Evaluation device, evaluation method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide an evaluation apparatus, an evaluation method, and a computer program that can continuously evaluate an aquatic plant group.SOLUTION: An evaluation apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires environment information around an aquatic plant group; and a determination unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environment information around the aquatic plant group based on the environment information acquired by the acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, as expectations for reform of public service have risen, the introduction of a performance-based private contracting system (PFS: Pay for Success) has been promoted. PFS refers to a business in which local governments and other entities pay remuneration to private businesses according to the results of the services they provide. Performance indicators and payment conditions are set in advance, and the amount of payment is determined by evaluating the degree of goal achievement, etc. Local governments and other entities do not have to pay remuneration if private businesses do not achieve their performance targets, so they do not have to bear financial risk. In addition, if performance targets are achieved, they can expect future administrative cost reductions and tax revenue increases, so an increasing number of local governments are interested in introducing PFS. It is being considered to apply PFS to the Blue Carbon Offset Scheme. Blue carbon is carbon absorbed as CO2 by marine plants that live in coastal seaweed beds and other areas. The Blue Carbon Offset Scheme is a method of reducing CO2 emissions in which the offset provider purchases the effect of CO2 absorption and fixation by the credit applicant, offsetting the CO2 emitted by the offset provider.

[0003] In the conventional blue carbon offset system, sales transactions are conducted according to credits based on estimated CO2 absorption at a certain time. For example, the evaluation of seaweed beds is carried out at the time of transaction negotiations. Regarding the evaluation and calculation of seaweed beds, a technique for simply and accurately measuring the distribution of seaweed beds is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This technique determines a first seaweed bed candidate area based on the dominance of pixel component intensity in an aerial color image of the measurement target water area, and determines a second seaweed bed candidate area based on changes in the measured water depth of an acoustic bathymetry performed on the measurement target water area, and compares the first seaweed bed candidate area with the second seaweed bed candidate area to estimate the area where the two areas match as a seaweed bed. In addition, the amount of influence of seaweed is calculated based on the changes in the measured water depth, and the amount of influence of seaweed is estimated by calculating the correlation between the amount of sample growth measured at multiple points in the measurement target water area and the amount of influence of seaweed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5847652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The following concerns arise when applying PFS to the blue carbon offset scheme: Although the evaluation of the seaweed beds was carried out during the transaction negotiations, there was no actual evaluation of the seaweed beds after the transaction, so it is not known whether the credits absorbed the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) traded. There was no evaluation of activities related to the seaweed beds and ports, such as those related to the decline, maintenance, and growth of the seaweed beds. Patent Document 1 describes how a candidate area is estimated to be a seaweed bed from an aerial color image and an acoustic bathymetry survey of the target water area, but does not describe how to measure and estimate at an appropriate timing or frequency other than an evaluation at a certain point in time, and is therefore insufficient for evaluating seaweed beds. The above applies to aquatic plant communities such as seaweed beds. An object of the present invention is to provide an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a computer program that can continuously evaluate aquatic plant communities such as seaweed beds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a method for detecting aquatic plants comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the surroundings of aquatic plants; and a determination unit that determines a frequency at which the environmental information about the surroundings of aquatic plants is acquired based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit. The environmental information includes meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plant group, and the determining unit determines to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on the meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquiring unit and a predetermined meteorological condition. This is an evaluation device. (2) One aspect of the present invention is an evaluation device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around a group of aquatic plants, and a decision unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the acquisition unit acquires rainfall information near a river connected to the group of aquatic plants, and the decision unit decides to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants when the rainfall exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the group of aquatic plants acquired by the acquisition unit. (3) One aspect of the present invention is an evaluation device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the surroundings of a group of aquatic plants, and a decision unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants, and the decision unit determines to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants when the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants exceed a predetermined condition based on the information identifying the type and amount of seafood acquired by the acquisition unit. (4) One aspect of the present invention is an evaluation device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the surroundings of a group of aquatic plants, a decision unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a selection unit that selects a measurement means for measuring the growth condition of algae included in the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants. ( 5 ) One aspect of the present invention is an evaluation device as described in any one of (2) to (4) above, wherein the environmental information includes meteorological information about the area around the aquatic plant group, and the determination unit decides to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on the meteorological information about the area around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit and predetermined weather conditions. ( 6 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 1 ) Or (5) above In the evaluation device described in the above, the determination unit decides to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on information identifying one or more types of algae and information associating each of the information identifying one or more types of algae with weather conditions suitable for growth, based on the meteorological information around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit and the weather conditions suitable for growth associated with information identifying the types of aquatic plants included in the aquatic plant group. ( 7 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 1 ) Or (5) above In the evaluation device described in the above, the meteorological information includes at least one of air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine hours information, and rainfall information around the aquatic plant group. ( 8 One aspect of the present invention is the above (1) , (3) above, and In the evaluation device described in any one of (4) above, the acquisition unit acquires rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group, and the determination unit decides to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the rainfall exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit. (9 One aspect of the present invention is the above (1) , (2) above, and In the evaluation device described in any one of (4) above, the acquisition unit acquires information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the aquatic plant group, and the determination unit decides to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group when the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit exceed a predetermined condition based on the information identifying the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit. ( 10 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 1 ) or the above( 5 ), the evaluation device described in any one of the above items (1) to (5) further includes an adjustment unit that, when the decision unit has decided to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group, adjusts the timing of issuing a measurement instruction to a measurement means that measures the growth condition of the aquatic plant group based on a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group. ( 11 ) One aspect of the present invention is the above (1) to the above ( 3 ) The evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a selection unit that selects a measurement means for measuring the growth status of algae contained in the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group. ( 12 2) In one aspect of the present invention, in the evaluation device described in (11) above, the selection unit selects a moving body as the measurement means. ( 13 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 11 ) or the above ( 12 ) The evaluation device described in the above-mentioned embodiment further includes a derivation unit that derives an area of ​​the aquatic plant group based on the growth condition of algae contained in the aquatic plant group measured by the measurement means, and an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value of the aquatic plant group based on the area of ​​the aquatic plant group derived by the derivation unit. ( 14 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 13) The evaluation device described in the above-mentioned document further includes a price calculation unit that calculates a price based on the evaluation value of the aquatic plant group calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit, and a price request unit that requests the price calculated by the price calculation unit from a business operator that purchases credits related to the aquatic plant group. ( 15 One aspect of the present invention is the above ( 14 In the evaluation device described in the above, the compensation request unit pays compensation to the business operator who cultivates the aquatic plant group based on the compensation paid by the business operator who purchases credits related to the aquatic plant group. ( 16 ) One aspect of the present invention is a method for detecting aquatic plants by acquiring environmental information about the surrounding area of ​​the plants; Around the aquatic plant community A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information; A step of determining to measure the growth state of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information around the aquatic plant group and a predetermined weather condition; The computer implemented evaluation method includes: (17) One aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented evaluation method comprising the steps of acquiring environmental information about the vicinity of a group of aquatic plants; determining a frequency for acquiring the environmental information about the vicinity of the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information about the vicinity of the group of aquatic plants; acquiring rainfall information near a river connected to the group of aquatic plants; and determining, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the group of aquatic plants, that if rainfall exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount, to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants. (18) One aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented evaluation method comprising the steps of acquiring environmental information about the surroundings of a group of aquatic plants; determining a frequency for acquiring the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants; acquiring information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants; and determining, based on the information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants, if the type and amount of seafood exceed predetermined conditions, to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants. (19) One aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented evaluation method comprising the steps of acquiring environmental information about the surroundings of a group of aquatic plants, determining a frequency for acquiring the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants, and selecting a measurement means for measuring a growth condition of algae contained in the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information about the surroundings of the group of aquatic plants. ( 20 ) One aspect of the present invention is a method for acquiring environmental information about a water area plant group by a computer, comprising: Around the aquatic plant community determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information; A step of determining to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information around the aquatic plant group and a predetermined weather condition; It is a computer program that executes the following: (21) One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring environmental information around a group of aquatic plants, determining a frequency for acquiring the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants, acquiring rainfall information near a river connected to the group of aquatic plants, and determining, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the group of aquatic plants, that if rainfall exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount, to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants. (22) One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring environmental information around a group of aquatic plants; determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants; acquiring information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants; and determining, based on the information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the group of aquatic plants, to measure the growth condition of the group of aquatic plants when the type and amount of seafood exceed predetermined conditions. (23) One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring environmental information around a group of aquatic plants, determining a frequency for acquiring the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants, and selecting a measurement means for measuring a growth condition of algae contained in the group of aquatic plants based on the environmental information around the group of aquatic plants. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a computer program capable of continuously evaluating aquatic plant communities such as seaweed beds. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of a seaweed bed evaluation device included in the seaweed bed evaluation system of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of algae growth conditions. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluating system according to a first modified example of an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluating system according to the first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluating system according to the first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an application example of a seaweed bed evaluation system according to a second modified example of an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluating system according to a second modified example of an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluating system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Next, an evaluation device, an evaluation method, and a computer program according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the parts having the same functions, and the repeated explanation is omitted. In addition, "based on XX" in this application means "based on at least XX", and includes the case of being based on other elements in addition to XX. In addition, "based on XX" is not limited to the case of directly using XX, but also includes the case of being based on XX that has been subjected to calculation or processing. "XX" is any element (for example, any information).

[0010] (Embodiment) (Seaweed bed evaluation device) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the seaweed bed evaluation system 1 includes a seaweed bed evaluation device 100. In addition to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, Fig. 1 also shows a seaweed bed KC, a sensor SEN installed in the seaweed bed KC, and a server 200 that provides environmental information to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100. Examples of seaweed beds KC include seagrass beds (eelgrass, etc.) and seaweed beds (kelp, wakame, etc.). The seaweed bed evaluating device 100 and the server 200 communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a provider device, a wireless base station, etc. The server 200 and the sensor SEN communicate with each other via the network NW.

[0011] In the seaweed bed evaluation system 1, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed, and determines the frequency of acquiring the environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed based on the acquired environmental information. For example, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 requests the server 200 to transmit environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed, and the server 200 transmits the environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed in response to the request from the seaweed bed evaluation device 100. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100 receives the environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed transmitted by the server 200. For example, the server 200 stores identification information of a plurality of seaweed beds in association with environmental information around each of the plurality of seaweed beds. The surroundings of the seaweed bed may include the seaweed bed itself. The environmental information around the seaweed bed may be information acquired by a sensor SEN installed in the seaweed bed KC. One example of the sensor SEN is a smart buoy. An example of the environmental information around the seaweed bed is meteorological information around the seaweed bed, which includes at least one of air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine duration information, and rainfall information around the seaweed bed. Furthermore, the seaweed bed evaluating device 100 decides to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the acquired meteorological information around the seaweed bed and predetermined weather conditions.

[0012] Below, we will sequentially explain the seaweed bed evaluating device 100 and the server 200 included in the seaweed bed evaluating system 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the details of the seaweed bed evaluating device included in the seaweed bed evaluating system of this embodiment. (Seaweed bed evaluation device 100) The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100 is realized by devices such as a personal computer, a server, a smartphone, a tablet computer, an industrial computer, etc. The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100 comprises, for example, a communication unit 102, an acquisition unit 104, a processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output unit 107, and a storage unit 110. The communication unit 102 is realized by a communication module. The communication unit 102 communicates with an external communication device via a network NW. The communication unit 102 may communicate using a communication method such as a wired LAN. The communication unit 102 may also communicate using a wireless communication method such as a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or LTE (registered trademark). The communication unit 102 transmits the seaweed bed environment information request output by the processing unit 105 to the server 200. The communication unit 102 receives the seaweed bed environment information response transmitted by the server 200.

[0013] The storage unit 110 is realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), etc. The algae growth conditions 110a are stored in the storage unit 110. The algae growth conditions 110a may be stored on a cloud. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of algae-growing conditions. The algae-growing conditions 110a are information in a table format that associates information specifying one or more types of algae with weather conditions suitable for growth for each piece of information specifying one or more types of algae. Fig. 3 shows water temperature as an example of weather conditions suitable for growth. Returning to Fig. 2, the explanation will be continued. The acquisition unit 104 acquires the seaweed bed environmental information response received by the communication unit 102, and acquires information that associates identification information of one or more seaweed beds included in the acquired seaweed bed environmental information response with environmental information about the surroundings of the one or more seaweed beds. The processing unit 105 creates a request for seaweed bed environment information addressed to the server 200 and including identification information for one or more seaweed beds, and outputs the created request for seaweed bed environment information to the communication unit 102.

[0014] The determining unit 106 obtains information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds with environmental information for each of the one or more seaweed beds from the obtaining unit 104. The determining unit 106 determines the frequency of obtaining environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed beds for each of the one or more seaweed beds, based on the obtained information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds with environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed beds for each of the one or more seaweed beds. For example, based on the environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed beds, when the environment around the seaweed beds is changing rapidly, the determining unit 106 obtains environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed beds more frequently than when the environment around the seaweed beds is changing slowly.

[0015] Furthermore, when the environmental information around the seaweed bed includes meteorological information for each of one or more seaweed beds, the determining unit 106 may determine to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the meteorological information and predetermined meteorological conditions. For example, the determining unit 106 may determine to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed when the average air temperature or average water temperature for a predetermined period, such as one month, is equal to or higher than a threshold value. For example, the determining unit 106 may determine to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed when a period in which predetermined meteorological conditions are not satisfied continues for a certain period or longer. If the water temperature does not meet certain conditions, the algae cannot grow, and a lack of sunny days affects photosynthesis, which affects growth. For this reason, the determination unit 106 decides to measure the growth status of the seaweed bed if a period in which the certain conditions are not met continues for a certain period of time or longer. By configuring in this way, the growth status can be confirmed. Here, the determination unit 106 may use the water temperature when a sensor SEN such as a buoy is installed near the seaweed bed, and may use the air temperature instead of the water temperature when a sensor SEN is not installed near the seaweed bed. Furthermore, the determination unit 106 may determine to measure the growth status of the seaweed bed for each of one or more seaweed beds based on environmental information such as meteorological information around the seaweed bed and meteorological conditions suitable for growth that are associated with information identifying the type of algae included in the seaweed bed, based on the algae growth conditions 110a stored in the memory unit 110. For example, the determination unit 106 may determine to measure the growth status of the seaweed bed for each of one or more seaweed beds based on the meteorological information around the seaweed bed and the meteorological conditions suitable for growth that are associated with information identifying the type of algae included in the seaweed bed, if the environmental information such as meteorological information around the seaweed bed does not satisfy the meteorological conditions for a predetermined period of time, associated with temperature and hours of sunshine for each of one or more seaweed beds.

[0016] The output unit 107 acquires and outputs information indicating the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed beds for each of one or more seaweed beds and information indicating a decision to measure the growth condition of the seaweed beds for each of one or more seaweed beds from the decision unit 106. For example, the output unit 107 may output by voice or display on a display unit (not shown) the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed beds for each of one or more seaweed beds and the decision to measure the growth condition of the seaweed beds for each of one or more seaweed beds.

[0017] All or part of the acquiring unit 104, the processing unit 105, the determining unit 106, and the output unit 107 are functional units (hereinafter referred to as software functional units) that are realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a storage unit (not shown). Note that all or part of the acquiring unit 104, the processing unit 105, the determining unit 106, and the output unit 107 may be realized by hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized by a combination of the software functional units and hardware.

[0018] (Server 200) The server 200 is realized by a device such as a personal computer, a server, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or an industrial computer. The server 200 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the one or more seaweed beds. For example, the server 200 acquires environmental information acquired by a sensor SEN installed in each of the one or more seaweed beds. The server 200 associates identification information of the one or more seaweed beds with environmental information about the surroundings of the one or more seaweed beds in a storage unit. The storage unit may be provided in the server 200 or may be a cloud. The server 200 receives the seaweed bed environmental information request sent by the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, and acquires identification information of one or more seaweed beds included in the received seaweed bed environmental information request. The server 200 acquires environmental information around the seaweed bed associated with each of the acquired identification information of the one or more seaweed beds from the storage unit. The server 200 creates a seaweed bed environmental information response including the identification information of the one or more seaweed beds and environmental information around the seaweed bed associated with each of the acquired identification information of the one or more seaweed beds from the storage unit. The server 200 transmits the created seaweed bed environmental information response to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100.

[0019] (Operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluating system according to this embodiment. (Step S1-1) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100, the processing unit 105 creates a seaweed bed environment information request addressed to the server 200 and including identification information for one or more seaweed beds. (Step S2-1) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the processing unit 105 outputs the created seaweed bed environment information request to the communication unit 102. The communication unit 102 acquires the seaweed bed environment information request output by the processing unit 105, and transmits the acquired seaweed bed environment information request to the server 200. (Step S3-1) The server 200 receives the seaweed bed environmental information request sent by the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, and acquires identification information of one or more seaweed beds included in the received seaweed bed environmental information request. The server 200 acquires environmental information stored in the storage unit in association with each of the acquired identification information of the one or more seaweed beds. The server 200 creates a seaweed bed environmental information response including information associating the identification information of the one or more seaweed beds with environmental information for each of the acquired one or more seaweed beds. (Step S4-1) The server 200 transmits the created seaweed bed environment information response to the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100.

[0020] (Step S5-1) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the communication unit 102 receives the seaweed bed environmental information response transmitted by the server 200. The acquisition unit 104 acquires the seaweed bed environmental information response received by the communication unit 102, and acquires information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds included in the acquired seaweed bed environmental information response with environmental information for each of the one or more seaweed beds. (Step S6-1) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the determination unit 106 acquires information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds with environmental information for each of the one or more seaweed beds from the acquisition unit 104. The determination unit 106 determines the frequency of acquiring environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed for each of the one or more seaweed beds, based on the acquired information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds with environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed for each of the one or more seaweed beds. (Step S7-1) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100, the deciding unit 106 decides to measure growth information of the seaweed bed, based on meteorological information included in the environmental information around the seaweed bed and predetermined weather conditions. (Step S8-1) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the output unit 107 acquires from the decision unit 106 information indicating the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed and information indicating that it has been decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed, and outputs these. In step S7-1, the determination unit 106 may decide to measure the growth conditions of the seaweed bed based on the algae growth conditions 110a stored in the memory unit 110, based on environmental information such as weather information around the seaweed bed and meteorological conditions suitable for growth that are associated with information identifying the type of algae contained in the seaweed bed.

[0021] In the embodiment described above, the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100 requests the server 200 to transmit environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed, and the server 200 transmits the environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed in response to the request from the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100; however, this is not limiting. For example, the server 200 may be configured to transmit environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed even when there is no request from the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100. In this case, the server 200 may be configured to transmit environmental information about one or more seaweed beds that have been set in advance. By configuring in this way, the procedure in which the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100 transmits a request for seaweed bed environmental information can be omitted. In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed, and determines the frequency of acquiring environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed based on the acquired environmental information, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, instead of a seaweed bed, aquatic plants including algae can be applied. Aquatic plants further include mangrove forests and salt marshes. The surroundings of aquatic plants may include the aquatic plants themselves. The same applies to the following. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 may acquire rainfall information near one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed KC, and decide to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the acquired rainfall information near one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed. Specifically, the processing unit 105 creates a seaweed bed environment information request addressed to the server 200, which includes identification information of one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed, and outputs the created seaweed bed environment information request to the communication unit 102. The acquisition unit 104 acquires the seaweed bed environment information response received by the communication unit 102, and acquires information that associates identification information of one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed, which is included in the acquired seaweed bed environment information response, with environmental information for each of the one or more rivers. The determining unit 106 determines to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the environmental information of the vicinity of one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed acquired by the acquiring unit 104. For example, the determining unit 106 may determine to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount of rainfall based on rainfall information of the vicinity of one or more rivers connected to the seaweed bed KC. If there is a lot of rainfall around the seaweed bed, the salinity around the bed may change, which may affect the growth of the KC seaweed bed. Also, if the river adjacent to the KC seaweed bed experiences a certain amount of rainfall, highly turbid water may flow into the KC seaweed bed, preventing light from reaching the KC seaweed bed. In such cases, the growth status of the KC seaweed bed can be measured.

[0022] In the above-described embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 may acquire information specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the seaweed bed, and decide to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the acquired information specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the seaweed bed. Specifically, the processing unit 105 creates a request for seaweed bed seafood information addressed to the server 200, which includes identification information for one or more seaweed beds and information for acquiring the type and amount of seafood caught, and outputs the created request for seaweed bed seafood information to the communication unit 102. The communication unit 102 transmits the request for seaweed bed seafood information output by the processing unit 105 to the server 200. The server 200 receives the seaweed bed seafood information request sent by the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, and creates a seaweed bed seafood information response including identification information for one or more seaweed beds and information specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the seaweed bed for each of the one or more seaweed beds based on the received seaweed bed seafood information request. The server 200 sends the created seaweed bed seafood information response to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the communication unit 102 receives the seaweed bed seafood information response transmitted by the server 200. The acquisition unit 104 acquires the seaweed bed environment information response received by the communication unit 102, and acquires information that associates identification information for one or more seaweed beds included in the acquired seaweed bed environment information response with information specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around one or more seaweed beds. The determining unit 106 determines to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the information acquired by the acquiring unit 104 specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around one or more seaweed beds. For example, the determining unit 106 may determine to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed based on the information specifying the type and amount of seafood caught around one or more seaweed beds. For example, when the type and amount of seafood exceed a predetermined condition, the determining unit 106 determines to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed. An example of the predetermined condition is when the amount of seafood such as rabbitfish and sea urchins that are not suitable for the growth of seaweed exceeds a predetermined amount. This is because it is considered that rabbitfish and sea urchins, which are natural enemies of the seaweed bed KC, may damage the seaweed bed if they multiply more than expected.

[0023] According to the seaweed bed evaluation system 1 of the embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 as an evaluation device includes an acquisition unit 104 that acquires environmental information around the aquatic plants, and a determination unit 106 that determines the frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plants based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit 104. By configuring in this way, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 can determine the frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plants based on the environmental information around the aquatic plants, so that the environmental information around the aquatic plants can be acquired continuously. Therefore, the aquatic plants can be evaluated continuously. Since the aquatic plants can be evaluated continuously, it is possible to promote the reduction of CO2 emissions, which makes it possible to contribute to Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, "Take urgent action to combat climate change." In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the environmental information includes meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plants. The determination unit 106 decides to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plants based on the meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plants acquired by the acquisition unit 104 and the predetermined weather conditions. With this configuration, the determination unit 106 can decide to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plants based on the meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plants acquired by the acquisition unit 104 and the predetermined weather conditions, so that it is possible to continuously acquire environmental information about the surroundings of the aquatic plants and to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plants based on the meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plants and the predetermined weather conditions. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the determination unit 106 decides to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on the weather information around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit 104 and the weather conditions suitable for growth associated with the information identifying the type of aquatic plant included in the aquatic plant group, based on information identifying one or more types of aquatic plant groups and information associating each of the information identifying the type of aquatic plant groups with weather conditions suitable for growth. By configuring in this manner, the determination unit 106 can decide to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information about the area around the aquatic plant group and weather conditions suitable for growth that are associated with information identifying the type of aquatic plant group included in the aquatic plant group, thereby making it possible to continuously obtain environmental information about the area around the aquatic plant group and to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information about the area around the aquatic plant group and weather conditions suitable for growth that are associated with information identifying the type of algae included in the aquatic plant group.

[0024] In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the meteorological information includes at least one of air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine duration information, and rainfall information around the aquatic plants. With this configuration, the determination unit 106 can decide to measure the growth status of the aquatic plants based on at least one of the air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine duration information, and rainfall information around the aquatic plants acquired by the acquisition unit 104 and on predetermined meteorological conditions, so that environmental information around the aquatic plants can be continuously acquired and the growth status of the aquatic plants can be measured based on at least one of the air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine duration information, and rainfall information around the aquatic plants and on predetermined meteorological conditions. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the acquisition unit 104 acquires rainfall information in the vicinity of the river connected to the aquatic plant group. The decision unit 106 decides to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount, based on the rainfall information in the vicinity of the river connected to the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit 104. By configuring in this manner, the determination unit 106 can determine to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit 104. This makes it possible to continuously acquire environmental information around the aquatic plant group, and to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the acquisition unit 104 acquires information specifying the type and amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community. The determination unit 106 decides to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant community when the type and amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community exceed a predetermined condition, based on the information specifying the type and amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community acquired by the acquisition unit 104. By configuring in this manner, the determination unit 106 can decide to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the type and amount of seafood exceeds a predetermined condition based on the information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit 104. This makes it possible to continuously acquire environmental information around the aquatic plant group and to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the type and amount of seafood exceeds a predetermined condition based on the information identifying the type and amount of seafood caught around the aquatic plant group.

[0025] (First Modification of the Embodiment) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a of the embodiment variant 1, when it is decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed in the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 of the embodiment described above, the timing of issuing a measurement command to the measurement means that measures the growth condition of the seaweed bed is adjusted based on the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluation system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. In Fig. 5, the seaweed bed evaluation system 1a comprises a seaweed bed evaluation device 100a. In Fig. 5, in addition to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a, a measurement means 300 and a server 200 are shown. The measuring means 300 measures the growth condition of algae contained in the seaweed bed. The measuring means 300 includes moving objects such as an aerial drone (flying object) 302-1 to an aerial drone 302-3, an underwater drone 302-4, and a surface drone 302-5. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100 and the measuring means 300 communicate via a network NW. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100a included in the seaweed bed evaluation system 1a will be described below.

[0026] (Seaweed bed evaluation device 100a) The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100a is realized by devices such as a personal computer, a server, a smartphone, a tablet computer, an industrial computer, etc. The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100a comprises, for example, a communication unit 102, an acquisition unit 104, a processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output unit 107, an adjustment unit 108a, a selection unit 109a, and a storage unit 110. The adjustment unit 108a adjusts the timing of instructing the measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of the seaweed bed KC to perform measurement, based on the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed, for each of one or more seaweed beds for which the determination unit 106 has determined that the growth condition of the seaweed bed KC should be measured. For example, the adjustment unit 108a instructs measurement of the growth condition of the seaweed bed KC even at a timing other than the timing of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed for each of one or more seaweed beds for which the determination unit 106 has decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed. If the time of decision for each of one or more seaweed beds KC for which the determination unit 106 has decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed KC is within a predetermined time after acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed, the adjustment unit 108a skips the instruction to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed KC and instructs the measurement means 300 to perform measurement after the predetermined time has passed. In other words, if the time when the determining unit 106 decides to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed is within a predetermined time after the acquisition of environmental information around the seaweed bed, the adjusting unit 108a will wait without measuring the growth condition of the seaweed bed until the predetermined time has elapsed. Here, the adjusting unit 108a may instruct a preset measuring means 300 to perform measurement, or may instruct a measuring means 300 selected by a selecting unit 109a (described later) to perform measurement.

[0027] The selection unit 109a acquires identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC for which the determination unit 106 has determined that the growth status of the seaweed beds KC is to be measured. The selection unit 109a acquires environmental information around the seaweed beds from the acquisition unit 104 for each of the acquired identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC. The selection unit 109a selects a measurement means 300 that measures the growth status of seaweed contained in a seaweed bed based on each of the acquired environmental information around the one or more seaweed beds. For example, the selection unit 109a selects one of the moving bodies such as the aerial drone 302-1 to the aerial drone 302-3, the underwater drone 302-4, and the surface drone 302-5 based on each of the environmental information around the one or more seaweed beds. For example, the selection unit 109a may select the underwater drone 302-4 when the turbidity of the seaweed bed KC is high, and select one of the aerial drones 302-1 to 302-3 when the water temperature and the sunshine hours are outside the predetermined range. All or part of the adjustment unit 108a and the selection unit 109a are functional units (hereinafter referred to as software functional units) that are realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program stored in a storage unit. All or part of the adjustment unit 108a and the selection unit 109a may be realized by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, or an FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of the software functional units and hardware.

[0028] (Operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system) Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluating system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. Steps S1-2 to S6-2 can be applied to steps S1-1 to S6-1 in Fig. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted here. (Step S7-2) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100, the deciding unit 106 judges whether or not it has been decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed. If the growth condition of the seaweed bed is not to be measured, the process returns to step S1-2. (Step S8-2) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the selection unit 109a acquires identification information for one or more seaweed beds for which the determination unit 106 has decided to measure the growth condition of the seaweed bed. For each of the acquired identification information for one or more seaweed beds, the selection unit 109a acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the seaweed bed from the acquisition unit 104. The selection unit 109a selects a measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of algae included in the seaweed bed, based on each of the acquired environmental information about the surroundings of one or more seaweed beds. (Step S9-2) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100, the adjustment unit 108a judges whether it is time to instruct the measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of the seaweed bed to perform measurement, for each of one or more seaweed beds for which the determination unit 106 has determined that the growth condition of the seaweed bed should be measured, based on the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the seaweed bed. If it is not time to instruct the measurement means 300 to perform measurement, the process returns to step S9-2. (Step S10-2) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100, the adjustment unit 108a instructs the measuring means 300 to perform measurement when it is time to do so. Then, the process returns to step S1-2.

[0029] In the first modified example of the embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100a may be configured to instruct activities to promote the cultivation of the seaweed bed. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system according to the modified example 1 of the embodiment. The smart buoy collects algae from the seaweed bed KC, and the evaluation of the seaweed bed KC is performed based on the collected algae. (1) The seaweed bed evaluating device 100a acquires images of seaweed from the server 200 and acquires evaluation results of the collected seaweed. (2) The seaweed bed evaluating device 100a instructs smart buoys and the like to carry out activities to promote the cultivation of the seaweed bed based on the seaweed images and evaluation results of the seaweed obtained from the server 200. (3) The smart buoy etc. performs promotion activities for the cultivation of the seaweed bed KC based on instructions from the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a. Examples of promotion activities for the cultivation of the seaweed bed that the smart buoy performs for the seaweed bed KC include direct promotion activities such as fertilization, removal of miscellaneous seaweed, supply of mother seaweed, supply of seedlings, and extermination of predatory organisms, as well as indirect promotion activities such as environmental monitoring and fishing ground monitoring. (4) Business operators who have the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a carry out promotional activities for seaweed bed cultivation in ports, harbors, and rivers based on instructions from the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a. Examples of promotional activities for seaweed bed cultivation that the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a carries out in ports, harbors, and rivers include collection of waste in ports and rivers, environmental education about seaweed beds, and public relations and awareness-raising activities.

[0030] According to the seaweed bed evaluation system 1a of the first modified embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a further includes an adjustment unit 108a that adjusts the timing of issuing an instruction to the measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of the aquatic plants, based on the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the aquatic plants, when the determination unit 106 in the above-mentioned seaweed bed evaluation device 100 has decided to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plants. With this configuration, the adjustment unit 108a can adjust the timing of issuing an instruction to the measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of the aquatic plants, based on the frequency of acquiring environmental information around the aquatic plants, and therefore it is possible to prevent acquisition of environmental information around the aquatic plants and measurement of the growth condition of the aquatic plants from occurring within a predetermined time (period). In other words, acquisition of environmental information around the aquatic plants and measurement of the growth condition of the aquatic plants can be performed with a predetermined time (period) between them. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100a further includes a selection unit 109a that selects a measurement means 300 that measures the growth condition of aquatic organisms included in the aquatic plant based on environmental information about the area around the aquatic plant. With this configuration, the selection unit 109a can select the measurement means 300 based on environmental information about the area around the aquatic plant, and the acquisition unit 104 can acquire the growth condition of the aquatic plant acquired by the measurement means 300 selected by the selection unit 109a. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a, the selection unit 109a selects a moving body as the measurement means 300. By configuring in this way, the selection unit 109a can select a moving body, and the acquisition unit 104 can acquire the growth conditions of the aquatic plant community acquired by the moving body selected by the selection unit 109a.

[0031] (Modification 2 of the embodiment) The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b according to the second modified embodiment is provided with a function of acting as an intermediary between an operator B1 who cultivates seaweed beds and an operator B2 who purchases credits when applying PFS to the Blue Carbon Offset Scheme. Specifically, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b derives the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC based on the growth status of the seaweed contained in the seaweed bed KC measured by the measurement means 300 in the seaweed bed evaluation device 100a according to the first modified embodiment described above. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b calculates an evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC based on the derived area of ​​the seaweed bed KC. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b calculates a compensation based on the calculated evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b charges the calculated compensation to the operator who purchases the credits related to the seaweed bed KC.

[0032] We will explain the application of PFS to the Blue Carbon Offset Scheme. 8 is a diagram showing an application example of the seaweed bed evaluation system according to the modified example 2 of the embodiment. In this application example of the seaweed bed evaluation system, processing is carried out between an enterprise B1 that cultivates seaweed beds, an enterprise B2 that purchases credits, an enterprise B3 that mediates reward-based credits, a third-party organization TPO, and the Blue Economy Association BE. (1) Business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed bed B, cultivates and manages the seaweed, marine plants, etc. contained in seaweed bed KC. (2) Business operator B1, which cultivates and manages seaweed bed B, submits an application to a technology research association such as the Blue Economy Association. (3) The third-party organization TPO will assess the current state of the seaweed bed KC based on images taken by satellites, flying objects (aerial drones), underwater drones, etc. (4) Business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed bed B, and business operator B2, which purchases the credits, enter into a performance-based trading contract. (5) A credit purchasing business B2 purchases performance-based credits from a performance-based credit intermediate business B3. (6) Business operator B3, who acts as an intermediary for performance-based credits, asks business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed bed KC, to evaluate the seaweed bed KC. (7) Business operator B1, which cultivates the seaweed bed KC, evaluates the seaweed bed KC and reports the evaluation results of the seaweed bed KC to business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for performance-based credits. (8) Business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for performance-based credits, bills business operator B2, which purchases the credits, for the compensation based on the performance, and business operator B2, which purchases the credits, pays the compensation based on the performance to business operator B3, which intermediates the credits. (9) Business operator B3, who acts as an intermediary for performance-based credits, pays compensation to business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed bed B. (10) Business operator B2, which purchases credits, pays a brokerage fee to business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for the performance-based credits. (11) Business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed bed B, pays an intermediary fee to business operator B2, which purchases the credits. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to continuously evaluate the seaweed bed KC and to make the credit contract a PFS contract.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seaweed bed evaluation system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment. In Fig. 9, the seaweed bed evaluation system 1b comprises a seaweed bed evaluation device 100b. In addition to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b, Fig. 9 also shows a measurement means 300 and a server 200. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b included in the seaweed bed evaluation system 1b will be described below. (Seaweed bed evaluation device 100b) The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100b is realized by devices such as a personal computer, a server, a smartphone, a tablet computer, an industrial computer, etc. The seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100b comprises, for example, a communication unit 102, an acquisition unit 104, a processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output unit 107, an adjustment unit 108a, a selection unit 109a, a storage unit 110, a derivation unit 111b, an evaluation value calculation unit 112b, a payment calculation unit 113b, and a payment request unit 114b. The storage unit 110 stores seaweed bed-related information 110b. The seaweed bed-related information 110b is information that associates identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with an operator B1 that cultivates the seaweed beds and an operator B2 that purchases credits for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The derivation unit 111b derives the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC based on the growth condition of the seaweed contained in each of the one or more seaweed beds KC measured by the measuring means 300. The derivation unit 111b associates the identification information of the one or more seaweed beds KC with the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. For example, the derivation unit 111b may obtain the growth condition of the seaweed from an image of the seaweed bed KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC, and derive the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC based on the obtained growth condition of the seaweed. When deriving the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC, the derivation unit 111b may derive the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC for each type of seaweed that grows therein, such as the area of ​​a seagrass bed or the area of ​​a seaweed bed. By deriving the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC at an appropriate time, the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC can be derived more accurately. By correctly deriving the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC, the accuracy of the evaluation of the seaweed bed KC is improved, enabling more appropriate PFS responses to be taken. The evaluation value calculation unit 112b acquires from the derivation unit 111b information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The evaluation value calculation unit 112b calculates an evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC based on each of the acquired areas of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The evaluation value calculation unit 112b associates the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with the evaluation value of the one or more seaweed beds KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. For example, the evaluation value calculation unit 112b calculates an evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC based on an estimated value of the CO2 absorption amount for each of one or more seaweed beds KC. For example, the evaluation value calculation unit 112b derives an estimated value of the CO2 absorption amount based on the CO2 absorption coefficient of the algae growing in the seaweed bed KC and the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC, and calculates the evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC based on the derived estimated value of the CO2 absorption amount.

[0034] The compensation calculation unit 113b acquires information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with an evaluation value of the one or more seaweed beds KC from the evaluation value calculation unit 112b. The compensation calculation unit 113b calculates a compensation based on the evaluation value of each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The compensation calculation unit 113b associates identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with a compensation for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. For example, the compensation calculation unit 113b calculates a compensation for the amount of CO2 absorption by each of the one or more seaweed beds KC based on the evaluation value of each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. Any method can be applied as a method of calculating the compensation from the evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC, and may be set in advance. The fee request unit 114b acquires from the fee calculation unit 113b information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds with a fee for each of one or more seaweed beds KC. The fee request unit 114b acquires information specifying the business operator B1 cultivating the seaweed bed KC and information specifying the business operator B2 purchasing the credits, which are associated with each of the acquired identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC, from the seaweed bed-related information 110b in the storage unit 110. The fee request unit 114b creates fee request information for requesting a fee from the business operator B2 purchasing the acquired credits for each of the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC, and outputs the created fee request information to the communication unit 102. The communication unit 102 transmits the fee request information output by the fee request unit 114b to the business entity B2 that purchases the credits. The communication unit 102 receives a fee request response transmitted by the business entity B2 that purchases the credits in response to the transmitted fee request information. The fee request unit 114b acquires the fee request response from the communication unit 102, and acquires information indicating that the fee has been paid, which is included in the acquired fee request response. Business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for performance-linked credits, pays compensation to business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed beds KC, based on the compensation paid by business operator B2, which purchases the credits. Business operator B3, who acts as an intermediary for performance-linked credits, receives intermediation fees from business operator B1, which cultivates the seaweed bed KC, and business operator B2, which purchases the credits.

[0035] All or some of the derivation unit 111b, the evaluation value calculation unit 112b, the consideration calculation unit 113b, and the consideration request unit 114b are functional units (hereinafter referred to as software functional units) that are realized by, for example, a processor such as a CPU executing a program stored in a storage unit. Note that all or some of the derivation unit 111b, the evaluation value calculation unit 112b, the consideration calculation unit 113b, and the consideration request unit 114b may be realized by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, or an FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of the software functional units and hardware.

[0036] (Operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system) Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the seaweed bed evaluation system according to the modified example 2 of the embodiment. Explanation will be omitted for the processing of steps S1-2 to S9-2 in Fig. 6 that is carried out by the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b at the business entity B3 that mediates the performance-linked credit. (Step S1-3) Business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for performance-linked credits, registers one or more seaweed beds from business operator B1, which cultivates seaweed beds. (Step S2-3) The business entity B2 that purchases the credits purchases the performance-linked credits from the business entity B3 that intermediates the performance-linked credits. (Step S3-3) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100b, the adjustment unit 108a determines the timing for issuing a measurement instruction to the measuring means 300 that measures the growth state of the seaweed bed KC for each of one or more seaweed beds. (Step S4-3) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100b, the processing unit 105 creates a seaweed bed evaluation request including identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC. (Step S5-3) In the seaweed bed evaluating device 100b, the processing unit 105 transmits the created seaweed bed evaluation request to the business operator B1 that cultivates the seaweed bed. (Step S6-3) Based on the seaweed bed evaluation request sent by the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b, the business operator B1 who cultivates the seaweed bed evaluates the seaweed bed KC corresponding to each of the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC included in the seaweed bed evaluation request. The business operator B1 who cultivates the seaweed bed creates seaweed bed evaluation information including the evaluation results of the one or more seaweed beds KC, and sends the created seaweed bed evaluation information to the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b. The evaluation results of the seaweed bed KC include the growth status of the algae included in each of the one or more seaweed beds. (Step S7-3) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b, the communication unit 102 receives seaweed bed evaluation information from the business operator B1 that cultivates seaweed beds. The derivation unit 111b acquires the seaweed bed evaluation information from the communication unit 102, and derives the area of ​​the seaweed bed based on the growth status of the seaweed contained in each of one or more seaweed beds KC included in the acquired seaweed bed evaluation information. The evaluation value calculation unit 112b acquires from the derivation unit 111b information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with the area of ​​the seaweed bed KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The evaluation value calculation unit 112b calculates the evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC based on each of the acquired areas of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The compensation calculation unit 113b acquires from the evaluation value calculation unit 112b information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with the evaluation value of the seaweed bed KC for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The compensation calculation unit 113b calculates the compensation based on the evaluation value of each of one or more seaweed beds KC.

[0037] (Step S8-3) In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b, the compensation request unit 114b acquires from the compensation calculation unit 113b information associating identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC with a compensation for each of the one or more seaweed beds KC. The compensation request unit 114b acquires information specifying the business operator B1 cultivating the seaweed bed KC and information specifying the business operator B2 purchasing the credits associated with each of the acquired identification information of the one or more seaweed beds KC from the seaweed bed-related information 110b in the storage unit 110. The compensation request unit 114b creates compensation request information for requesting a compensation from the business operator B2 purchasing the acquired credits for each of the identification information of one or more seaweed beds KC. (Step S9-3) In the seaweed bed evaluating apparatus 100b, the consideration request unit 114b outputs the created consideration request information to the communication unit 102. The communication unit 102 transmits the fee request information output by the fee request unit 114b to the business entity B2 that purchases the credits. (Step S10-3) The business operator B2 purchasing the credits pays the fee based on the fee claim information from the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100b. The business operator B2 purchasing the credits transmits a fee claim response to the fee claim information to the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100b. In the seaweed bed evaluation apparatus 100b, the communication unit 102 receives the fee claim response transmitted by the business operator B2 purchasing the credits. The fee claim unit 114b obtains the fee claim response from the communication unit 102, and obtains information included in the obtained fee claim response indicating that payment of the fee has been made. (Step S11-3) The business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary for the performance-linked credits, pays a fee to the business operator B1, which cultivates the seaweed beds, based on the fee paid by the business operator B2, which purchases the credits. (Step S12-3) Business operator B1, which cultivates the seaweed beds, pays a brokerage fee to business operator B3, which intermediates the performance-linked credits. Business operator B3, which intermediates the performance-linked credits, receives the brokerage fee paid by business operator B1, which cultivates the seaweed beds. (Step S13-3) The business entity B2 that purchases the credits pays a brokerage fee to the business entity B3 that intermediates the performance-linked credits. The business entity B3 that intermediates the performance-linked credits receives the brokerage fee paid by the business entity B2 that purchases the credits. 10, the business entity B3 acting as an intermediary for the performance-linked credit may evaluate the seaweed beds. In this case, steps S5-3 to S6-3 are omitted.

[0038] In the above-mentioned second modification of the embodiment, the case where the seaweed bed-related information 110b stored in the storage unit 110 includes information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds with the business operator B1 cultivating the seaweed beds and the business operator B2 purchasing the credits for each of the one or more seaweed beds has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the seaweed bed-related information 110b may include information associating the identification information of one or more seaweed beds with the business operator B1 cultivating the multiple seaweed beds and the business operator B2 purchasing the multiple credits for each of the one or more seaweed beds. In this case, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b transmits a seaweed bed evaluation request to the multiple business operators B1 cultivating the seaweed beds, transmits payment request information to the multiple business operators B2 purchasing the credits, and receives payment request responses transmitted by each of the multiple business operators B2 purchasing the credits. Furthermore, the purchasing business operator B3, who mediates the performance-linked credits, pays a payment to each of the multiple business operators B1 cultivating the seaweed beds. Business operator B3, which acts as an intermediary in purchasing performance-linked credits, receives intermediation fees from multiple businesses B1 that cultivate seaweed beds and multiple businesses B2 that purchase the credits.

[0039] According to the seaweed bed evaluation system 1b of the second modified embodiment, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b further includes a derivation unit 111b that derives the area of ​​the aquatic plant based on the growth conditions of the algae contained in the aquatic plant measured by the measurement means 300, and an evaluation value calculation unit 112b that calculates an evaluation value of the aquatic plant based on the area of ​​the aquatic plant derived by the derivation unit 111b, in the above-mentioned seaweed bed evaluation device 100 or seaweed bed evaluation device 100a. By configuring in this way, the derivation unit 111b can derive the area of ​​the aquatic plant based on the growth conditions of the algae contained in the aquatic plant measured by the measurement means 300, and the evaluation value calculation unit 112b can calculate the evaluation value of the aquatic plant based on the area of ​​the aquatic plant derived by the derivation unit 111b. Therefore, the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b can derive an evaluation value for calculating the price of the aquatic plant. The seaweed bed evaluation device 100b further comprises a value calculation unit 113b that calculates a value based on the evaluation value of the aquatic plant community calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit 112b, and a value request unit 114b that requests the value calculated by the value calculation unit 113b from a business entity that purchases credits related to the aquatic plant community. With this configuration, the value calculation unit 113b can calculate a value based on the evaluation value of the aquatic plant community, and the value request unit 114b can request the value from a business entity that purchases credits related to the aquatic plant community. Therefore, the business entity B3 that intermediates the performance-linked credits and has the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 can intermediate credits between the business entity B1 that cultivates aquatic plants and the business entity B2 that intermediates credits. In the seaweed bed evaluation device 100b, the fee request unit 114b pays a fee to the business operator who cultivates the aquatic plant community based on the fee paid by the business operator who purchases the credits related to the aquatic plant community. By configuring it in this way, the business operator B3 who intermediates the performance-linked credit and has the seaweed bed evaluation device 100 can intermediate the credits between the business operator B1 who cultivates the aquatic plant community and the business operator B2 who intermediates the credits.

[0040] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope of the present invention are also included. For example, a computer program for realizing the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the computer program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Note that the "computer system" referred to here may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, "computer-readable recording media" refers to writable non-volatile memories such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and flash memories, portable media such as DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) inside computer systems that act as servers or clients when a computer program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium, or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be a program for implementing some of the above-mentioned functions, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1, 1a, 1b... seaweed bed evaluation system, 100, 100a, 100b... seaweed bed evaluation device, 102... communication unit, 104... acquisition unit, 105... processing unit, 106... determination unit, 107... output unit, 108a... adjustment unit, 109a... selection unit, 111b... derivation unit, 112b... evaluation value calculation unit, 113b... consideration calculation unit, 114b... consideration request unit, 110... storage unit, 110a... algae growth conditions, 110b... seaweed bed related information, 200... server, 300... measurement means, 302-1 to 302-3... aerial drones, 302-4... underwater drones, 302-5... surface drones

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around aquatic plant communities; a determination unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit; Equipped with The environmental information includes meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plant community, The determination unit determines to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group based on the meteorological information around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit and predetermined meteorological conditions.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around aquatic plant communities; a determination unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit; Equipped with The acquisition unit acquires rainfall information near a river connected to the aquatic plant community, The determination unit determines, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit, to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the rainfall exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount.

3. An acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around aquatic plant communities; a determination unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit; Equipped with The acquisition unit acquires information for identifying a type and an amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community, The determination unit determines to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group when the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit exceed a predetermined condition based on information identifying the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit.

4. An acquisition unit that acquires environmental information around aquatic plant communities; a determination unit that determines a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit; a selection unit that selects a measurement means for measuring the growth state of algae contained in the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; An evaluation device comprising:

5. The environmental information includes meteorological information about the surroundings of the aquatic plant community, The evaluation device according to claim 2 , wherein the determination unit determines to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on the meteorological information around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit and a specified meteorological condition.

6. The evaluation device described in claim 1 or claim 5, wherein the determination unit decides to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on the meteorological information around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit and the meteorological conditions suitable for growth associated with the information identifying the type of algae included in the aquatic plant group, based on information identifying one or more types of algae and information associating each of the information identifying the one or more types of algae with meteorological conditions suitable for growth.

7. 6. The evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the meteorological information includes at least one of air temperature information, water temperature information, sunshine duration information, and rainfall information around the aquatic plant community.

8. The acquisition unit acquires rainfall information near a river connected to the aquatic plant community, The evaluation device according to any one of claims 1, 3 and 4, wherein the determination unit determines to measure the growth condition of the aquatic plant group when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined amount of rainfall based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit.

9. The acquisition unit acquires information for identifying a type and an amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community, The evaluation device according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, wherein the determination unit determines to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group when the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit exceed a predetermined condition based on information identifying the type and amount of the seafood caught around the aquatic plant group acquired by the acquisition unit.

10. an adjustment unit that adjusts a timing for issuing an instruction to a measurement unit that measures the growth state of the aquatic plant based on a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant when the determination unit determines to measure the growth state of the aquatic plant. The evaluation device according to claim 1 or 5, further comprising:

11. A selection section for selecting a measurement means for measuring the growth state of algae contained in the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group. The evaluation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

12. The evaluation device according to claim 11 , wherein the selection unit selects a moving body as the measurement means.

13. a deriving unit that derives an area of ​​the aquatic plant group based on the growth state of algae contained in the aquatic plant group measured by the measuring means; an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value of the aquatic plant group based on the area of ​​the aquatic plant group derived by the derivation unit; The evaluation device according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising:

14. a price calculation unit that calculates a price based on the evaluation value of the aquatic plant group calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit; a price request unit that requests the price calculated by the price calculation unit from a business entity that purchases credits related to the aquatic plant group; The evaluation device of claim 13 further comprising:

15. The evaluation device according to claim 14 , wherein the compensation request unit pays compensation to the business operator who cultivates the aquatic plant group based on the compensation paid by the business operator who purchases credits related to the aquatic plant group.

16. Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; A step of determining to measure the growth state of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information around the aquatic plant group and a predetermined weather condition; 23. A computer implemented evaluation method comprising:

17. Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; Obtaining rainfall information near a river connected to the aquatic plant community; A step of determining, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group, to measure the growth state of the aquatic plant group when the rainfall amount exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount; 23. A computer implemented evaluation method comprising:

18. Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; obtaining information identifying the type and amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community; determining, based on information specifying the type and amount of the marine products caught around the aquatic plant community, to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant community when the type and amount of the marine products exceed a predetermined condition; 23. A computer implemented evaluation method comprising:

19. Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; selecting a measurement means for measuring the growth state of algae contained in the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; 23. A computer implemented evaluation method comprising:

20. On the computer, Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; A step of determining to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant group based on meteorological information around the aquatic plant group and a predetermined weather condition; A computer program that executes the following:

21. On the computer, Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; Obtaining rainfall information near a river connected to the aquatic plant community; A step of determining, based on the rainfall information near the river connected to the aquatic plant group, to measure the growth state of the aquatic plant group when the rainfall amount exceeds a predetermined rainfall amount; A computer program that executes the following:

22. On the computer, Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; obtaining information identifying the type and amount of marine products caught around the aquatic plant community; determining, based on information specifying the type and amount of the marine products caught around the aquatic plant community, to measure the growth status of the aquatic plant community when the type and amount of the marine products exceed a predetermined condition; A computer program that executes the following:

23. On the computer, Obtaining environmental information around aquatic plants; A step of determining a frequency of acquiring the environmental information around the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; selecting a measurement means for measuring the growth state of algae contained in the aquatic plant group based on the environmental information around the aquatic plant group; A computer program that executes the following:

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