIG.

[0057] My Page 600 shown in FIG. 6 is a screen showing the name of a local government set by the user as a favorite and information showing the degree of the relationship between the user and the local government. User image 601 includes, for example, a profile image of the user uploaded by the user. User image 601 may be an icon or avatar image set by the user. Name 602 includes the user's name. Local government name 603 includes the name of a local government set in advance by the user as a favorite local government. Display information generating unit 216 may generate display information using favorite setting information 902 in user information 220 as local government name 603.

[0058] The display information generating unit 216 generates display information to include names of local governments 603 and information 604 indicating the degree of the relationship between the user and the area corresponding to the name of each local government. The information 604 indicating the degree of the relationship between the user and the area includes information indicating the degree of the relationship, such as platinum or silver, and information indicating that the degree is for a specific period (e.g., 2022, 2021, etc.).

[0059] When the communication device 102 is displaying MyPage 600, for example, if the user presses the local government name 605, which is "Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture," the communication device 102 transmits the operation content to the information providing server 100. In response to the designation of the local government name 605, the information providing server 100 generates display information for the detailed information 700 shown in FIG.

[0060] Detailed information 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes a name 701 of a selected local government, and information 702 indicating the degree of a relationship between the user and the area corresponding to the name of the selected local government. Detailed information 700 also includes information 703 indicating the user's current situation. For example, information 703 indicating the user's current situation includes the cumulative total of the user's stay time in the area during a specific period (e.g., within the year to which the current time belongs) (e.g., 24 hours) and the cumulative total of the amount of money spent in the area during the specific period (e.g., 12,000 yen). Information 703 indicating the user's current situation also includes the cumulative total of the user's stay time in the area during the entire period (e.g., 72 hours) and the cumulative total of the amount of money spent in the area during the entire period (e.g., 42,000 yen). In response to a user pressing the “See more” button on the communication device 102, the information providing server 100 may generate detailed information 700 to further include information indicating the user's status in other years, such as 2022, 2021, ....

[0061] The detailed information 700 may further include a breakdown of the consumption amount 704. The breakdown of the consumption amount 704 may include, in addition to the consumption amount, information such as the date of the consumption and the subject of the consumption.

[0062] The display information generating unit 216 may further include information necessary for improving the rank in the detailed information 700. For example, the display information generating unit 216 compares the current stay time and consumption amount (in the stay time information 221 and the consumption amount information 222) with the stay time and consumption amount for matching the next rank (defined in FIG. 4(a), for example). The stay time and consumption amount necessary for matching the next rank may then be included in the detailed information 700. The display information generating unit 216 may also display information such as the number of nights, the number of days of stay, the number of meals, and the number of events used, corresponding to the stay time and consumption amount necessary for improving the rank, instead of the stay time and consumption amount. In this way, the display information makes the goal of improving the rank clearer, and the user may be motivated to improve the degree of the relationship with the local government. Furthermore, whether the information to be displayed for improving the rank is the stay time, the consumption amount, the number of nights, the number of days of stay, or the like may be controlled according to a setting value transmitted from the communication terminal of the local government. In this way, it becomes possible to set the type of services to which users should be directed for each local government or region.

[0063] The description will be given again with reference to Fig. 5. In S507, the reward acquisition unit 215 acquires reward information from the external server 101 and updates the reward information 223, as described above.

[0064] In S508, the display information generating unit 216 provides the communication device 102 with display information for the reward screen 800. The reward screen 800 may be provided in response to the user pressing an offer button (not shown) included in the My Page 600 or the detailed information 700. As shown in FIG. 8, the reward screen 800 includes information on rewards from a local government according to the degree of relationship between a specific region and the user. For example, the reward information 801 includes information on an offer provided by a local government in response to the degree of relationship between the user and Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture being platinum rank. The offer information 801 includes a PR image and an explanatory text provided by the local government. Similarly, the reward information 802 includes information on an offer provided by a local government in response to the degree of relationship between the user and Daisen City, Akita Prefecture being silver rank.

[0065] When the reward information is provided by the display information generating unit 216, the control unit 202 ends this series of processes.

[0066] In the above description, various functions of the information providing server 100 have been described, but the functions of the information providing server 100 are not limited to the above functions. The information providing server 100 may have a function of registering or correcting the user's name, email address, the area through which the user passes when moving, the area where the user's workplace is located, and the area where the user's home is located. In this case, the stay time acquisition unit 212 and the consumption amount acquisition unit 213 can exclude the area through which the user passes when moving, the area where the user's workplace is located, and the area where the user's home is located from the areas to be processed. For this reason, the information providing server 100 does not include these set areas in the areas when calculating the degree of the relationship between the user and the area. In this way, the information providing server 100 can reduce or omit the processing load of calculating the stay time and the consumption amount for an area where the user stays very frequently or spends money. That is, the processing load of each unit of the control unit 202 and the update load of the storage unit 204 can be significantly reduced.

[0067] In addition, in the series of operations described with reference to FIG. 5, when a local government is set in advance in the favorite setting information 902, the stay time and the consumption amount are acquired for the area corresponding to the local government. That is, the information providing server 100 determines the degree of relationship between the user and the specific area (local government) selected by the user from among areas where the user has stayed or areas where the user has spent money. In this way, calculations of the stay time and the consumption amount, and calculations for determining the degree of relationship between the user and the area can be performed for a limited area. That is, the processing load can be significantly reduced compared to the case where calculations are performed for information on all areas in which the user has been involved.

[0068] Alternatively, the information providing server 100 may be configured not to register local governments corresponding to areas the user passes through when traveling, the area where the user's workplace is located, and the area where the user's home is located, when registering favorite settings for setting local governments to be displayed on the My Page 600. Even in this manner, the information providing server 100 can reduce the processing load of calculating the stay time and the amount of money consumed for areas where the user stays very frequently or spends money.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the information providing server 100 acquires the time spent by the user in a specific area based on the user's location information, and also acquires the amount of money spent by the user in the specific area. Then, based on the time spent by the user in the specific area within a specific period and the amount of money spent in the specific area, the degree of relationship between the user and the specific area is determined. In this way, the relationship between the related population and the area can be evaluated taking into account the actual relationship between the user and the area.

[0070] Furthermore, the information providing server 100 provides the user's communication device with information indicating the determined degree of relationship with the predetermined area together with the name of the local government corresponding to the predetermined area. In this way, the user can easily grasp the degree of relationship between the user and the local government. Furthermore, by allowing the user to grasp the current relationship, if there is a change in the relationship between the user and the local government, the change can be easily grasped. In other words, the user can be motivated to aim for a higher degree of relationship with the local government.

[0071] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 100: information providing server, 101: external server, 102: communication device, 202: control unit, 212: stay time acquisition unit, 213: consumption amount acquisition unit, 214: relationship degree determination unit, 215: reward acquisition unit, 216: display information generation unit

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring a stay time of the user in a predetermined area based on the user's location information, or acquiring an amount of money spent by the user in the predetermined area; A determination means for determining a degree of a relationship between the user and a region, The information processing device is characterized in that the determination means determines the degree of relationship between the user and the specified area based on the user's stay time for a specific purpose in the specified area within a specific period of time or the amount of consumption for a specific purpose in the specified area.

2. A time acquisition means for acquiring a stay time of the user in a predetermined area based on the user's location information; an amount acquiring means for acquiring an amount of money spent by the user in a predetermined area; A determination means for determining a degree of a relationship between the user and a region, The information processing device, characterized in that the determination means determines the degree of relationship between the user and the specified area based on the user's stay in the specified area within a specific period of time and the amount of consumption in the specified area.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a providing means for providing information indicating the degree of the relationship with the determined specified area, together with the name of the local government corresponding to the specified area, to the user's communication device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines a degree of relationship between the user and a specific area selected by the user from among areas in which the user has stayed or areas in which the user has spent money.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the amount of consumption by the user in the specified area includes the amount of consumption by the user in the specified area and the amount of consumption by the user outside the specified area for goods sold or services provided by a local government corresponding to the specified area.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the determination means determines the degree of relationship between the user and the specified area by applying different weightings to at least one of the stay time in each area and the amount of consumption in each area for a first area and a second area among the specified areas.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines the degree of relationship between the user and the specified area based on at least one of the number of times or the number of days the user stays in the specified area during the specific period.

8. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the determining means excludes from the predetermined area an area through which the user passes while traveling, an area in which the user's workplace is located, and an area in which the user's home is located.

9. The method further includes a reward acquisition means for acquiring information on rewards provided by a local government associated with the area, The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the providing means further provides to the user's communication device information on rewards provided by a local government related to the specified region, in accordance with the degree of the relationship with the specified region.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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