We are pleased to announce that SOCO Corporation (Headquarters: Gunma Prefecture, Representative Director: Misako Ueno, hereinafter referred to as "SOCO") and APPLIED GIS SERVICE COMPANY LTD. (Headquarters: Yangon, Myanmar, Representative: Tun Tun Thein, hereinafter referred to as "AGS") have entered into a business partnership.

In 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup against the then government, replacing it with a military regime. Since the coup, there have been repeated clashes between citizens and the military, and political and economic instability continues. As a result, many citizens have lost their jobs and are facing difficult situations. Against this background, we have launched a project to support the creation of local employment opportunities and skill development, and will begin efforts to achieve the long-term vision and strategic goals of both companies.

SOCO's strength is its ability to provide services from upstream to downstream of business through its geospatial information business and consulting business. Through this business partnership, we will significantly strengthen our production capacity in GIS data creation (digitization, processing, and analysis) services, and aim to improve quality and further improve customer satisfaction. We will continue to pay the utmost attention to information management, and will take appropriate measures such as handling data only within Japan as necessary.

◆DX situation in the geo industry
Digital transformation (DX) is progressing rapidly in Japan, but the traditional paper-based culture still remains strong. This trend is no exception in the geo (geographic information) industry, where a large amount of paper-based materials such as historical maps, topographical maps, and land use plans are archived.

These valuable materials are being digitized using specialized software called GIS (Geographic Information System). Digitalization in the geo industry does not simply convert information into electronic format, but also allows it to have accurate location information on a map. This makes it possible to deepen analysis of location-dependent phenomena such as predicting changes in population distribution, optimizing traffic flow, and planning evacuation routes in the event of a disaster.

◆Expectations for GIS
GIS is software used to process and organize geospatial information (general information about positions and locations on the earth, such as buildings and roads). It requires a variety of functions and takes time to master, but relatively simple digitization tasks can be undertaken without requiring advanced specialized skills. For people who have no access to education and have difficulty reading and writing, we believe that basic tasks such as digitalization can provide them with the opportunity to open new doors. Furthermore, by mastering the operation methods and techniques of GIS, more advanced tasks become possible, which also contributes to individual career advancement.

Ueno, the company's president, has focused on the broad possibilities of GIS since the company's inception and has promoted it as the core of the business. Under our management philosophy of "Realizing a society where everyone can shine without giving up on what they want to do," we aim to build a richer society by supporting skill improvement and career development.

◆About APPLIED GIS SERVICE COMPANY Founded in February 2018, we provide a wide range of environmental services and GIS training, including climate change forecasting, disaster risk mapping, river management, forest conservation strategies, ecosystem service assessment, and biomass estimation. Our members are a professional team made up of experts with advanced degrees in fields such as forestry, water resource management, economic statistics, civil engineering, environmental science, GIS and surveying.

◆About SOCO Co., Ltd.
While developing various services and businesses, we are working on our mission of realizing a society in which individuals can achieve self-actualization and live fulfilling lives. All of the services and businesses we provide are means to achieve this mission, and we continue to work hard to achieve it.

Geospatial Information Business
We provide services such as the creation of GIS data that comprehensively manages and processes location information data such as addresses, latitude, longitude, and postal codes and visualizes them on maps, and training in the open source software "QGIS," to support advanced analysis and rapid decision-making in business.

Consulting Business
We support companies in solving problems and promoting digital transformation through businesses such as consulting on the introduction of GIS and the use of geospatial information data to make GIS more effective for business, IT introduction support and business improvement, and PMO, which provides cross-sectional support for projects within organizations and maximizes business value.