Regional information management device, regional information management method, and regional information management program

Abstract

To provide a regional information management apparatus, a method and a program for ensuring objectivity of evaluations of word-of-mouth information that companies or individuals refer to in considering relocation or migration to a regional location, and maintaining freshness of word-of-mouth information credibility regardless of the lapse of time.SOLUTION: A regional information management apparatus 1 is configured to: determine a region of a financial institution associated with individual users in accordance with accesses from terminals 2, 3 of the individual users and receive posts of word-of-mouth information regarding the region; evaluate the credibility of the word-of-mouth information on the basis of the credibility of the individual users and register, and manage the word-of-mouth information in association with the evaluated credibility in a word-of-mouth management unit 61; disclose the word-of-mouth information registered on the word-of-mouth management unit 61 in accordance with accesses from the terminals of the individual users and the credibility associated therewith so as to be browsed; receive evaluations of the word-of-mouth information through operation from the terminals of the individual users; and update the credibility associated with the word-of-mouth information disclosed in the word-of-mouth management unit on the basis of the received evaluations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a regional information management device, a regional information management method, and a regional information management program.

Background Art

[0002] In fact, Japan's population distribution is concentrated in urban areas. In urban areas, there are economic as well as social merits, but on the other hand, there are problems such as high housing prices, the problem of waiting children, the shortage of nursing services, and the magnification of damage caused by large-scale disasters such as the Tokai Earthquake. On the other hand, in local areas, there are many local governments that have problems such as a declining birthrate and aging population, depopulation, and hollowing out of industries.

[0003] Today, the development of IT infrastructure is remarkable, and in companies, a business environment centered on telework is being established as a measure against the novel coronavirus pandemic, so it is considered that the social situation is in a state where local decentralization can be promoted for individuals and companies.

[0004] When a company considers relocating to a local area or an individual considers moving to a local area, the information that each wants to confirm from the current environmental background is different. For a company, in view of rent, floor area, and IT infrastructure environment, points such as whether it can continue the same business as the current situation and whether it is possible to invest in a new business in a local area are emphasized, and it is a major premise that the credibility of this information is high.

[0005] For an individual, important items such as being single, living expenses for the family, the level of fulfillment of hobbies, childbirth, and child-rearing environment are different, but the information on the Internet has a large amount of information, and there is a problem that it takes time to investigate and organize the information one wants. In addition to this, there is also a problem that the credibility of information sources for information such as word-of-mouth information is unclear.

[0006] What both companies and individuals have in common is that, as users of local information, the credibility of that information is the most important factor, and it is desirable to obtain and utilize such information.

[0007] There are proposals that link the credibility of such information to the credibility of the poster (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2). Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which users who have actually used a store post reviews about the store, and when other users view these reviews, access is restricted according to the credibility of the posting user. Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which experts post reviews and evaluations of products and services on the internet to increase the credibility of reviews. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-196120 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-136819 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] When people use word-of-mouth information to decide on actions for purposes such as dining or travel, they can simply find a different destination next time if they are not satisfied with the experience, so it is unlikely that it will have a significant impact on their lives. On the other hand, for companies and individuals seriously considering relocating or moving to a rural area, decisions made based on local information such as word-of-mouth can have a direct and significant impact on the company's management or the individual's life.

[0010] While Patent Documents 1 and 2 link the trustworthiness of the poster of the word-of-mouth information to the trustworthiness of the word-of-mouth information itself, word-of-mouth information is one-way information transmitted from the poster to the viewers. In this system, it is difficult to obtain objectivity as information because the viewers' evaluation of the word-of-mouth information is not reflected. Such word-of-mouth information is merely information that depends on the poster.

[0011] For example, Amazon.com (registered trademark), a well-known online shopping site.<URL:https: / / www.amazon.co.jp / > After purchasing a product, buyers can post product reviews. For prospective buyers (viewers), if a product review provides helpful information that assists in their purchase decision, they can rate the review itself.

[0012] Regarding the evaluation of product reviews, viewers can add points to a review if they found it helpful. In this case, the system is not based on whether the content of the review is good or bad, but rather on a point-based system where points are added if the viewer agrees with the review's content.

[0013] Therefore, since negative factors are not reflected in the product review ratings, it is difficult to ensure the objectivity of the information. Furthermore, as time passes after the product review is posted, it becomes difficult for viewers to judge the quality of the product review in terms of its freshness.

[0014] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a regional information management device, a regional information management method, and a regional information management program that can maintain the objectivity of word-of-mouth evaluations and maintain the freshness of the credibility of word-of-mouth information regardless of the passage of time, when companies and individuals are considering relocating or moving to a rural area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the above objectives, one embodiment of the present invention is a regional information management device that publishes word-of-mouth information about a region to terminals connected via a network, comprising: a personal management unit that links to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions where they reside in each region, and registers transaction information with said financial institutions and a credit rating based on predetermined screening criteria; a word-of-mouth management unit that permits access from terminals of individual users registered in the personal management unit, determines the region of the financial institution linked to the individual user in response to the access, accepts the posting of word-of-mouth information about the region, evaluates the credit rating of the posted word-of-mouth information based on the credit rating registered in the personal management unit, and links and registers the evaluated credit rating; a word-of-mouth publication unit that permits access from terminals of individual users registered in the personal management unit, and makes the word-of-mouth information registered in the word-of-mouth management unit and the credit rating linked to said word-of-mouth information viewable in response to the access; and a word-of-mouth evaluation unit that receives evaluations of the word-of-mouth information published in the word-of-mouth publication unit through operation from the individual user's terminal, and updates the credit rating linked to the published word-of-mouth information in the word-of-mouth management unit based on the received evaluation.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention is a regional information management method for disclosing word-of-mouth information about a predetermined region to terminals connected to a server via a network, comprising: a personal management step of registering transaction information with a financial institution and a credit rating based on predetermined screening criteria to the server, linked to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions where they reside in each region; and a personal management step of allowing access from terminals of individual users registered to the server in the personal management step, determining the region of the financial institution linked to the individual user in response to the access, accepting the posting of word-of-mouth information about that region, and evaluating the credit rating of the posted word-of-mouth information based on the credit rating registered to the server in the personal management step. The system is characterized by including: a word-of-mouth management step of registering and managing the valued credibility on the server; a word-of-mouth information disclosure step of the server, which allows access from the terminal of an individual user registered on the server in the personal management step, and in response to such access, makes the word-of-mouth information registered on the server in the word-of-mouth management step and the credibility associated with such word-of-mouth information publicly available to the accessing terminal; and a word-of-mouth evaluation step of the server, which receives an evaluation of the word-of-mouth information disclosed in the word-of-mouth information disclosure step via an operation from the individual user's terminal, and updates the credibility associated with the disclosed word-of-mouth information in the word-of-mouth management step based on the received evaluation.

[0017] Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention is a regional information management program for a system that publishes word-of-mouth information about a region to terminals connected to a server having memory via a network, comprising: a personal management step in which the server's computer registers transaction information with financial institutions and a credit rating based on predetermined screening criteria, linked to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions located in each region, in the memory; and permission to access from terminals of individual users registered in the memory in the personal management step, determining the region of the financial institution linked to the individual user in response to the access, accepting the posting of word-of-mouth information about that region, and based on the credit rating registered in the memory in the personal management step for the posted word-of-mouth information. The system is characterized by executing the following steps: a review management step which evaluates the credibility of the review information and registers and manages the evaluated credibility in the memory; a review information disclosure step which allows access from the terminal of an individual user registered in the memory in the individual management step and, in response to such access, makes the review information registered in the memory and the credibility associated with the review information available to the accessing terminal in the review management step; and a review evaluation step which receives an evaluation of the review information disclosed in the review information disclosure step via an operation from the individual user's terminal and updates the credibility associated with the disclosed review information in the review management step based on the received evaluation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a regional information management device, a regional information management method, and a regional information management program that can maintain the objectivity of word-of-mouth information, which companies and individuals use as a reference when considering relocating to a rural area, by unifying the evaluation criteria of posters and viewers, and furthermore, can maintain the freshness of the credibility of word-of-mouth information regardless of the passage of time. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows an example of the configuration of a regional information management device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the word-of-mouth credibility evaluation method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of personal user data management according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of business operator data management according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the management contents of personal user data management and word-of-mouth management section according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the regional information management device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display of a word-of-mouth post according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 9A] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display of keyword search according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 9B] It is an explanatory diagram showing another display example of keyword search according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of calculating reduction points according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation related to search linkage according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation related to search linkage according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of maintaining freshness with respect to word-of-mouth information according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. [Figure 14] It is an explanatory diagram showing the change in word-of-mouth evaluation by a line graph according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings are merely illustrative examples for explaining the present invention, and have been omitted or simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Also, unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0021] In the following explanation, identical or similar configurations may be denoted by the same code, and redundant explanations may be omitted. Also, in the following explanation, the terms "ID" and "number" are used to represent identification information, but these can be substituted for each other. Furthermore, in the following explanation, "database" will be abbreviated as "DB" and "table" as "TBL".

[0022] <Embodiment 1> Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 10. First, the overall configuration will be described using Figures 1 to 6. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the regional information management device according to Embodiment 1, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram explaining the word-of-mouth credibility evaluation method according to Embodiment 1, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of individual user data management according to Embodiment 1, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of business operator data management according to Embodiment 1, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of individual user data management and the management contents of the word-of-mouth management unit according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 6 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the regional information management device according to Embodiment 1.

[0023] The regional information management device 1 of this embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 1, for example, is composed of a creditworthiness evaluation unit 10, a point processing unit 20, a personal management unit 30, a business management unit 40, a business activity registration unit 50, a word-of-mouth information processing unit 60, a word-of-mouth publication unit 70, and the like, and is connected to terminals such as mobile terminals and PCs with communication functions via an intranet, as an example of a network. Regarding terminals, for the sake of explanation, we will distinguish between business operators and individual users and give business operator terminal 2 and individual user terminal 3 as examples.

[0024] In this first embodiment, an intranet is given as an example of a network, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any network such as the internet or a VPN (Virtual Private Network) may be used as long as privacy protection and security can be ensured.

[0025] The creditworthiness evaluation unit 10 is equipped with creditworthiness evaluation criteria 11 as table-formatted data for evaluating the creditworthiness of customer reviews from account holders (individual users). The points processing unit 20 calculates and awards reward points to individual users and businesses who have opened accounts, respectively, according to the creditworthiness evaluated for each piece of customer review.

[0026] The personal management unit 30 is equipped with a Transaction and Points Table 31 for registering and managing transaction information and reward points with financial institutions for each individual user who is an account holder, and a Personal Credit Rating Table 32 by Customer Reviews for calculating reward points. The reward points in the Transaction and Points Table 31 can be viewed by the individual user terminal 3, which is the information source, and the individual user terminal 3 can register information such as transaction information with financial institutions as transaction information.

[0027] The business management unit 40 is equipped with a transaction and points table 41 for registering and managing transaction information and reward points with financial institutions for each business that is an account holder, and a business credit rating table 42 by customer reviews for calculating reward points. The reward points in the transaction and points table 41 can be referenced by the business terminal 2, which is the information provider, and the business terminal 2 can register information regarding transactions with financial institutions and business activity information as transaction information.

[0028] The Business Activity Registration Unit 50 is equipped with a Business Activity Information Table 51 that reads, registers, and manages business activity information registered in the Transaction and Points Table 41 of the Business Management Unit 40. The Word-of-Mouth Information Processing Unit 60 is equipped with a Word-of-Mouth Management Unit 61 that manages word-of-mouth information and the credibility (credibility rating) of each word-of-mouth piece, and a Word-of-Mouth Evaluation Unit 63 that receives word-of-mouth evaluations from individual user terminals 3 and business terminals 2 (information users, i.e., viewers).

[0029] The review management unit 61 registers and manages review information posted from individual user terminals 3, and also has a review and credibility table 62 that receives and registers review evaluations from the review evaluation unit 63.

[0030] The review publishing unit 70 acquires review and credibility data from the review and credibility table 62, as well as business activity information from the business activity information table 51, and provides and publishes this information to individual user terminals 3 and business terminals 2 that access it via the network. The review publishing unit 70 is equipped with a keyword search unit 71 that performs keyword searches on the review information in response to access from individual user terminals 3 and business terminals 2.

[0031] Next, we will explain the creditworthiness assessment criteria 11 using Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the creditworthiness assessment criteria 11 consists of credit criteria for evaluating individual users who have opened accounts, and three types of assessment criteria for evaluating word-of-mouth information posted by individual users.

[0032] This creditworthiness assessment criterion 11 serves as an evaluation axis for each individual user review, calculating and determining points for each review. Therefore, if an individual user posts two or more reviews, the points calculated for each review are totaled to obtain a total point total, which is the point reward for the account holder.

[0033] Credit criteria are linked to individual users' assets, income, etc., and are used not only when reviewing loan limits, etc., but also, for example, to assign points on a five-point scale. The review criteria are information that defines the standards for evaluating the number of years an individual user who has opened an account with a financial institution has resided in the region where the financial institution is located (hereinafter referred to as "regional residency period"), the individual user's transaction history with the bank (frequency of overdraft use), and the viewer's evaluation of the individual user's word-of-mouth information.

[0034] Of course, this is based on the premise that the individual user who submits the review has an address within the region where the financial institution is located. However, individual users who plan to relocate to that region can also open an account, in which case the length of stay in the region, as described later, will be used as data for calculating the reward points. Similarly, businesses can also open accounts if they have plans to relocate.

[0035] Regarding the evaluation criteria for length of stay in a region, instead of simply evaluating the length of stay of individual users, the regional engagement rate is defined as the amount of time spent and activities within the region where the financial institution is located, and is calculated excluding sleep time (with daily living hours defined as 7:00-22:00).

[0036] For individual users employed within the region where the financial institution is located, as shown in Figure 2, working hours are set within a 15-hour period excluding sleep. For example, determining these working hours can be done simply by the individual user submitting documents or other relevant information to the financial institution.

[0037] For example, if an individual user spends almost all of their time within their local area, their working hours would be 15 hours, resulting in a local employment rate of 100%. Of course, if they regularly engage in activities outside their local area for, say, 7.5 hours outside of work hours, then 7.5 hours would be subtracted from 15 hours, resulting in a working time of 7.5 hours. In this case, the local employment rate would be 50%.

[0038] Furthermore, there are cases where individuals reside within the region but are employed by companies outside that region. In such cases, contrary to employment within the region, the 6 hours remaining after subtracting the working hours (for example, 9 hours from 9:00 to 18:00) from their living time (15 hours) are set as their time spent working within the region. Of course, if there is a significant difference in working hours, such as in part-time or temporary work, it is acceptable to adjust the time spent working within the region.

[0039] In this way, when evaluating the length of stay in a region, as shown in Figure 2, the length of stay can be divided into five stages. For example, 1 point can be assigned to stays of 0-5 years, 2 points to stays of 6-10 years, 3 points to stays of 11-15 years, 4 points to stays of 16-20 years, and 5 points to stays of 21 years or more. By multiplying each of these stages by the regional engagement rate, it becomes possible to calculate points that correspond to the true length of stay in the region.

[0040] Furthermore, the above-mentioned evaluation of years of residence in a region will also apply to individual users whose address is in a region different from that of the financial institution. In other words, the regional employment rate will be calculated based on whether work outside of sleep time is within or outside the financial institution's region. Note that for work outside the region, the time spent working within the region will be considered zero, and therefore the evaluation of years of residence in the region will not be possible, resulting in zero points. The above calculation method is just one example and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, points can be assigned to evaluate the status of transactions with the bank based on the frequency of overdraft use. Specifically, 5 points can be assigned for 0 uses per month, 3 points for 1 use per month, and 1 point for 2 or more uses per month.

[0042] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, viewer ratings can be directly assigned as evaluation values. Specifically, viewer ratings are limited to two options. If a viewer rates the review positively, they receive a "Good" rating and +1 point; if they rate it negatively, they receive a "Bad" rating and -1 point. If an individual user's total points are 0, no further points will be deducted. The above point allocation is just one example and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0043] Thus, the creditworthiness rating for each review is determined by summing the points, which are evaluated on a five-point scale based on credit criteria, and the three types of points, which are based on screening criteria. This creditworthiness rating is then added directly to the points awarded to individual users. The creditworthiness rating is reviewed, for example, on a monthly basis. Of course, it doesn't have to be monthly; it could be quarterly or at the end of the fiscal year, and that would be within the scope of the design.

[0044] Furthermore, regarding the reward points for business owners who open accounts, if a viewer gives a "Good" rating when the business information is included in the review, one point will be added. The total reward points will be the sum of the points earned from the ratings of each review. The above point allocation is just one example and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0045] Next, we will explain each table in this embodiment 1 using Figures 3, 4, and 5. First, we will explain the data management for individual users using Figure 3.

[0046] Data management is handled by the Transactions and Points TBL 31 located in the Personal Management Department 30. In the Transactions and Points TBL 31, information about individual users is registered and managed for regional codes "001", ..., "008", ..., which are assigned to each location of the financial institution. For example, under regional code "001", account information "P111", account information "PA01", username "ABC", name "Yamada...", contact information "Iwate Prefecture...", account opening date "2020.5.1", transaction history "...", creditworthiness information "...", and reward points "43" are registered and managed in association with each other.

[0047] In this embodiment 1, for illustrative purposes, an example is given where account holders and financial institutions are linked by a regional code and there is only one branch of the same financial institution in the same region. However, if there are multiple branches, methods such as adding a branch code to the regional code may be used. Of course, in addition to the regional code, regular financial institution codes and branch codes may also be used to link account holders and financial institutions or to identify financial institutions, and these methods are not limited to this embodiment.

[0048] Since account information "P333" belongs to the same region as "P111," it is registered and managed in association with its region code "001," as shown in Figure 3. Account information "P888" belongs to a different region, so it is registered and managed in association with its region code "008," as shown in Figure 3.

[0049] Next, we will explain the data management for businesses using Figure 4. This data management is handled by the Transactions and Points TBL 41 established in the Business Management Department 40. In the Transactions and Points TBL 41, as with the individual users described above, information about businesses is registered and managed for the regional codes "001", ..., "008", ..., which are assigned to each location of the financial institution.

[0050] For example, under the regional code "001," the following information is linked, registered, and managed: account information "C111," account details "CA01," company name "(X Home Appliances Co., Ltd.)," contact information "Iwate Prefecture...," category "Furniture / Home Appliances," business activity information "...," account opening date "2019.2.1," transaction history "...," creditworthiness information "...," and reward points "200." Here, business activity information refers to information describing the business's activities, such as its products and services.

[0051] Since account information "C333" belongs to the same region as "C111," it is registered and managed in association with its region code "001," as shown in Figure 4. Account information "C888" belongs to a different region, so it is registered and managed in association with its region code "008," as shown in Figure 4.

[0052] Next, the word-of-mouth management of this embodiment 1 will be explained using Figure 5. Word-of-mouth management is performed by the word-of-mouth and credibility table 62. As shown in Figure 5, the word-of-mouth and credibility table 62 registers and manages the following for each individual user, associated with the region code, account information, username, word-of-mouth information and posting date for the same individual user, word-of-mouth information, Good and Bad ratings (viewer ratings) managed for each word-of-mouth information, credibility for each word-of-mouth information, and keyword search count, which indicates the number of times the word-of-mouth information was found through keyword searches.

[0053] For example, in the case of account information "PA01," new reviews were posted on March 1, 2019, May 15, 2020, and December 20, 2021. In the case of the review posted on December 20, 2021, the total number of Good ratings up to that point is 10 points, the total number of Bad ratings up to that point is -1 point, and the points calculated from the evaluation of the length of stay in the region and the evaluation of the transaction status with the bank, as shown in Figure 2, are added together to determine a credit score of 20 points. The same applies to other posting dates and other account information, as shown in Figure 5.

[0054] Furthermore, while keyword search counts can be managed as tags, allowing us to recommend top-ranking keywords to viewers, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0055] Furthermore, the data management necessary to calculate reward points is handled by the Review-Specific Individual Credit Rating TBL32. This Review-Specific Individual Credit Rating TBL32 is constructed by acquiring some data for each account from the reviews and credit rating TBL62. As shown in Figure 5, the Review-Specific Individual Credit Rating TBL32 registers and manages account information, usernames, posting dates for each review, review information for each review, and the credit rating for each review, all linked to the regional code.

[0056] In Figure 5, for illustrative purposes, only the account information "PA01" for region code "001," enclosed in a thick border 620, is shown, and the individual trust level TBL32 by review is constructed as indicated by the arrow AR. In reality, each account is registered and managed separately.

[0057] The username "ABC" is associated with information about three user reviews. The posting dates for each review are March 1, 2019, May 15, 2020, and December 20, 2021, and the corresponding credibility ratings of "20," "12," and "11" are registered.

[0058] The individual trust rating table (TBL32) for each review contains the trust ratings of individual users, and when a review is posted, that trust rating is registered in the review and the trust rating table (TBL62). When a new viewer's rating is added, the review management unit (61) updates the trust ratings in the review and the trust rating table (TBL62) in real time.

[0059] Next, the hardware configuration will be explained using Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the regional information management device 1 consists of a CPU 101 that controls the entire device, a memory 103 that stores programs 102 such as the processing according to this embodiment 1 for the CPU 101 to execute, and also stores various data being executed, an operating device 104 equipped with a keyboard and a display device, an external storage device 105 that registers various data and stores and manages them as a database, a communication IF 106 connected to the network 200 and responsible for communication with external terminals (for example, individual user terminal 3, business operator terminal 2), and a bus 107 connected to each unit within the device and responsible for communication of data, signals, etc. within the device.

[0060] The external storage device 105 registers and manages the creditworthiness assessment criteria TBL11, transaction and points TBL31 and 41, business activity information TBL51, word-of-mouth and creditworthiness TBL62, etc., as shown in Figure 1.

[0061] Next, the operation of this embodiment 1 will be explained using Figures 7, 8, 9A, and 9B. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of this embodiment 1, Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how review posts are displayed according to this embodiment 1, Figure 9A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how review posts are displayed based on a keyword search according to this embodiment 1, and Figure 9B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how business activity information is displayed based on a keyword search according to this embodiment 1. Each operation is realized by the CPU 101 executing the program 102 shown in Figure 6.

[0062] In this embodiment 1, the process of the regional information management device 1 receiving and publishing reviews from individual users who have opened an account will be described, but businesses that have opened an account will also have an account and will be able to post reviews or rate reviews as viewers.

[0063] Furthermore, since the procedures for opening accounts and obtaining accounts by individual users and businesses are general processes, we will omit explanations here and focus on explaining review posting, viewer viewing, and ratings. For the table-based listing (TBL) configuration in each process, please refer to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, which have already been explained.

[0064] In the regional information management device 1, when access from a personal user terminal 3 is accepted via the network 200, the personal management unit 30 references the transaction and point TBL 31 and performs authentication processing for the personal user (step S701). Furthermore, once the personal management unit 30 confirms that the user is a registered personal user, it transmits the data necessary for operation to the personal user terminal 3.

[0065] Figure 8 shows an example. The personal user terminal 3 displays a menu screen, or operation screen 301, as shown in Figure 8, and the operation items displayed include a review posting button 3002, a review viewing button 3003, a business activity viewing button 3004, a reward points button 3005 for checking reward points, and a service button 3006 for checking and setting various services. The personal management unit 30 receives operations on the operation screen 301 after it has been sent (step S7002).

[0066] In the personal management section 30, when a button is pressed, the target item of the operation is determined. If the review submission button 3002 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S704. If the review viewing button 3003 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S709. Operation of the business activity viewing button 3004, the reward points button 3005, or the service button 3006, as well as the termination operation, are handled as other processes.

[0067] In the case of a user review submission, the Personal Management Department 30 first refers to the Transaction and Points TBL 31 and makes a decision on whether to allow the review submission based on the transaction information linked to the individual user's account (Step S704). In this case, if, for example, a rating of "1" based on the credit criteria in Figure 2 is predetermined to mean that the user cannot submit a review, the individual user is notified of the denial of permission to submit a review, and the process returns to Step S702 (Step S705). The credit criteria used to determine the 5-level rating can be arbitrarily set according to the regulations of each financial institution.

[0068] If posting is permitted, the region code associated with the individual user's account information is first referenced to verify the region (step S706). Subsequently, processing is carried out for the verified region.

[0069] Next, through coordination with the Personal Management Department 30 and the Review Management Department 61, the submission of reviews and the registration of reviews and trust ratings to the Review and Trust Rating TBL 62 are executed (step S707). Screen display and operation acceptance are controlled by the Personal Management Department 30.

[0070] The operation screen 301 switches to the review posting screen as shown by the arrow A1 in Figure 8. The operation screen 301 displays a new post button 3007 for posting a new review and a past post button 3008 for viewing previously posted reviews.

[0071] When the operation of the new post button 3007 is accepted, the operation screen 301 switches to the review posting input screen as shown by the transition indicated by arrow A2. The operation screen 301 displays user information such as the username, as well as an end button 3009 for ending the review posting, a review input field 3010 for entering review information using the keys on the personal user terminal 3, a post button 3011 for posting the entered review information, a back button 3012 for returning to the previous screen which is the destination indicated by arrow A2, and a past posts field 3013 for viewing past posts.

[0072] When an individual user enters review information into the review input field 3010 and the submit button 3011 is pressed, the individual user's credibility rating and the new review information are registered and managed in the review and credibility table 62.

[0073] If the back button 3012 is pressed, the process returns to the previous step S707. If the exit button 3009 is pressed, the process returns to step 702.

[0074] Step S707 also includes processing for the case where the user clicks the "Previous Post" button 3008 instead of the "New Post" button 3007. In this case, the previous review that was posted in the past is displayed in the review display area 3014, as shown by the transition indicated by arrow A3 in Figure 8.

[0075] To the left and right of this review display area 3014, toggle buttons 3015 and 3016 are displayed. When toggle button 3016 is pressed, a process is executed to display reviews posted after the currently displayed review. When toggle button 3015 is pressed, a process is executed to display reviews posted before the currently displayed review.

[0076] Furthermore, if the operation of the review viewing button 3003 is accepted in step S703, the process proceeds to step S709, where the region selection screen is sent to the individual user terminal 3 and the selection operation is accepted. For this viewing, the review information processing unit 60 performs processing with the individual user terminal 3.

[0077] In this case, as shown in Figure 9A, the operation screen for selecting a region is displayed as shown by the transition indicated by arrow B1. For example, a region selection map 3021 is displayed for intuitively selecting a region by specifying its location using the shape of a map of Japan, an address search field 3022 is displayed for searching for and selecting a region by entering an address, a postal code search field 3023 is displayed for searching for and selecting a region by postal code, and a confirmation button 3024 is displayed for confirming the selected region. It is desirable to improve usability by allowing the selection of two or more locations at the region selection stage.

[0078] When one or more regions are confirmed by an individual user, the display is controlled as shown by the arrow B2 in Figure 9A, and includes a keyword search field 3025 consisting of fields for entering two keywords and buttons for performing a search, and a region list 3026 for the confirmed regions. The region list 3026 includes buttons for modifying or deleting regions, as well as a checkbox for selecting one region to be included in the keyword search.

[0079] When two keywords, "○○ district" and "children," are entered into the keyword search field 3025, and the search button is pressed with the first district checked in the region list 3025, a keyword search for the first district is executed, as shown by arrow B3 in Figure 9A, and the display of the review search results 3027 is controlled. This search process is performed on the reviews and credibility table 62 by the review management unit 61. Here, the keyword search is performed by the keyword search unit 71 shown in Figure 1.

[0080] As shown in Figure 9A, the search results 3027 display a credibility rating and an evaluation by the individual user viewing the review ("Your Rating") corresponding to the content of each review, and the user is allowed to input their rating (step S711). While inputting "Your Rating" is optional and not mandatory, users can choose a "Good" rating if they found the content helpful, or a "Bad" rating if they did not. In the example in Figure 9A, the selected buttons are shown in black, with four reviews corresponding to a "Good" rating and two reviews corresponding to a "Bad" rating.

[0081] When the selection results are received by the review management unit 61, 1 is added to the credibility score for each Good rating, and 1 is subtracted from the credibility score for each Bad rating. In this way, once a review rating is made, the credibility score is recalculated (step S712), and the credibility score is updated and managed in the review and credibility table 62 (step S713).

[0082] The search results 3027 shown in Figure 9A only show the search results; in reality, an exit button 3009 and a back button 3012 are also present. When the back button 3012 is pressed, the process returns to the keyword search screen as shown by arrow B3 (NO route in step S714). When the exit button 3009 is pressed, the process returns the operation screen 301 to the menu screen as shown by arrow B4 (YES route in step S714).

[0083] Furthermore, if an individual user operates the business activity viewing button 3004 on the menu screen, other processing (step S715) is executed. The details of the processing are omitted, but the screen transitions will be explained below using Figure 9B.

[0084] Even when viewing business activities, the screen display for selecting a region is controlled first, as shown by the transition of arrow C1 in Figure 9B. Once the region selection is complete, the screen display for keyword search is controlled, as shown by the transition of arrow C2. When viewing business information, one keyword is shown as an example, but multiple keywords are acceptable as this is a design consideration. Similar to word-of-mouth search, the selected region is displayed in the region list 3026. As an example, one region ("Iwate Prefecture...") is displayed, and one keyword ("nursery school") is entered in the keyword search field 3025.

[0085] When the search button is pressed in this state, the business activity registration unit 50 executes a search on the business activity information TBL 51. Then, as shown by the transition of arrow C3, the display of the business activity search results 3029 is controlled. As shown in Figure 9B, the group of buttons 3030 on the tree are displayed in these business activity search results 3029.

[0086] This group of buttons 3030 displays various types of information, including a business button that displays detailed business information attached to the search keyword "nursery school," a map button that shows the business's location on a map, and a category button that displays keywords included in the same category as nursery schools. By categorizing business activities in this way and structuring the business activity information TBL51, it becomes possible to make searches more efficient and convenient for viewers.

[0087] In this example of the business activity search results 3029, the back and exit buttons are omitted. Depending on the user's actions, the transition will be as shown by arrow C4 if the back button is pressed, and by arrow C5 if the exit button is pressed.

[0088] In step S703, if an operation other than posting or viewing reviews is performed, the process will proceed to step S715, where other processing corresponding to that operation will be executed.

[0089] Next, the calculation operation of reward points will be explained using Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of calculating reward points according to this embodiment 1. The processing here is carried out by the point processing unit 20 shown in Figure 1, which updates the transaction and point TBL 31.

[0090] The reward points are calculated according to the evaluation criteria shown in Figure 2, and represent the sum of the credibility ratings corresponding to all reviews for each individual user. In this embodiment 1, the calculation of reward points is performed monthly as a monthly process.

[0091] In the points processing unit 20, the date and time are obtained by a timer provided by the regional information management device 1 (step S1001), and if, for example, 10:00 AM on the last day of the month is confirmed (step S1002), the calculation of reward points for each individual user is performed. First, all of the trust rating evaluations for each review associated with the individual user are read from the review-specific individual trust rating TBL 32 (step S1003), and the total value of the trust rating evaluation is calculated (step S1004).

[0092] This total value is registered (updated) as reward points in the Transactions and Points TBL31 and managed (Step S1005).

[0093] In this way, the processes from step S1003 to step S1005 are executed for all individual users registered in the transaction and points TBL31. Once the registration (update) of all individual users is complete (step S1006), the calculation and registration (update) of reward points for each business operator is then performed (step S1007), and this process is completed.

[0094] Thus, in the case of businesses, they may adopt a method of adding +1 point for each review that is included in a review and receives a Good rating, or they may adopt other methods.

[0095] As explained above, according to this embodiment 1, when companies and individuals consider relocating or moving to a rural area, it is possible to unify the evaluation criteria of posters and viewers to maintain the objectivity of word-of-mouth information, and furthermore, to maintain the freshness of the word-of-mouth credibility regardless of the passage of time.

[0096] Furthermore, while the calculation of reward points was performed monthly in Embodiment 1 described above, it is also possible to perform it weekly or quarterly, and it goes without saying that there are no limitations on the period.

[0097] <Embodiment 2> In the aforementioned Embodiment 1, search results were obtained by separately searching for keywords related to customer reviews and business activity information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as in Embodiment 2, it may be possible to simultaneously search for business activity information in conjunction with the search keywords for customer reviews.

[0098] Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation according to Embodiment 2. In the following description, only the processes that differ from Embodiment 1 described above will be explained. For this reason, Figure 11 has changed the step numbers only for the processes that differ from Figure 7.

[0099] In this second embodiment, when a review is posted, as shown in Figure 11, after the region of the review poster is confirmed (step S706), and the review is accepted, the business activity information is linked to the review information and the current credibility level and registered and managed (step S1101). In this case, a method is applied in which a shared ID is prepared to link the review information registered in the review and credibility table 62 with the business activity information registered in the business activity information table 51. Of course, the linking between tables is not limited to this, and other methods may be used.

[0100] Furthermore, when viewing reviews, as shown in Figure 11, after selecting a region (step S709), the input of search keywords is accepted, and a single keyword search (search linkage) retrieves review information and business activity information linked to that review information by a shared ID, and the results of the search linkage are sent to the individual user terminal 3 (step S1102).

[0101] Thus, according to this second embodiment, it becomes possible to obtain search results for both customer reviews and business activity information simultaneously with a single keyword search, which not only improves search efficiency but also reduces the search burden on viewers.

[0102] <Embodiment 3> In the aforementioned Embodiment 1, search results were obtained by separately searching for keywords related to customer reviews and business activity information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as in Embodiment 3, it may be possible to search for customer reviews and business activity information simultaneously using a method different from that of Embodiment 2.

[0103] Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 12. Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation according to Embodiment 3. In the following description, only the processes that differ from Embodiment 1 described above will be explained. For this reason, Figure 12 has changed the step numbers only for the processes that differ from Figure 7.

[0104] In this embodiment 3, when a review is posted, as shown in Figure 12, after the region of the review poster is confirmed (step S706), and the review is accepted, the business activity information is linked to the review information and the current credibility level and registered and managed (step S1201). In this case, a method is applied that uses a link (URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), etc.) to link the review information registered in the review and credibility TBL62 with the business activity information registered in the business activity information TBL51.

[0105] Furthermore, when viewing reviews, as shown in Figure 12, after selecting a region (step S709), the user is prompted to enter search keywords. A single keyword search (search linkage) retrieves review information and business activity information linked to that review information, and the results of the search linkage are sent to the individual user terminal 3 (step S1202). In this case, the links displayed on the individual user terminal 3 are clickable. When the viewer clicks a link, the business activity information registered at the linked destination is retrieved and sent to the individual user terminal 3.

[0106] Thus, according to this embodiment 3, it is possible to embed links that allow users to view business activity information within the word-of-mouth information with a single keyword search and obtain both search results simultaneously. Similar to embodiment 2 described above, this not only improves search efficiency but also reduces the search burden on the viewer.

[0107] <Embodiment 4> In the embodiments described above, once a review was posted, that state was maintained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, as in Embodiment 4, a method may be adopted that provides valuable information to viewers who view review information, maintains the freshness of the review information, and prevents the continued erroneous evaluation of the credibility of the review poster.

[0108] Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 13 and 14. Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the freshness maintenance operation for word-of-mouth information according to Embodiment 4, and Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in word-of-mouth evaluation according to Embodiment 4 as a line graph. The process shown in Figure 13 is performed by the word-of-mouth management unit 61. An example of this process being performed as a monthly process is given, but the timing may be other than monthly, and the period may be freely designed.

[0109] First, the date and time are obtained (step S1301), and once 10:00 AM on the last day of the month is confirmed (step S1302), the credibility rating of each review associated with each individual user, i.e., the viewer rating, is read from the reviews and credibility TBL62, and the trend of increase or decrease in viewer ratings over the past three months is analyzed, for example.

[0110] This process is performed on an individual user basis. First, the viewer ratings for each review associated with the initial individual user for the past three months are read (step S1303), and an analysis of the increase or decrease in viewer ratings is performed for each review. As a result of this analysis, review information showing a certain decreasing trend is temporarily stored in memory 103 (step S1304).

[0111] Figure 14 shows, as an example, the viewer ratings of individual users A, B, and C from June to November. The vertical axis represents the credibility rating (viewer rating), and the horizontal axis represents the period (month). In the case of individual user A, the graph shows a slight decline before turning upward, and individual user C also maintains an upward trend. On the other hand, in the case of individual user C, the viewer rating increased slightly from June onwards, but declined sharply from September onwards. Since we are referring to viewer ratings for the past three months, September, October, and November are the months to be analyzed for increase / decrease.

[0112] Since it is important to communicate early alerts to individual users, we can consider a criterion for judgment, such as determining that there is a certain downward trend if there is a continuous decline for two months or more, and the total amount of point decreases is 5 points or more.

[0113] In the example in Figure 14, the review information from individual user B declined continuously over two months, from September to November, and the decline amount is 10 points (a drop from 15 points to 5 points), so it becomes a target for an alert. Of course, the continuous decline period and amount of decline are not limited to this and can be designed arbitrarily, and if categories are assigned to reviews, different judgment criteria can be set for each category.

[0114] In this way, once the review-based viewer evaluation for the first individual user is completed, the process returns to step S1303, and the same process is repeated until the processing for all individual users is complete (step S1306).

[0115] Once processing for all individual users is complete (the NO route in step S1306), the data that has shown a certain decreasing trend and has been temporarily stored in memory 103 is read out, and the analysis results are notified to the relevant individual users via email or other tools (step S1307). Of course, individual users may also be able to check the data from a menu screen in response to access from their individual user terminal 3.

[0116] Thus, according to this embodiment 4, the trends in viewer ratings are checked periodically and feedback is provided to the review posters. This allows review posters to respond to situations such as a decline in viewer ratings at a certain point in time by updating their reviews at an early stage. This has the effect of preventing the persistence of incorrect credibility assessments of review posters. As a result, it becomes possible to provide valuable information to viewers while maintaining the freshness of the review information.

[0117] In the embodiments described above, an example was shown where a user posts a review in the area where the financial institution opened their account. However, if it is possible to confirm that an individual user has registered their address or worked in the area where the same financial institution is located, or that a company has registered the area as its business location with the Legal Affairs Bureau, then it may be possible to post reviews about areas outside the area where the account was opened. In such cases, the credibility of the reviews can be enhanced by using coefficients based on the regional employment rate or how old the information is.

[0118] Of course, there are cases where users do not live in the area where the financial institution they opened their account with is located, or where they live outside that area but have a high local employment rate. Therefore, it is important that users first have an account with a financial institution, and then that they can select the area where they post their reviews based on their local employment rate.

[0119] Furthermore, according to the embodiments described above, for individuals and businesses planning to relocate to rural areas, the credibility of word-of-mouth information about the region directly impacts their lives and businesses. The ability to pinpoint and access word-of-mouth information and business activity information from individuals and businesses rooted in that region allows for efficient and time-saving information gathering, as it reduces the effort required to research and organize the information one needs, given the high credibility of the word-of-mouth and business activity information.

[0120] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment used financial institution services as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the invention can be broadly applied to membership-based services and other services suitable for sharing highly reliable information, as long as it unifies the evaluation criteria for posters and viewers and obtains an appropriate level of credibility for both parties. Examples of such fields include real estate, job placement, accommodation, travel, medical care, education, insurance, and e-commerce.

[0121] Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, if no results are found in the keyword search for review information, requests from viewers may be accepted. In this case, the requests received from viewers can be viewed by individual users and businesses who have opened accounts, and if there are individual users or businesses with information corresponding to the request, they can post it as new review information. In that case, the viewer who made the request should be notified of the status of the published review information corresponding to the request.

[0122] Furthermore, although categories are not assigned to the review information in the embodiments described above, a mechanism for automatic categorization may be incorporated by preparing a learning model (artificial intelligence) that estimates categories from the content of the review information. By automatically categorizing in this way, it becomes possible to provide viewers with the opportunity to view review information of the same type as the review information they are currently viewing. In this case, one possible method is to display categories that can be operated by buttons when displaying review information on the viewer's terminal, and to display similar review information according to the button operation for that category.

[0123] Each of the above-described configurations, functional units, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, in whole or in part, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Alternatively, each of the above-described configurations and functions may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing programs that realize each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in memory, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), or other recording devices, or in recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, or DVDs.

[0124] Furthermore, the arrangement of the various functional units, processing units, and databases of the regional information management device 1 described above is merely one example. The arrangement of the various functional units, processing units, and databases can be changed to the optimal arrangement from the perspective of the performance, processing efficiency, and communication efficiency of the hardware and software provided by these devices.

[0125] Furthermore, the configuration of the database (schema, etc.) used to store the various types of data mentioned above can be flexibly modified from the perspective of efficient resource utilization, improved processing efficiency, improved access efficiency, and improved search efficiency. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0126] 1 Regional information management device 2. Carrier terminals 3. Personal user terminals 10. Credit Rating Department 20-point processing unit 30 Personal Management Department 40 Business Management Department 50 Business Activity Registration Department 60 Customer Review Processing Department 61 Review Management Department 63 Customer Reviews 70 Customer Reviews 101 CPU 102 Programs 103 memory 104 Operating Devices 105 External storage device 106 Communication IF 107 Bus

Claims

1. A local information management device that publishes local word-of-mouth information to terminals connected via a network, The Personal Management Department registers and manages transaction information with financial institutions, linking it to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions where they reside in each region. The Review Management Department grants access from the terminals of individual users registered in the Personal Management Department, determines the region of the financial institution associated with the individual user based on the access, accepts the posting of review information related to that region, calculates the credibility of the review information based on the credibility assessment criteria, and registers and manages the credibility linked to the review information, The review disclosure unit allows access from the terminals of individual users registered in the aforementioned personal management unit, and in response to such access, makes publicly available the review information registered in the aforementioned review management unit and the credibility rating associated with such review information, A review evaluation unit receives evaluations of the review information published in the review publication unit through operations from the terminals of individual users, and updates the credibility level associated with the published review information in the review management unit based on the received evaluations. A regional information management device characterized by being equipped with

2. A local information management device according to claim 1, wherein the word-of-mouth publishing unit accepts keyword input from terminals authorized to access the word-of-mouth information and publishes word-of-mouth information containing the keyword and the credibility associated with the word-of-mouth information in a viewable format.

3. A regional information management device according to claim 2, further comprising: a business management unit that registers transaction information with financial institutions linked to businesses that have opened accounts with financial institutions located in each region; and a business activity registration unit that registers business activity information linked to businesses registered in the business management unit, wherein the word-of-mouth publication unit refers to the business management unit and the business activity registration unit to accept keyword input from terminals that have been granted access, and simultaneously publishes word-of-mouth information containing the keyword, the credibility associated with the word-of-mouth information, and business activity information containing the keyword, making them viewable at the same time.

4. A regional information management device according to claim 2, further comprising: a business management unit that links to businesses that have opened accounts with financial institutions located at addresses in each region and registers transaction information with said financial institutions; and a business activity registration unit that links to businesses registered in the business management unit and registers business activity information; wherein the word-of-mouth publication unit refers to the business management unit and the business activity registration unit to accept keyword input from terminals that have been granted access, publishes word-of-mouth information containing the keyword and the creditworthiness associated with the word-of-mouth information in a viewable manner, and adds to the word-of-mouth information information information of links to which business activity information containing the keyword is registered.

5. A regional information management device according to claim 2, characterized in that the word-of-mouth publication unit accepts a request regarding word-of-mouth information if it is unable to obtain word-of-mouth information containing the received keyword.

6. A regional information management device according to claim 2, characterized in that the word-of-mouth publishing unit accepts the selection of multiple regions from the terminal before accepting the keyword, and sets the accepted regions as search targets.

7. A regional information management device according to claim 1, further comprising: a business management unit that registers transaction information with financial institutions linked to businesses that have opened accounts with financial institutions located at addresses in each region; and a business activity registration unit that registers business activity information linked to businesses registered in the business management unit, wherein the word-of-mouth publication unit refers to the business management unit and the business activity registration unit to accept keyword input from terminals that have been granted access, and publishes business activity information containing the keyword in a viewable format.

8. A local information management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the word-of-mouth management unit updates the word-of-mouth information registered and managed in the word-of-mouth management unit in response to access from the terminal of the individual user who posted the word-of-mouth information.

9. A regional information management device according to claim 1, further comprising a point processing unit that calculates points usable for services provided by the financial institution based on the credibility of the word-of-mouth information registered and managed by the word-of-mouth management unit.

10. A regional information management device according to claim 9, wherein the word-of-mouth management unit adds the evaluations received by the word-of-mouth evaluation unit to the credibility associated with the word-of-mouth information, and the point processing unit calculates points for each individual user based on the credibility of all word-of-mouth information managed by the word-of-mouth management unit.

11. A regional information management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the word-of-mouth evaluation unit accepts either a positive or negative evaluation for the publicly available word-of-mouth information.

12. A local information management device according to claim 1, wherein the word-of-mouth management unit calculates a numerical value indicating the credibility of the word-of-mouth information.

13. A regional information management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the creditworthiness assessment criteria include a regional engagement rate indicating the proportion of time spent working within the region.

14. A method for managing regional information performed by a server, A personal management step involves registering and managing transaction information with financial institutions on the server, linked to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions where they reside in each region. A review management step which allows access from the terminals of individual users registered in the personal management step to the server, determines the region of the financial institution associated with the individual user based on the access, accepts the posting of review information related to that region, calculates the credibility of the review information based on the credibility assessment criteria, and registers and manages the credibility linked to the review information on the server, The server, in the personal management step, allows access from the terminal of an individual user registered with the server, and in response to such access, the review information disclosure step makes the review information registered with the server in the review management step and the credibility associated with such review information publicly available for viewing by the accessing terminal. The server receives evaluations of the review information published in the review information publication step via an operation from the individual user's terminal, and updates the credibility associated with the published review information in the review management step based on the received evaluations in the review evaluation step. A method for managing regional information, characterized by including the following:

15. A regional information management program for a system that publishes local word-of-mouth information to terminals connected to a server with memory via a network, The computer of the aforementioned server, A personal management step involves registering and managing transaction information with financial institutions in the memory, linked to individual users who have opened accounts with financial institutions where they reside in each region. A review management step which allows access from the terminal of an individual user registered in the memory in the personal management step, determines the region of the financial institution associated with the individual user in response to the access, accepts the posting of review information related to that region, calculates the credibility of the review information based on the credibility assessment criteria, and registers and manages the credibility linked to the review information in the memory, The personal management step allows access from the terminal of the individual user registered in the memory, and the review information disclosure step makes the review information registered in the memory and the credibility associated with the review information available for viewing to the accessing terminal in response to such access. A review evaluation step receives evaluations of the review information published in the review information publication step via an operation from the individual user's terminal, and updates the credibility associated with the published review information in the review management step based on the received evaluations, A regional information management program characterized by its ability to execute certain actions.

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