New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
NEDO seeks technology that uses satellite data to narrow field surveys to places undergoing major change
NEDO (the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) has begun soliciting proposals for technology that does more than display satellite images: it narrows down areas undergoing major changes across wide-ranging infrastructure and connects them to field surveys and disaster response. Satellites will not replace all on-site checks, but if the technology meets requirements for accuracy, cost, and integration into operations, limited personnel can be concentrated where checks are truly needed.
In Japan, infrastructure is aging, and there are not enough people to handle inspections and maintenance. As the population declines and becomes concentrated in some regions, disasters are becoming more severe and more frequent. It is not easy to keep sending people into the field to check roads, bridges, rivers, and slopes across wide areas one by one.
That is why, on July 15, 2026, NEDO began soliciting proposals for concrete ways to use satellite data in urban infrastructure inspections and disaster prevention. This is not simply a call for proposals to collect satellite images. It seeks systems that examine wide areas, narrow down places likely to have changed, and connect those findings to on-site checks and decisions about recovery.
What satellites alone cannot show
Satellites can repeatedly observe wide areas using the same method. That makes them well suited to selecting sites with major changes compared with their previously observed condition. Instead of patrolling every location in the same way, the idea is to first narrow down the places that require attention on a map.
However, satellites also have limits. The number of times they can observe an area, weather conditions such as clouds, resolution, and the time of image capture constrain their use. They cannot always replace visual inspections from nearby or measurements taken on site. Their value lies not in the images themselves, but in connecting candidates for abnormalities to inspection orders, maintenance decisions, and recovery plans.
What the call for proposals will put to the test
Theme 1 seeks technologies for monitoring deterioration in infrastructure structures and surrounding conditions, creating and updating 3D city models, and tracking changes in land use, traffic volumes, and other factors. Theme 2 covers technologies for assessing disaster risks, detecting abnormalities, obtaining a broad view of conditions during disasters, and visualizing disaster conditions in combination with 3D city models.
The first-place winner in each theme will receive 20 million yen, the second-place winner 10 million yen, and the third-place winner 5 million yen, for a total prize pool of up to 80 million yen. From late October 2026 through late May 2027, the program will involve system development and mentoring, with judging planned for a pitch contest in mid-July 2027. NEDO says it will collect and analyze the winning technologies to identify those that could lead to future joint research and practical implementation. PLATEAU, a project of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, provides 3D city models as open data.
Deciding first where people need to go
If satellite and ground data can be combined to meet the accuracy and update frequency required in practice and connected to municipal business systems, it may become possible to keep updating maps of road blockages, flooding, and recovery conditions after a disaster. Even in areas with declining populations, inspections could be concentrated on bridges, rivers, and slopes where changes have been detected, rather than having people continually cover the entire area.
However, this requires field surveys to supplement damage that satellites have difficulty detecting, rules for assigning responsibility when false detections or missed detections occur, and costs low enough for sustained operation. The contest is not only about satellite performance. The real question is how much of the work done in the field can actually be replaced.