—Why did you choose to pursue platform studies?
I am involved in research on aquaculture. While mulling the idea of pursuing research in this area that would benefit society at large, I was motivated by the realization that current research in the field is insufficient and approaches that harness information technology are needed. Fish farmers have expressed a desire for the development of underwater sensing equipment (for fish cages) that can be used to count the number of fish inside the cages as well as measure their growth rates. I am pursuing this research in an effort to satisfy that desire. Thinking about the knowledge I would need to develop a monitoring system capable of continuously gathering, uploading, and analyzing data to understand the underwater situations in the fish cages, I decided I wanted to study informatics.
—What research themes are you currently working on?
I am engaged in developing technologies related to aquaculture. In particular, I am researching a method that utilizes acoustic data to measure the volumetric size of cultured fish in the underwater environment. Fish size is usually measured by lifting the fish out of the water, but this is an arduous and time-consuming task for the human worker, as well as a task that causes stress and the risk of death for the fish. If there is a device that can be used underwater in the cage to measure fish size in real time, that would facilitate feed selection according to their growth rate. The cost of feed is reported to account for 70 percent of the total in aquaculture expenditures, and of that, approx. 20–30 percent is considered to be wasted. In the future, it is anticipated that eliminating this wasteful use of feed will help alleviate some of its harmful effects, including the pollution of water and the marine environment.
—What have you gained through the School of Platforms program?
I have gained knowledge of information and communications technology. Although I was already experienced in the use of the internet and server systems, I did not have any deep knowledge of the mechanisms involved in data communications or the types of routes used for data transfers. Additionally, through the Seminar Series and lectures, we learned about case studies and, through emulation, built use models that I realized I could actually use in my own research.
—If the goal is to improve the world just a little from where it stands today, what do you think is needed, or what would you like to do?
I am interested in food problems and related areas. Food problems appear to be more serious abroad than in Japan, so it may be better if the systems devised to solve them can be applied worldwide. I want to pursue work on such systems while exploring their relevance to my own research.
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